Gymmen corralled by No. 1 Ohio State

As of right now, Ohio State is still the best men's gymnastics team in the nation.

The No. 3 Penn State gymnastics team (3-1) suffered its first loss of the season after falling to No. 1 Ohio State (6-0), 232.45 to 228.35.

The Nittany Lions knew they would have their work cut out for them as they traveled to face the defending national champions. Penn State performed well, but it wasn't enough as the Buckeyes finished with a final score that broke an all-time school record.

Three Penn State freshmen posted career highs against the stiff competition. Mike Dutka tied his career high on the pommel horse (9.85), and Eddie Seng recorded career bests on the vault (9.9) and the floor exercise (9.45). Mark Weiss recorded a career high on the pommel horse (9.55).

Dutka has become a consistent performer for Penn State and is currently ranked No. 4 in the country.

Ohio State also possesses a top gymnast in Blaine Wilson, currently ranked No. 1. He won the all-around title and posted a school record of 58.8.

Penn State coach Randy Jepson said facing quality opponents like Ohio State builds confidence in his squad.

"They saw they could hang with anybody," Jepson said.

This confidence is demonstrated by Penn State's belief it still can defeat the Buckeyes. This will require a better performance from the Lions, however.

"It's up to us," junior Roy Malka said. "We can definitely beat them."

Malka and his teammates will likely get another crack at the Buckeyes at Big Ten championships, which take place March 22-23.

If Penn State wants to post a different result in March, stronger performances are needed by gymnasts who perform early in each event. High scores early on each piece of equipment can build confidence for gymnasts performing later. This has been a weakness this season for Penn State and an area of concern for Jepson.

As Malka said, Jepson told the team, "The first couple of guys need to be more consistent."