Gymmen stay No. 1

By PAIGE A. MUNDY
Collegian Sports Writer

Gymnast Roy Malka does not eagerly await the posting of his scores at the conclusion of a performance. Not even when his vault execution garners him a 9.7, as it did in Saturday night's tri-meet with Army and Brigham Young in Rec Hall.

"I don't really keep track of the scores," the freshman said. "I don't look up, and I don't even know who's performing for the other team. I just try to keep myself and my teammates focused."

Malka and his teammates were able to maintain their No. 1 ranking with victories over both teams. Penn State finished with 228.85 points, BYU took second with a score of 225.35 and Army placed third with 220.20 points.

Malka earned fourth place in the all-around with a score of 56.45. Teammate Tony Pansy took third in the all-around (56.70) while BYU standout Darren Elg finished first (58.10).

"We did fairly decent," Pansy said. "And I did all right, considering I wasn't feeling well with a cold during the week."

Penn State began the meet with strong performances on the floor and pommel horse, but soon watched its lead dwindle.

"We did have some trouble on the parallel bars and the high bar," Lion Coach Randy Jepson said. "I know that we are much better than what we showed."

Jepson said the Lions worked on landings during practice, but still had difficulty showing improvement at the meet.

"It's a one-tenth point give away every time, and you can't afford to lose that," Jepson added. "So, that is what we'll continue to work on."

Sophomore J.M. Michel said he felt responsible for the team's inability to hit landings.

"I think it was a little bit of anxiety to get the meet over with," he said. "I didn't compete well today. My head wasn't in it, and I wasn't as energized as usual."

Lion Mark Cooper appeared to be focused on his high bar performance. The senior was told last month he would not compete again this season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament (knee).

But Cooper found enough energy to bring the Rec Hall crowd to thunderous applause. Competing in his final regular-season meet, Cooper earned a 9.65, hitting his high bar routine.

"It's great," he said. "There is no better feeling. When I hurt myself, I thought I was out for the year. But I got to come back and count a good score for the team."

And Malka found no exception to his rule.

"I watch the guys on my team perform," he said. "I'm always rooting them on, and Mark did a great job, but I still didn't look for his score."