Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Penn State
Black Knights Drop Season Opener at No. 6 Penn State
January 11, 2015 | Men's Gymnastics
Jan. 11, 2015
STATE COLLEGE, PA - Opening the season against Penn State for the 13th consecutive year, the 12th-ranked Army men's gymnastics team fell to No. 6 Penn State 426.700-403.00 from Rec Hall in State College, Pa., on Sunday afternoon.
"Our hit percentage was over 70 percent and this is not only better than last year, but better than the last few years," said head coach Doug Van Everern. "We did very well and have a tremendously talented team. Some of the mistakes we made were minor and more grey things than real things."
Jesse Glenn and Connor Venrick each posted a second-place finish, leading the way for the Black Knights on the afternoon. Venrick earned his No. 2 spot on the pommel horse, posting a mark of 14.400. Glenn was the second-place finisher on the vault, with a score of 14.450.
Joining Venrick in the top five on pommel horse was plebe Andre Hufnagel, who recorded a score of 14.000 in his first collegiate action to earn a third-place finish.
The Black Knights were able to place two in the top five on floor exercise, with Joe Pritts joining Glenn. Pritts posted a mark of 14.100 for a fifth-place finish.
Chris Short placed fifth on the parallel bars with a score of 13.900 while Leo Genders and Glenn tied for fifth on the horizontal bar, each earning a score of 13.900.
Posting the top mark for the Black Knights on rings was Venrick who earned a score of 13.400 for a seventh-place finish.
Leading the way for the Nittany Lions was Matthew Felleman and Alexis Torres who each claimed a pair of top marks. Felleman was the top finisher on the horizontal bar (14.700) and floor exercise (15.100) while Torres claimed victories on the rings (15.200) and vault (14.900).
"This was one of our best competitions and I am super happy where we are," added Van Everen. "This is a very strong team and I feel that we will do very well."
The Black Knights will continue action on Friday and Saturday as they host the annual West Point Open from Christl Arena at West Point. The team portion of the weekend will take part on Friday with the individual finals to conclude on Saturday. Visit www.goARMYsports.com for up-to-date information and follow the men's gymnastics team on Twitter @Army_Gymnastics for live updates.
Players Mentioned
