STATE COLLEGE, Pa., March 23, 2004 -Penn State has qualified for the 2004 NCAA men's gymnastics championships with a qualifying score of 218.830, which was third overall behind Illinois (221.215) and 2003 national champion Oklahoma (220.045). All six Big Ten schools qualified for the championships. The national qualifier, which consists of two pre-qualifying sessions, will be conducted April 2 at Assembly Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois.

Three teams and the top three all-around competitors not on one of the qualifying teams, plus the top three individuals on each event not already qualified on a team or as an all-around competitor, will advance from each pre-qualifying session to the finals session. Final competitions will take place April 3-4, also at Illinois.

Oklahoma won the 2003 title with a sum of 222.600. Ohio State finished second at 220.700 with Penn State placing third at 219.950. Penn State is coming off a runner-up finish at the 2004 Big Ten championships, which were also held at Illinois. The Nittany Lions finished second to the Illini and last won the NCAA championship in 2000.

Senior Kevin Tan (Fremont, Calif.) enters the championship shooting for his second consecutive national title on the still rings. Tan just wrapped up his third-straight title at the Big Ten championships, and has the highest average heading into the NCAA championships.

For more information regarding the National Collegiate Men's Gymnastics Championships, log on to http://www.ncaasports.com.