It was all leaps and bounds for the Penn State men's gymnastics team as the Nittany Lions routed Army 217.05-207.85 in their first meet of the season Saturday.

"I was really pleased," Penn State men's gymnastics coach Randy Jepson said. "The team had excellent floor and rings. With the floor they hit solid, good routines."

Despite preseason jitters, the team put together a solid performance to open its season. Penn State placed first as a team in all six events, dominating the Black Knights.

The Lions swept the still rings, with freshman Tommy Ramos taking first with a score of 9.65. Following Ramos were junior Luis Vargas and sophomore Matt Cohen.

"I was surprised with the rings," Jepson said. "We lost some good routines, but the team came up strong."

Not only did the Lions sweep the rings, but they took the top three spots in the vault as well. Vargas took first place on the vault, followed by freshman Derek Helsby and junior Chad Buczek. Buczek also took first place on the parallel bars.

One of the most impressive performances of the meet was given by redshirt freshman Matt Bowman. Bowman took first place on the high bars with a 9.15 in his first collegiate competition.

"I did really well for my first time," Bowman said. "I'd like to work on my nervousness and sticking my landings."

Penn State had three gymnasts compete in the all-around as well. Senior Ludwig Kern took home the top honors with 57.8 points. Cohen and Helsby took second and third, respectively.

The team will look to improve on a few things before it opens home competition against Navy and Temple in two weeks. Consistency is always an obstacle with any team, and the gymnastics team is no different.

"[We'd like to be] more consistent towards the end of the meet," Jepson said. "It's important for a good finish."

While Penn State, the defending national champion, had a great first meet, there is still a whole season ahead. Things are taken day by day, but Jepson already has a goal set for the middle of the season.

"There are some skills that still need to be worked on," Jepson said. "[The team needs] to build some depth and experience."

If the first meet is any indication of what is to come, the experience and depth will undoubtedly increase with each competition; that can only mean better things to come.