No. 7 Buckeyes Face No. 3 Penn State in Happy Valley – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
Feb. 5, 2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 7 Ohio State travels to University Park, Pa., Friday, Feb. 6, to face No. 3 Penn State in a Big Ten dual meet at Rec Hall. Meet time is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on the PSU campus.
BUCKEYES-NITTANY LIONS ON BTN
BTN will air tape-delayed coverage of the dual meet between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions Feb. 7 at Noon ET. Rob Brown and Bernie Guenther will have the call.
LAST TIME OUT
Ohio State totaled a team score of 422.600 to finish third in a tri meet with No.1 Oklahoma and No. 9 Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, Feb. 1.
The top-ranked Sooners won all six events as a team on their way to a final score of 440.850. The host Hawkeyes finished with a team score of 428.450.
Ohio State set season-best team totals on rings and floor exercise, scoring 71.850 and 71.500, respectively.
SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS
Penn State is ranked No. 3 in the College Gymnastics Association rankings and currently ranks No. 2 in average all-around score for the 2015 season. The Nittany Lions posted the highest score of any team so far this season — a 444.700 — vs. defending national champion Michigan on Jan. 24.
As a team, PSU is ranked among the Top 5 in average score on five of six events, with a sixth-place ranking on high bar the team’s lowest average. Penn State owns the top average score in the NCAA this season on parallel bars (75.083).
Two Nittany Lions rank No. 1 in their respective events so far this season. Craig Hernandez leads the nation on pommel horse (average of 15.417), while Matthew Felleman is tied for the top aggregate score on high bar (14.925).
BUCKEYES IN THE RANKINGS
TEAM
Ohio State fell to No. 7 in the CGA Week Four rankings after its third-place showing Sunday. The Buckeyes own the No. 3 team average in the nation on high bar (71.617) and are ranked in the Top 10 in three additional events: vault (seventh – 72.600); rings (eighth – 70.717); and floor exercise (ninth, 70.850). Additionally, the team is ranked eighth in average all-around score (423.033).
INDIVIDUAL
Junior Jake Martin is tied for fifth in the nation on high bar with a score of 14.650. Two additional Buckeyes are currently ranked in event Top 10’s: senior Larry Mayer (vault, sixth – 14.950), and sophomore Sean Melton (parallel bars, seventh – 14.800).
SERIES HISTORY VS. PENN STATE
Ohio State leads the all-time series with Penn State 70-51, finishing 3-0 in 2014. The Buckeyes placed one spot ahead of the Nittany Lions at the Big Ten championships (second vs. third), NCAA qualifier (second vs. third) and NCAA championships (fifth vs. sixth).
BUCKEYE INJURY BUG
The Buckeyes have dealt with several injuries and illnesses to open the 2015 season.
Melton, the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a 2015 All-American, is dealing with a lower back issue and will be held out of competition for the second week in a row.
Martin, also an All-American, is recovering from illness and will see limited action. He made his season-debut last Sunday vs. Oklahoma and Iowa.
Senior Alex Johnson, healing an ankle sprain, will also see limited action this weekend. He has appeared in one meet this season, competing in two events vs. Illinois on Jan. 24.
OHIO STATE NAMED BIG TEN FAVORITE
Ohio State was named the preseason favorite in the Big Ten Conference in a poll of league coaches.
Two-time defending national champion Michigan was voted second overall. Illinois was ranked third, followed by Penn State and Minnesota. Iowa and Nebraska completed the preseason rankings in sixth and seventh place, respectively.
UP NEXT
Select athletes compete at the Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas Feb. 19-21. The entire squad returns to competition on Feb. 28 for Senior Day at St. John Arena against defending national champion Michigan.
