Gymmen stumble at NCAA East Regionals


Monday, April 6, 1998	Gymmen stumble at NCAA East Regionals By BRIAN LENNON Collegian Sports Writer Penn State will host the NCAA men's gymnastics championships at The Bryce Jordan Center April 16-18, but the Nittany Lions won't be competing as a team. The Lions faltered on their last two events at the NCAA East Regional Championships this weekend in Amherst, Mass., and failed to qualify for the event.
`Penn State Men's Gymnastics Home Page`	"I'm still in a state of shock," Lion Brandon Stefaniak said. "Some things went wrong and we just have to deal with them." The Lions fell just .05 behind third-place Iowa (226.975). Ohio State won the event with a score of 228.725. Illinois (227.925) is the third representative from the East Region.
Lion Roy Malka performs on the pommel horse earlier this season. Malka's effort on the high bar at the NCAA East Regionals will allow him to compete in the same event at NCAAs. (Collegian Photo/Timothy Gyves - click for full size image)	California, Brigham Young and Oklahoma qualified from the West Region. "We should have been there," said Lion Mike Dutka. "It was hard to see it fall apart." Five Lions, including Dutka, did qualify for the NCAA Individual Championships however. Dutka, the Big Ten all-around champion, qualified on floor exercise and pommel horse. An injury to his left foot during the vault kept him from competing on the parallel bars and horizontal bar. Despite the injury, Dutka said he asked Penn State coach Randy Jespson if he could perform on parallel bars. Jepson, however, didn't let Dutka compete.
`Official 1998 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships Home Page`	"It was a good thing," Dutka said, "because I could barely walk by the end of the meet." Due to the injury, Dutka failed to qualify for the NCAA all-around competition, in which he would have been one of the favorites. Ron Roeder also qualified on two events, tying for fifth on floor exercise and winning on rings with a 9.8. Lions Roy Malka and Adam Benas both qualified on high bar, posting 9.65s to tie for third. Stefaniak, ranked eighth nationally on pommel horse, tied for third with a 9.65. Stefaniak said competing at NCAAs will be a great privilege, despite the fact the team won't be competing. Danny Beigel was the final Lion to qualify for the Championships. He notched a 9.775 to place third on rings. Malka, the team captain, said he could speak for everyone in describing the team's reaction to this weekend as disappointing and sad. "I'm just happy me and a few other guys get to represent Penn State at the Championships," Malka said. The Lions, tied with Illinois and Nebraska for the most NCAA team championships with nine, will be missing the Championships for the first time since 1994. Last year they finished fifth.