All season long, Penn State men's gymnastics coach Randy Jepson said he was only concerned about his team improving, not necessarily how his team's opponents scored.

It's safe to say the team's improvement was capped off with the No. 3-seeded Nittany Lions winning their third national title since 2000 Friday night in Rec Hall. The victory is the team's 12th NCAA title overall, the most of any school. It was also Jepson's third national championship since he took the helm in 1992.

For only the second time in the program's history, the Nittany Lions were named national champions in front of their fans at Rec Hall. The championship has been held seven times at Penn State.

The Lions clutched the win in their last rotation on the rings, which brought the team from fourth place to the top of the heap. The team score of 38.450 for the event was a season high.

"We had trouble landing all year, but the guys found a way to find the floor and did not move, and did a good job doing it," Jepson said.

By the end of the team finals, Penn State had posted a season-high team score of 221.000. The turning point in the meet may have been on the floor exercise, when the Lions scored a 37.900, 0.55 points higher than the previous season high, keeping pace with the rest of the field.

The championships continued on Saturday with five Penn State gymnasts competing for individual glory. The third day finished with the individual finals that involved 10 gymnasts competing head-to-head in each of the six events. The Lions earned three second-place finishes.

Penn State junior Tommy Ramos placed second on the high bar and rings, and sophomore Casey Sandy posted a 9.575 to finish second on the pommel horse. Junior Vladi Klurman and freshmen Nick Virbitsky finished in the top eight of their respective events to also earn All-America honors. The Lions now have 41 All-Americans since 1980.

Overall, the Lions were more successful than the last time Penn State served as host to the national championship.

In 1998, the finals were held in the Bryce Jordan Center, and the Lions came into the championships with an 11-3 record. But the team was unable to make it out of the qualifying session. Jepson said that defeat was one of the lowest points of his life.

But Penn State's effort Friday helped create a new high point in Jepson's career.

"It's going to be tough to beat," Jepson said. "It is a special moment. Winning it in front of the fans and family is huge."

The title also ended the recent dominance of the Oklahoma Sooners, who came in as the No. 2 seed with titles in four of the previous five years. The only team to top the Sooners during the last six years has been Penn State. Oklahoma's bids to win three titles in a row have twice been foiled by the Lions.

The weekend also marked the end of senior captain Matt Cohen's career at Penn State. Cohen posted a 9.550 on his last event, the rings, and his score solidified the Lion's championship.

"I am unbelievably happy to close out my career at Penn State by winning a national title at home," Cohen said. "So this is the sweetest way to go out."