Gymmen look to correct mistakes from last weekend against Cadets

By DARREN STEELE
Collegian Staff Writer

In the wake of victory against the No. 2 team in the nation, the Penn State men's gymnastics team is rushing to correct a problem it didn't think it had.

Last Friday brought a wave of excitement as well as disappointment for the Nittany Lions. Although they managed to come out on top in a grudge match with then-No. 2 Michigan at Rec Hall, the match was sloppy and both teams took their fair share of tumbles. Penn State, which usually dominates its opponents on the pommel horse, had two of its best gymnasts fall.

Now as the Lions prepare for a meet against Army at 7 p.m. tomorrow in Rec Hall, they will be focusing their efforts on a new look and an event they once dominated.

"The horse surprised me," coach Randy Jepson said. "I didn't have those guys as conditioned as well as I should have."

Jepson wasn't the only one to offer a suggestion as to the root of the problem.

"I think we took the horse for granted," sophomore Tobias Ekman said. "We need to take each event very, very seriously. We didn't do that last week and we struggled."

Jepson has some new things in store for the Cadets. The Lions will enter the contest with an already improved floor and high bar routine, two events they have struggled in for most of the season.

"Army is not as strong as Michigan," Jepson said. "We expect their individual performers to be strong."

Penn State may need to think about having a new angle on one of the most difficult phases of the sport.

"It's all about hit ratio," senior Danny Beigel said. "That's where good teams will win. The earlier we start sticking our dismounts, the better off we will be."

Sticking his dismount was about the only thing Beigel didn't do last weekend, as he gave solid performances on the floor (9.4) and still rings (9.75). While Beigel's performances were powerful, the team still had to fight neck and neck with a Wolverine team that had more falls than Penn State.

"I think last week was a real eye-opener for us that we are not invincible," Beigel said. "Our performance will make us work harder this weekend."

Notes:

Dominic Brindle may be recovered from recent injuries. The Great Britain native competed in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Brindle posted a 9.65 on the still rings and a 9.4 on the parallel bars last weekend.