Gymnastics: Men's
Men's gymnastics team takes No.1 in NCAA rankings
The rankings are out for the week and the Penn State men’s gymnastics team finally got what they deserved.
After setting the top score in the nation twice, the Nittany Lions surpassed previous No. 1 seed Oklahoma Tuesday to take their position at the top of the NCAA weekly rankings.
Watching them the past few weeks in competition, it was only a matter of time. Since their only loss to Michigan on Jan. 21, the Lions have really stepped it up.
Head coach Randy Jepson said he yelled a lot at practice the week after that meet. He said they were better than that. Meanwhile, senior captain Miguel Pineda said the gymnasts needed the motivation, and he hoped it would work.
Well, needless to say, it worked.
After their only loss, the guys seemed to never stop breaking records, accumulating season-highs and winning. On top of that, they've earned a long list of awards, including numerous Big Ten Gymnast and Freshman of the Week honors.
Despite its long list of accomplishments just in the regular season, the team isn’t cocky. However, they do show more and more confidence in every meet they perform in. If I were any other coach in the Big Ten, and in the nation, I would say they’re a force to be reckoned with.
The last time the Lions won Big Ten Championships was in 2008, when it was hosted at Penn State. The last time they won the NCAA Championships was in 2007. Since then, they’ve been building up to what they are now: a team to fear.
Don’t be surprised if you see them at No. 1 once again, not only at Big Ten championships but at NCAA championships too.