Gymmen flip No. 2 Huskers

Amidst the frenzied setting Saturday night at Rec Hall stood the cool, calm, concentrated effort that is the Penn State men's gymnastics team.

Blocking out television cameras, blaring music and a crowd with more enthusiasm than a Jerry Springer audience, the Lions defeated Nebraska 231.150-230.025.

The victory was sweetened not only because the Cornhuskers are ranked No. 2 in the country, but also because it was seniors Roy Malka and Mark Minutaglio's last meet in Rec Hall.

Malka, the team's captain, contributed to the No. 5 Lions' effort all the way up to the last event earning a season-high 9.7 on the high bar.

Malka also added a third-place finish on pommel horse, one of his specialties.

"He was having a great night," Penn State coach Randy Jepson said. "He put the nails in the coffin with his high bar routine."

The seniors were not the only stars of the night, however. The teams performance was also augmented by Mike Dutka, Ron Roeder and Eddie Seng, who placed career highs in the vault (9.8) and the high bar (9.5).

Dutka, who brought home the Gene Wettstone Award as the night's outstanding gymnast, also finished first in the all-around with a 58.50. He also set a career high on pommel horse with a 9.9.

Meanwhile, Roeder finished with a 57.35, putting him in third in the all-around, just behind Nebraska's Bill Mulholland's 57.375.

Nebraska had some highlights as well, including Marshall Nelson winning on horizontal bar with a 9.8 and tying Dutka on the parallel bar with a 9.8.

Jepson said he was thrilled with the team's performance, especially since it was the seniors' last home meet. He also classified Dutka's performance, placing first in each event except for the horizontal bar, which he placed second, as ''great.''

But Jepson does see ways the team can improve, particularly in the case of injuries. The biggest of those injuries belonging to Tobias Ekman, who injured his clavicle March 7 at the Santa Barbara Invitational and didn't compete Saturday.

"I would like to see us healthier," Jepson said, "but this is a great confidence boost."

With that confidence, now just one more thing the Lions can add to their repertoire, it seems they are where they want to be for the Big Ten Championships March 20-21 at Michigan.