Kevin Donohue's father wouldn't let him compete solely in gymnastics during high school, even though the sport was cemented in his heart.

"He wouldn't let me do gymnastics alone," Donohue said. "He wasn't too fond of the sport."

His father wanted him to get out and meet other kids, wanted him to sign up for some scholastic sports.

And Donohue did. He signed up for four of them.

Donohue dominated during the fall soccer season, garnering a Defensive Player of the Year award. During winter, he captured the league and county diving titles for Bergen Catholic High School in New Jersey. In spring he ran relays for the track team. He was also a member of the tennis team, which went all the way to the state championships.

Don't forget he was also shaping up nicely as a gymnast. Most gymnasts concentrate heavily on the sport, logging hours of practice every day of the year. Donohue loved the sport enough to find time to practice despite his other activities.

And when it came time to go to college he knew that his destiny was in the gym. It took only one visit to Happy Valley before he was hooked on Penn State.

The Nittany Lions can be thankful of that, as the sophomore's superb performance last weekend helped the squad to a win at the West Point Open.

Donohue, who specializes in the floor exercise, won that event along with the high bar, the vault and the all-around during the team competition on Friday.

Saturday he went on to capture individual titles in the floor exercise, horizontal bar, vault, and also placed second on the pommel horse en route to capturing top overall honors for the competition.

"That's the first time I was ever the top gymnast overall," he said. "I hadn't felt good all week at practice and I really wanted to get out and compete. There was a lot of pressure coming off the loss and knowing we had so many injuries. Adrenaline just took over."

Donohue admitted to being shocked by his own performance. Head coach Randy Jepson said he thought much of the team was surprised, but he wasn't.

"He has the potential," Jepson said. "What he does, he does well."

Thing is, Donohue is only in the line up now due to injuries to seniors Dominic Brindle and Adam Benas. Junior Jose Palacios has also been limited by injury.

"It was frustrating last season, because I was just outside the starting line up," he said. "I know that when we get healthy again, I'll have to keep fighting for a spot."

Skill-wise, Donohue does not have many tough routines. He lacks the experience of most competitors his age. Most gymnasts pick up the sport at about age four. Kevin was 10 when he started, and only got serious about competition when he was 15.

"He needs to get stronger and get some more difficult skills in his routines so he can score higher," said Jepson.

Donohue agreed, saying: "Right now I'm very confident with my routines. I feel very comfortable. I've improved leaps and bounds since coming here, but I still have a long way to go."

Donohue came to Penn State filled with raw talent and ambition. Now in his second season, he understands just how much work and determination it takes to reach an elite level.

"Practicing with the rest of the team makes me want to reach their level," he said. "These guys are top level athletes and they make me want to be here and want to compete. I imitate the way they work."

Besides contributing to another national championship at Penn State, Donohue someday hopes to wear the red, white and blue in international competition.

His dreams don't stop there, though. Donohue is a pre-med major, with designs on becoming a plastic surgeon. Between gymnastics and academics his free time is limited. The academic All-American often studies at the HUB late into the night.

With his sights set so high, Donohue has grown accustomed to always being on the go. He never settles for just good enough. In his mind he can always do better.

But his feat at West Point was pretty impressive for so early in the season. Donohue picked the perfect meet to have a breakout performance. His parents had made the 30-minute trip to West Point to watch him.

"My mom didn't even know that I won until I told her," he said. "I don't think she knows how to follow along too well."

Donohue's father followed along, though. There's no doubt he was proud of his son, and maybe even fond of gymnastics, after seeing the performance.