State College, Pa., January 31, 2002 - The Penn State men's and women's gymnastics team host Big Ten foe Illinois for a Big Ten double-dual meet on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 1 p.m. in Rec Hall.

The No. 4-ranked men's team is looking to extend their win streak with another Big Ten matchup against No. 2 Illinois. The Nittany Lions are 9-0 so far this season. Penn State leads the all-time series, 14-5, and has not lost a meet to the Illini in State College since 1955.

The men will look to two-time Big Ten Gymnast of the Week junior Kevin Donohue (Saddle River, N.J.) for a strong performance. Nationally, he is the top-ranked gymnast on high bar and currently ranks second in the all-around. The Lions also expect strong performances from junior Matt Abboud (Dayton, Maine) who is tied for eighth nationally in the all-around. In addition, sophomore Kevin Tan (Fremont, Calif.) has been shining on the rings this season. He is ranked first on the apparatus for the third-consecutive week.

The Penn State women are ranked 24th this week and are looking for their first home win as they host the Illini. The Nittany Lions will also look to improve their series record against the Illinois to 10-0 all-time.

The Nittany Lions are coming off of a win against Pittsburgh, where the team posted its highest team score of the season (193.500). The Lions set season highs on the floor exercise, balance beam and uneven bars against the Panthers.

Penn State looks to juniors Katie Rowland (Georgetown, Ontario), Katie McAvoy (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Leslie Bair (Lancaster, Pa.) to lead the team this week. These three finished in the top three spots in the all-around competition at Pittsburgh.