Penn State assistant coach Kevin Tan was selected by USA Gymnastics to represent the United States at the 2005 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships yesterday. The event is scheduled for Nov. 21-27 and will take place in Melbourne, Australia at Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park. Teams from 43 countries will participate in the championships.

Tan was chosen based on his performance at the World Championships Men's Team Selection Competition held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Oct. 14 and 16. Competing on the still rings, Tan posted scores of 9.75 and 9.8. His marks were not only the highest on the apparatus but the best scores recorded by any gymnast at the competition.

A member of Penn State's 2004 NCAA championship team, Tan was the Nittany Lions' first back-to-back NCAA champion on the still rings, earning titles in 2003 and 2004. A six-time All-American, Tan was named assistant men's gymnastics coach this summer after serving as an undergraduate assistant last season while completing his degree in finance.