CAREER HIGHS
Floor Exercise: 14.300 vs. Minnesota (March 17, 2012)
Pommel Horse: 15.000 at Temple/vs. Army (Jan. 30, 2011)
Still Rings: 15.900 at National Collegiate Championships (April 14, 2011)
Vault: 15.300 at William & Mary and Navy (March 8, 2009)
Parallel Bars: 14.700 at National Collegiate Championships (April 14, 2011)
High Bar: 14.500 at William & Mary and Navy (March 8, 2009)
All-Around: 86.750 at William & Mary and Navy (March 8, 2009)
PENN STATE CAREER
2011: Earned first career All-America honor, placing second (tie, 15.400) in the still rings in the individual finals of the National Collegiate Championships...NCAA Elite 88 Award Winner...Capital One First Team Academic All-American...Capital One First Team Academic All-District....CGA First Team All-American Scholar Athlete (4.0 GPA)...Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award recipient...Academic All-Big Ten...Helped anchor one of the nation[apos]s most dominant still rings line-ups in 2011...Competed in the rings in every meet, recording 14 top three finishes, including at least a share of four titles...Positioned at No. 4 nationally in the still rings in the final 2011 rankings...Stepped up under the National Collegiate Championships spotlight, placing first in the national qualifier with a career-high score of 15.900...Score tied teammate Scott Rosenthal for second highest in program history...Also finished third in the team finals of the National Collegiate Championships, scoring a 15.650...Also a key contributor on the pommel horse and parallel bars...Set career highs in both events (PH: 15.000; PB: 14.700)...Competed twice in the floor exercise and vault.
2010: CGA First Team All-American Scholar Athlete (4.0 GPA)...CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Second Team Academic All-District...Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award recipient...Academic All-Big Ten...Emerged as one of the nation[apos]s top still rings competitors, earning eight top three finishes including four title wins...Two of his first place showings came versus two of the nation[apos]s elite teams in 2010, Illinois (14.900) and Oklahoma (14.950)...Established a career high in the rings, scoring a 15.125 in the individual finals of the Big Ten Championships to place third (tie)...Finished the season ranked No. 8 in the nation in the rings with a 14.560 average...Competed on the pommel horse in every meet, notching two top three finishes...Posted a season high score of 14.300 at Cal...In the vault line-up five times in 2010, recorded a season high mark of 15.150 in the team finals of the West Point Open...Earned his first career parallel bars title in a home victory over William & Mary (14.050)...Scored a season best 14.400 on the parallel bars against Oklahoma.
2009: CGA First Team All-American Scholar Athlete (3.90-3.99 GPA)...Contributed heavily in his first collegiate season, competing in all five events and the all-around...However, broke his hand in practice leading up to the Big Ten Championships, forcing him to miss the postseason...Earned a season best score in the floor exercise, a 14.150, in the team finals at the West Point Open...Posted three third place finishes in the pommel horse, including a top score for the year (14.700) at the West Point Open...Made his biggest impact on the still rings in freshman campaign, capturing at least a share of six titles, including a win with a season high score of 15.100 against Michigan...Also had two second place finishes in the rings...Had his best performance in the vault come in a tri-meet with William & Mary and Navy, scoring a 15.300...Totaled three top three finishes in the parallel bars, recording a season best 14.500 against Cal...Improved as the season progressed on the high bar, recording his best score of the year (14.500) versus William & Mary and Navy...Competed in the all-around in four meets, winning his first career title at Temple (85.300)...Had his best all-around performance of the season one week later, totaling a 86.750 to finish second in competition with William & Mary and Navy.
GYMNASTICS BACKGROUND
Junior National Team member from 2004-07...Trained at Hocking Valley Gymnastics in Lancaster, Ohio under head coach Mike Serra.
PERSONAL
Majoring in biology...Brother, Pedro, attended Ohio State, competing on the men[apos]s gymnastics team from 2005-07...Lists paint ball as a favorite hobby.