Web Release:
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 2 Penn State men’s gymnastics travels to West Point, New York this week to compete in the West Point Open. Nittany Lions who post qualifying scores on Friday night will advance to Saturday’s individual finals where student-athletes will compete for qualifying bids to the Winter Cup.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Date: Friday, January 16 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, January 17 at 7 p.m.
Location: West Point, N.Y. | Venue: Christl Arena
Doors open at 5 p.m.
Admission is free
LAST TIME OUT
The Nittany Lions opened the 2025 season with a 311.300-297.600 win over Army in Rec Hall on Sunday afternoon. The Nittany Lion win was powered by five PSU event titles, including a hat trick from senior Matt Underhill.
His floor routine, the opening act for PSU’s 2026 campaign, posted a 13.350. He went on to put up a 13.750 on rings with a stick bonus, and a 14.300 on vault, also sticking the landing. Those two scores ranked second-best nationally in the opening week of gymnastics.
MEETING HISTORY
Penn State won its tenth consecutive West Point Open in 2024 but faced a small set back in last year’s rendition, finishing second behind Big Ten foe Ohio State. Despite the setback, PSU has won 28 out of the 40 titles in the overall history of the event.
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 spent 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 remains on the road next week, traveling to the Sam Mikulak Invitational in Sarasota, Florida, on Saturday, January 24. Competition is set to begin at 6 p.m.