Men’s Gymnastics Earns Bid to Day Two of NC Championships, Will Face Off for National Title on ESPN2Men’s Gymnastics Earns Bid to Day Two of NC Championships, Will Face Off for National Title on ESPN2

Men’s Gymnastics Earns Bid to Day Two of NC Championships, Will Face Off for National Title on ESPN2

Penn State posted only four sticks but will return to the team finals for the first time since 2023

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State held on in the final rotation to finish third in Session I of the 2025 NC Men’s Gymnastics Championships, posting a 321.992 to advance to the 2025 National Championships Saturday evening. Penn State awaits the conclusion of Session II to know its full roster of opponents, but Oklahoma and Big Ten foe Nebraska also advanced out of the afternoon block alongside the Blue and White.

Penn State began the day on floor, but the final two rotations saw the Nittany Lions grab two event titles on the parallel bars and high bar. Penn State was well below the team’s season average stick tally, posting just four across the afternoon.

“All that counts today is moving forward,” said head coach Randy Jepson. “You don’t want to be fourth. I hope that we had a decent lead going into the last event and we did, so it worked out for us. We got to show the depth and poise of our team today. We never got rattled, never got down about anything. We were steady a knew what we can do and then went out and did it.”

Kacper Garnczarek opened the session for PSU, grabbing a 13.133 on the floor. Teammates Akseli Karsikas and Michael Artlip built on the momentum top put up performances the went on to rank in the top ten by the end of the meet. Josh Karnes posted the best Penn State score on floor, putting up a 13.700 routine and finishing fourth overall. The senior punctuated his routine with a stick on the final pass. PSU’s scores combined for the second-best mark on the apparatus as a team.

Landon Simpson led the charge on the pommel horse, posting a season-best mark of 13.500 and finishing eighth on the rotation.

Karnes was the next closest PSU finisher on horse, posting a 13.433 to finish 12th overall.

Matt Underhill took a well-deserved rest on rings, giving Josh Karnes a chance to show his versatility. The junior tied for 12th with a 13.066. Ian Raubal and Akseli Karsikas were the top two Penn State performers, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively. Raubal’s routine garnered a 13.766 including a stick on the dismount, while Karsikas notched a 13.533.

Penn State had a consistent vault, finishing second overall amongst team scored with a 55.799. Michael Jaroh highlighted the rotation with a stuck landing on a 14.166 launch to earn a fifth-place finish.

Matt Cormier also finished in the top ten on the vault, posting a 13.933 for tenth place.

Josh Karnes did what he does on parallel bars, earning his sixth p-bars title of the season with a 14.033. He was one of just two parallel bar athletes to score a 14 or above in the session.

Raubal and Jaroh also posted top 10 finishes on the same apparatus. Raubal went for a 13.766 to finish sixth, while Jaroh posted a 13.566 to finish seventh.

Karsikas followed up Karnes with the top score on the high bar. The sophomore posted a 13.466, besting Oklahoma’s Brandon Zepeda-Orth. Michael Artlip and Matt Cormier each tallied a score in the top 10, with Artlip finishing fifth on a 13.266. Cormier finished eighth overall with a 13.100. Despite a fall on the apparatus, Michael Jaroh stuck his final landing of the day.

 

UP NEXT

Individual titles and the national championship hang in the balance tomorrow evening in the Crisler Center. Action begins at 6:30 p.m., and fans not in attendance can catch the finals on ESPN2.