Over the past two years, many aspects of the No. 1 Penn State men's gymnastics team have drastically changed.

Senior Kevin Donohue has become the veteran and go-to man, leading the squad in many meets.

Additionally, the squad has also welcomed new faces to its ranks, including sophomores Ludwig Kern and Ed Seward.

However, one key component of the team's success has stayed the same despite adversity over this stretch of time: senior Jose Palacios.

After battling injuries the past two seasons, the redshirted team captain returned to form on Saturday night in Rec Hall, leading the Nittany Lions (8-0) to a victory against the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines (3-4), 219.400-210.350, the Lions' highest tally since 2000.

Palacios led the squad in a sweep of the all-around with a season high 55.050, followed by freshman Luis Vargas with a career high 54.050 and Donohue with a 53.200.

In addition, the Lions won all six events, with Palacios capturing pommel horse and parallel bars, with scores of 9.500 and 9.450, respectively.

"My performance was good tonight, but the most important thing was that the team did good," Palacios said.

"I am back doing gymnastics and that feels great, but my successes come on top of the team winning tonight. I had butterflies for the whole day but it felt great being back in Rec Hall."

Junior Kevin Tan remained undefeated on his specialty, the still rings, claiming the title with a 9.650 and Donohue captured the floor, vault and high bar, matching a career high on the latter with a 9.650.

"I was pleased overall with the team tonight," Penn State men's gymnastics coach Randy Jepson said.

"We have no huge holes in our lineup, but floor was a bit disappointing with some mistakes. We did really good on vault and have worked hard to get harder vaults in the lineup, and we missed some but overall did well with the new tricks."

While the return of Palacios bodes well for the squad's success this season, injuries have already taken a toll on the Lions, with senior Duke Van Vleet out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle suffered during an intrasquad meet.

In Van Vleet's absence, Jepson has turned to several underclassmen to take his place, including sophomore Steve Tobin, who earned a 9.000 on rings, and freshman Vargas, who earned career highs on high bar, parallel bars and rings against the Wolverines.

After two seasons filled with injuries, and an elbow that still aches with each skill, no one knows Van Vleet's pain more than Palacios, making his success bittersweet.

"Losing Duke is a hard loss for us," Palacios said.

"It is really tough to lose a teammate no matter what. I know how painful it is to sit back and watch your teammates train and we are athletes and are born to compete, so it hurts even more.

He is in the gym everyday though and helps us a lot and still has a great attitude."