UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.- Penn State men's gymnastics looks for its second consecutive team win at the Navy Open this weekend on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. On the slate for the team competition is Penn State, Navy, Ohio State, Springfield and William & Mary. Army and Greenville will have gymnasts competing individually.
Penn State is ranked second in the Road to Nationals rankings and CGA weekly poll this week. The Nittany Lions also rank second in the Big Ten after sweeping weekly awards.
MEET INFORMATION
at the Navy Open
- Date: Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023 | Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Annapolis, Md. | Venue: Macdonough Hall Gymnastics Center
- Teams: Penn State, Navy, Ohio State, Springfield and William & Mary
- Live Stats
LAST TIME OUT
Penn State won its ninth straight West Point Open team victory last weekend. Its team score of 407.600 marked its highest since 2019.
Junior Captain Matt Cormier (81.950) and junior Michael Artlip (78.900) came in first and second in the all-around.
Several Nittany Lions earned career highs at the competition including Michael Artlip on floor with a score of 14.050 and vault with a 14.450. Derek Schlagenhauf also posted a personal best with a 14.050 on pommel horse. Michael Jaroh scored a 14.200 on parallel bars marking a career best for the junior.
NITTANY LIONS TO WATCH
Cormier was named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week for the second consecutive week after his performance at the West Point Open last weekend. He helped lead his team to a 407.600 victory on the first night of the competition. Cormier won the all-around on Friday night with a score of 81.950 and also placed first on floor exercise (14.650) He advanced to the individual event finals on floor and placed second (14.200), vault and placed fourth (14.250) and high bar placing sixth (12.300).
Freshman Ian Raubal earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week, joining Cormier in the weekly honors. Raubal finished first on still rings with a score of 14.500, the highest score across the Nittany Lions this season so far. After advancing to the finals on rings, parallel bars and high bar he secured championships on parallel bars with his score of 13.900 and high bar with his 13.650 score.
HISTORY AT THE NAVY OPEN
Penn State won the Navy Open in 2022 with a late rally to finish with a 385.850 team score. The Nittany Lions ended Navy's six-year win streak at its event last season after returning for the first time since 2014.
After struggling a bit through high bar, floor and pommel horse, the team earned a season high score of 66.550 on rings and scored a 69.850 on vault. Ethan Dick led the Nittany Lions to victory on parallel bars with his personal best score of 14.150. Dick earned championships on parallel bars (14.150) and vault (13.150).
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Navy finished in third place at the West Point Open last weekend and sent six to the event finals bringing home one championship. Ohio State finished third at the Windy City Invite last weekend. William & Mary beat Simpson in a virtual meet during its opening weekend. Springfield came in fifth at the West Point Open and sent five gymnasts to the event finals.
Road to Nationals Ranking:
Navy: 8th
Ohio State: 7th
William & Mary: 12th
Springfield: 9th