A top-five finish in the NCAA Championships for the Penn State men's gymnastics team was something that was expected at the beginning of the season.

But after a season-ending injury to freshman phenom Casey Sandy and two straight disappointing finishes to end the season, a top-five finish was in doubt.

After qualifying out of the preliminary round on Thursday, the Nittany Lions seemed to forget the poor performance in the Big Ten Championships two weeks ago and finished fourth on Friday night in the team competition in Norman, Okla.

"Our season was a real struggle all year long," Penn State men's gymnastics coach Randy Jepson said. "Nothing went our way all year, but this weekend we didn't give up."

With host Oklahoma finishing first, the Lions got career performances from sophomore Derek Helsby and freshman Tommy Ramos on their way to fourth place.

Despite falling short of their 12th national title, Jepson was excited by his team's performance.

"They were great," Jepson said. "We have been depleted all year, we didn't have all of our guys, but we didn't quit and it showed."

After finishing second in their qualifying group on Thursday, the Lions came to compete on Friday.

The Lions showed they have one of the top ring squads in the country as Ramos and Helsby led the way to a team score of 36.200.

Helsby was only one of two gymnasts to earn a score higher than 9.000 on the pommel horse with a 9.075, a score that would hold throughout the day as the top score.

"We went all out to the last routine," Jepson said. "We came out swinging, and the guys didn't give up. The guys see that they can do it."

Saturday night was all about individual performances, with Helsby and Ramos competing for the Lions.

Helsby, who had already earned All-America status Friday night by finishing third in the all-around, added some more honors to his credentials.

By finishing in the top eight in the pommel horse, rings and parallel bars, Helsby continued the best weekend of his young career.

Helsby bested his score on the pommel horse from the day before with a 9.200, but that was not enough for a first-place finish. Helsby would go on to finish third in the event.

"Derek was phenomenal," Jepson said. "He finished third in the all-around. His name is out now, and he demonstrated that he is a top gymnast."

With the rest of the team supporting Helsby and Ramos, the two put on a show for their teammates.

Ramos, who is considered one of the top gymnasts in the rings in the country, finished with a 9.450 to earn fourth place in the event.

After finishing seventh in the parallel bars after a misstep, Ramos would earn his second All-America honors for the weekend.

"Tommy did a really nice job," Jepson said. "He came through when we needed it. On the rings he hit his best routine, period."

With the season coming to an end, the Lions came home with six All-America honors and a fourth-place finish.

With only one senior, Chad Buczek, graduating, the young Lions squad will be intact next year to compete in the NCAA Championships, which will be held in State College.

The fourth-place finish has Jepson excited for the future of his squad, and he can't wait to see what it can do in the future.

"All weekend we were very focused and determined," Jepson said. "We made a statement."