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This Week:
at. No. 4 Ohio State
Date: Feb. 14, 2004
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Columbus, Ohio
No. 5 Penn State Travels to No. 4 Ohio State: The No. 5 Nittany Lions travel to No. 4 Ohio State on Feb. 21 in a double dual meet with the women's team starting at 7 p.m. Last season, then-No. 1 PSU defeated then-No. 2 OSU, 220.0-216.85, in University Park, Pa.
Who's Got Next?: PSU will host William & Mary on Feb. 28 at 3 p.m. at Rec Hall. Penn State leads the series 7-0.
PSU No. 5 in the Nation: Penn State sits at No. 5 in the nation coming into this weekend's meet. Showing the way all season is senior Kevin Tan (Fremont, Calif.), who is ranked No. 1 in the nation on the still rings (9.804) and No. 3 on the parallel bars (9.015). Fellow Nittany Lion Zach Roeder (Montrose, Pa.) is ranked No. 3 on the pommel horse with an average of 9.346. Tan is also ranked sixth in the all-around with a 53.575.
The Series: Ohio State leads Penn State 22-21.
Last Time Out: Then-No. 5 Penn State downed No. 13 Temple by a commanding score of 213.225-206.975 last Saturday night in Rec Hall. Penn State senior Kevin Tan won the all-around with a 53.700. The Lions' Chad Buczek (Bridgewater, Mass.) came in second with a 53.350. Penn State's women won their side of the dual meet as well, finishing with a 195.100-195.075 victory.
Penn State never trailed, despite an injury during warm-up to sophomore all-arounder Luis Vargas (Rio Pedros, P.R.). Zach Roeder started off placing second on the floor exercise with a 9.150 and then took the pommel horse with a 9.825.
The nation's leader on the rings and the 2003 NCAA champion, Tan posted a 9.825 to remain undefeated on the apparatus this year. Tan also won the parallel bars with a 9.000. Penn State ended the night with Buczek placing first on high bar with an 8.600 to cap-off the action.
Temple managed two wins on the night, with Theo Maes taking the vault with a 9.400 and David Ramos winning the floor exercise with a 9.200, just edging Roeder.
TAN BIG TEN GYMNAST OF THE WEEK: After posting a career-high 9.925 on the still rings at the Winter Cup and taking the event during the event finals with a 9.875, Penn State senior Kevin Tan was named Big Ten Men's Gymnast of the Week. The title was his second-straight at the Winter Cup, a qualifying event for the U.S. National Team. The Gymnast of the Week nod was Tan's third of his career after winning one each the past two seasons.
Nittany Lion Team Tops on Still Rings: Ranked fifth in the nation, Penn State leads the country on the still rings as a team with a 37.065 average. The Lions are also third on the pommel horse (35.880), fourth on the vault (36.690), and fifth on the parallel bars (34.775).
