LINCOLN, Neb. – No. 6 men’s gymnastics had an off night in Lincoln, Nebraska, finishing fifth with a season-low score of 310.850. Despite the team effort, PSU is sending six student-athletes to tomorrow’s individual finals. The crew will compete in seven different routines on five of the six events. The highlight of Friday’s session included graduate student Kellen Ryan earning a third-place finish in the All-Around with a career-best 76.700. The night marked just his third ever All-Around event.
The Nittany Lions began the evening on vault, where the team posted a 55.600, to lead all Big Ten teams after the first rotation. Of the scorers on the rotation, Ryan and freshman Shaun Smith led the way. Ryan scored a 14.100 including a stick bonus, and Smith clocked in at a 14.050, good for sixth and seventh, respectively. Both advance to tomorrow’s individual vault finals with the scores.
PSU maintained its lead after the second rotation, scoring a 52.000 despite two missed routines. Junior Akseli Karsikas led the Nittany Lion effort with a 13.550, good for fifth place overall and an advancement to tomorrow’s individual parallel bar finals.
The Blue & White dropped to fourth after missing two more routines. Only Karsikas posted a top 10 worthy score, posting a 13.600, good for seventh and a spot in Saturday’s high bar final.
Senior Kacper Garczarek posted to top Penn State score on floor as the team fell to fifth place, scoring a 13.150 for a 10th-place finish. Garnczarek will serve as the second alternate for the event in tomorrow’s finals.
Freshman Ritam Malik advanced to the individual pommel horse finals with a 13.200, good for a 10th-place finish. His score led the Nittany Lions on the rotation.
Underhill does what he does on still rings, posting a 13.850 for a third-place finish. He advances to tomorrow’s finals as he chases the event title and a gold medal.
UP NEXT
Garnczarek, Karsikas, Malik, Ryan, and Underhill are back in action in Lincoln, Nebraska tomorrow night for the individual finals of the Big Ten Championships. Action from the Pinnacle Bank Arena will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.