Jepson did not have to search very long to find the weekend's silver lining "It was a close meet versus a highly ranked rival on their floor ... we hadn't been tested yet."
Leaning in a more specialized direction, Jepson added, "Our ring lineup was very encouraging."
The meet proved that the Nittany Lions have some work to do if they are to challenge their upcoming foes, as they get into the thick of Big Ten competition against Michigan and Ohio State over the next two weeks.
Said senior all-arounder Ludwig Kern: "[The meet] was a good indicator of what level we need to be at."
Some athletes are already very close to that level. The consensus confirmed that Luis Vargas is leading the team to the point they want to reach.
"Vargas did a great job," Jepson said. "His parallel bar [routine] was just world class."
Kern put in a good word for teammate Chad Buczek. Buczek competed with an injured shoulder in Champaign, but still managed to dent the armor of the defending Big Ten champions.
"He came through for us," Kern said.
It was Vargas and Buczek who led the team to a slim 0.35 lead heading into the final rotation. However, the Illini were up on the high bar, and Penn State could only watch as Justin Spring, the defending NCAA champion on the apparatus, led his team to the victory.
"Our inconsistency was still there. It certainly wasn't the hit ratio that we had hoped for," Jepson said.
After the Lions had time to use 20/20 hindsight, there was nothing but high spirits as they waited to come home.
The meet was a learning experience. After breezing through their first few meets as collegiate gymnasts, they were able to see where they must step up alongside the big dogs of the Big Ten.
"The loss will only bring improvement," Cohen said.
A loss and a delayed trip home. Penn State had a tough weekend.
Or did they?
