Dutka finishes strong at tryouts for national team

When freshman gymnast Mike Dutka headed to the Winter Cup Challenge in Battle Creek, Mich., for the weekend competition, he set a modest goal for himself.

Dutka accomplished much more than he set out to, as he finished fifth in the all-around (51.95), won the pummel horse and earned a second-place finish in the parallel bars.

"I went out and hit all my routines," said Dutka, who earned a spot on the national team with his fifth-place finish in the all-around.

Excellent performances in the all-around are nothing new for Dutka, who is from Fairless Hills and was named the Big Ten's gymnast of the month for January.

"He did very well," Penn State coach Randy Jepson said.

Jepson was also extremely pleased with the efforts of his five other gymnasts who competed in the Winter Cup Challenge.

In the all-around competition against approximately 70 other gymnasts, Joe Roemer finished 19th (48.75), Tim Lashua placed 20th (48.55), Ron Roeder earned 21st (48.3), J.M. Michel ended 23rd (48.05) and John Uransky finished 32nd.

"It was the best guys in the country," Jepson said. "It was the best of the best.

"They did very well," he added. "We had a strong showing. There were a lot of people impressed with our depth. There were a lot of positive comments from people associated with U.S. Gymnastics about Penn State."

-- by David Comer