WEST POINT, N.Y.; January 26, 2007 ¨C The No. 2 Penn State men¡¯s gymnastics team continued its dominance of the east¡¯s top teams at the West Point Open, compiling a season-best team score of 214.700 to claim its 10th-straight title Friday night.

The Nittany Lions team total, which was nearly eight points higher than their winning mark a year ago, significantly outdistanced second-place finisher Team Gattaca (205.500), an elite club team based in New York. Temple placed third (199.500) followed by host Army (197.750), Navy (190.250), Springfield College (185.050), M.I.T (174.100), and James Madison (162.150).

Penn State amassed the highest team score in five of the six events, placing second only in the vault. The Lions' totals on the floor exercise (37.250) and parallel bars (35.600) were season highs.

Individually, sophomore Casey Sandy (Brampton, Ont.) secured two individual titles to lead Penn State. Senior captain Matt Cohen (Agoura Hills, Calif.), the nation¡¯s No. 1-ranked all-around competitor, upheld that status, winning his third-consecutive title with a score of 51.250.

Sandy earned his third pommel horse title in as many weeks of the season, posting a first-place score of 9.300. He then followed it up with a win in the high bar (9.200), his first of the 2007 campaign. The sophomore also placed third in the parallel bars and fifth in the rings.

After winning the floor exercise in his first collegiate meet two weeks ago, freshman Nick Virbitsky (Harrisburg, Pa.) repeated that feat tonight, taking the title in the event with a season team-high score of 9.550. Classmate Allen Harris (Lancaster, Pa.) placed second with an impressive 9.400.

Junior Tommy Ramos (Guaynabo, P.R.) tied for the top spot in the parallel bars, scoring a 9.100, and placed second in the rings with a mark of 9.500.

Competition at the West Point Open resumes on Sat., Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. with the individual event finals. The top eight finishers from each of Friday night's events advance to vie for individual honors on Saturday evening. The complete list of Penn State gymnasts who have qualified is as follows:

Floor Exercise: Allen Harris, Nick Virbitsky
Pommel Horse: Derek Helsby, Casey Sandy, Brad Spicer
Rings: Matt Cohen, Tommy Ramos, Casey Sandy
Vault: Vladi Klurman, Noam Shaham, Nick Virbitsky
Parallel Bars: Matt Cohen, Tommy Ramos, Casey Sandy
High Bar: Tommy Ramos, Casey Sandy