UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 5 Penn State men’s gymnastics is set to return this weekend at the Big Ten Championships after a two week hiatus on Friday, April 4. Top finishers in Friday's team and all-around session will advance to Saturday's individual championships. Both sessions are set to begin at 7 p.m.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Date: April 4 at 7:00 p.m. | April 5 at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Ann Arbor, Mich. | Venue: Crisler Center
TUNE IN
LAST TIME OUT
The Nittany Lions earned the team's first ever Big Ten regular season title after a 329.050-328.850 win over No. 4 Nebraska. Penn State won four event titles in the contest on the back of 13 sticks.
The back-and-forth meet came down to the wire, with high bar being the deciding factor. An event that began with a change in the PSU lineup after Michael Artlip was forced to withdraw due to injury. In his place, Matt Cormier stepped in, while the other three advanced one position. Garnczarek served as the opener for Penn State, and he proved to have a short memory from the p-bars routine as he posted a stick on a 13.700 routine, a new season-high for the junior. Akseli Karsikas followed up with his own season-best score of 13.950, also sticking his landing. Karnes put on a clinic once more to take home his second event title with a 14.000. With just Cormier left, the Nittany Lions would need at least a 12.800 from the senior, who did not take a proper warmup, to clinch the title. Cormier posted a 12.950, garnering an eruption from the crowd and his teammates as the score flashed on the Rec Hall board.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
All five Big Ten team rank in the RoadToNationals top-10, sitting in spots 3-7. Michigan, who shared the regular season title with the Nittany Lions comes in at three, Nebraska ranks four, PSU comes in at five, Ohio State is sixth, and Illinois ranks seventh. Only Oklahoma and Stanford out rank the Big Ten.
MEETING HISTORY
Penn State last won a Big Ten Championship at the 2019 championships, where the team won its fourth title, beating second-place finisher Illinois by just 0.250.
Since the 2019 championships, PSU has finished fifth three times, and second once in the 2023 session.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
For the first time since the 2023 season, and only the second season since 2020, Penn State has a finalist for the Nissen-Emery Award, which highlights the nation’s top men’s gymnast. Senior Josh Karnes has been named one of seven finalists for the award, the College Gymnastics Association (CGA) announced Tuesday afternoon.
Karnes, a native of Erie, Pennsylvania, finished his 2024 season with a bronze medal at the NCAA Championships on the Parallel Bars after being securing the event title at Big Ten individual championships the same season. The senior is a five time All-American, earning the nod in the All-Around and Parallel Bars in both 2023 and 2024 in addition to earning the honor on the Vault in 2023.
This season, Karnes has earned Gymnast of the Week honors from the Big Ten and Specialist of the Week honors from the CGA. The Communications and Media Studies major is currently the nation’s No. 2-ranked Parallel Bars gymnast with a four-score average of 14.033. His High Bar numbers have been equally as impressive this year. He ranks fifth in the country on the event with a four-score average of 13.683. As the anchor for the event, he has helped Penn State to secure its last two meet wins, including the upset over No. 2-ranked Stanford.
The “Heisman Trophy” of gymnastics, the Nissen-Emery Award is inscribed with the following motto: “The true champion seeks excellence physically, mentally, socially, and morally.”
In addition to the Nissen-Emery honors, Karnes and teammate Matt Underhill earned regular season All-American honors from the CGA. Karnes earned the nod on parallel bars and high bar, while Underhill earned his spot on the rings.
2025 SEASON PREVIEW
The Nittany Lions entered their 2025 campaign ranked sixth in the College Gymnastics Association (CGA) Preseason Coaches Poll.
Head coach Randy Jepson returns for his 34th season at the helm of the program along with associate head coach Tony Beck (ninth season) and assistant coach Carlos Vazquez (13th season).
Penn State finished their 2024 season 3-3 overall and 1-3 in the Big Ten. The team has 14 returners including All-Americans Josh Karnes, Michael Artlip, and Luke Esparo.
Karnes finished the 2024 season as an NCAA Bronze Medalist following his third-place finish in the parallel bars at the national championships.
Karnes along with graduate student Matt Cormier were named Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch after stellar regular and off seasons.
The team has a new face. Graduate Student Kellen Ryan will make his debuts with the Nittany Lions, joining the program from the University of Minnesota.
UP NEXT
Penn State next moves on to the 2025 NCAA Championships on April 19 after a week's rest following Big Tens. The Nittany Lions will participate in Friday's regional championships in hopes of moving individuals and the team to Saturday's NCAA Championships session.