UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 7 Penn State men’s gymnastics plays hosts to No. 10 Army in the first meet of 2026 on Sunday, January 11 at 2 p.m. The event will be a rare double dual for PSU gymnastics, with the women’s team also taking on Yale in Rec Hall.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Date: Sunday, January 11 at 2 p.m.
Location: University Park, Pa. | Venue: Rec Hall
Doors open at 1 p.m.
Admission is free
TUNE IN
LAST TIME OUT
The Nittany Lions closed out the 2025 season with an historic finish, finishing fifth at the 2025 NC Men’s Gymnastics Championships. The finish marked the best for the Nittany Lions since the 2016 season, when the team also place fifth overall. Josh Karnes was the highlight of the evening, securing his third consecutive NCAA All-American nod, this time coming on the Parallel Bars.
MEETING HISTORY
Penn State won the last meeting won the last meeting by more than 10 points, securing a 316.900-306.500 victory in the teams’ first dual meet of the season. As a team, PSU won every event with the exception of floor, with Matt Underhill, Josh Karnes, Kellen Ryan, and Michael Jaroh each earning to the top on a rotation.
Penn State is 49-18-1 all-time against the Black Knights.
2026 SEASON PREVIEW
The Nittany Lions entered their 2026 campaign ranked seventh in the College Gymnastics Association (CGA) Preseason Coaches Poll.
Head coach Randy Jepson returns for his 35th season at the helm of the program along with associate head coach Tony Beck (10th season) and assistant coach Carlos Vazquez (14th season). Vazquez received the prestigious Honor Coach Award from the CGA at the conclusion. The award recognizes a member-coach of twenty-five years or more who has gained the admiration of his coaching associates. The Honor Coach Award Committee selects the recipient of this award each year by a secret ballot. The chairman presents this, the most prestigious of all gymnastics coaches’ awards, at the banquet prior to the NCAA Championship.
As a trio, the group was recognized as the CGA Central Region Coaching Staff of the year.
Penn State finished their 2025 season with a 6-1 overall record and 3-1 conference mark, good for a Big Ten regular season title. The team went on to have a record book finish in the post season, grabbing a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships and earning the best PSU team finish in nearly a decade with s fifth-place spot at the NC Championships. The team has nine returners including All-Americans Matt Underhill and Luke Esparo.
Underhill is the lone returner to the roster with 2025 All-American honors after being recognized by the CGA for his work on rings during the regular season. Esparo is expected to be another big contributor this season foe the Nittany Lions after having to miss the 2025 season due to injury. The Wallingford, Connecticut, native was an All-American in his freshman season back in 2024.
Akseli Kasikas, who spend the summer and fall at various national team events with Finland, is back in action for the Blue & White. He and teammate Kacper Garnczarek were named Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch heading into 2026.
In addition to the returners, Penn State added a class of seven new faces to the roster.
UP NEXT
Penn State if off to West Point, New York, next weekend when the team competes in the 2026 West Point Open on Friday, January 16. Qualifiers from Friday night will advance to the individual session on Saturday, January 17 for a chance to win some hardware.