Men’s Gymnastics Claims Third Place At NCAA Championships
Penn State men’s gymnastics finished third at the NCAA Championships Friday night at the University of Oklahoma’s Lloyd Noble Center, as the Sooners claimed their ninth title with a score of 447.050 followed by Stanford (440.450) and Penn State (439.500).
While the Nittany Lions finished just short of their ultimate goal, two gymnasts accomplished something the program hasn’t done in nearly 50 years. Junior Trevor Howard and senior Matthew Felleman earned All-American honors with career-best marks in the all-around, with Howard finishing fourth (88.500) and Felleman claiming seventh (88.200). The duo is Penn State’s first to be named All-Americans in the all-around in the same year since Bob Emery and Dick Swetman in 1969.
On the still rings in rotation one, the Nittany Lions put together their best performance of the season, as three gymnasts hit career-best marks. Matthew Felleman kicked things off for Penn State with a career-best score of 15.050, with senior captain Tristan Duverglas also hitting a career-best score of 15.600. Trevor Howard would capture the third-best score in school history with a 16.25o for a total team score of 77.600. Penn State’s score is the top mark in school history and the No. 1 score this year in the NCAA.
Penn State headed into the fifth rotation, floor excercise, in third with a team score of 294.650. In Penn State’s signature event, all five Nittany Lions posted scores of 15.000 or better. Freshman Thad Lawson tied his career-high, and the No. 4 score all-time at Penn State, with a 15.700 to take the top spot. As a team, the Lions posted a school record score of 76.100, and headed into the final rotation in second place.
On the pommel horse, Penn State finished with a score of 68.750 led by Leroy Clarke, Jr. (14.000) and Felleman (13.950), with Howard adding a 12.400 while competing in the all-around. Despite a strong start, the Lions slipped behind Stanford to finish third, the highest since a third-place finish in 2012.
Final Results
1. Oklahoma – 447.050
2. Stanford – 440.450
3. Penn State – 439.500
4. Michigan – 437.650
5. California – 432.100
6. Iowa – 427.450
Individual Finalists
The top-10 finishers from each event advance to the individual finals Saturday night at 8 p.m.
Leroy Clarke, Jr. — Parallel Bars
Tristan Duverglas — Still Rings
Matthew Felleman — High Bar
Trevor Howard — Parallel Bars, Still Rings
Thad Lawson — Floor, Vault (Alternate)
Alexis Torres — Still Rings
For a full list of the final results and Saturday’s individual championships start list, click here and here.
Image: Jen Hudson/Onward State
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