Army Battles Penn State on Friday Night

Friday, January 7

University Park, PA

6 P.M.

Army West Point

358.20

369.8

Penn State University

Army Battles Penn State on Friday Night

January 07, 2022 | Men's Gymnastics

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. --- Army West Point men's gymnastics battled Penn State in the first dual match of the 2022 season, outscoring the Nittany Lions parallel bars and the still rings but ultimately fell 369.800-358.200 to the Penn State at Rec Hall on Friday afternoon.

Four Cadets earned spots on the podium for Army. Firstie captain Mathew Davis placed first on the still rings and second on vault. Zachary Mitchell earned second place on the pommel horse for the Black Knights while Patrick Armstrong claimed second place on parallel bars. Zachary Perez earned third place on the horizontal bar.

How It Happened

Army opened the 2022 season scoring a team total of 59.35 on the floor exercise but it was not enough to take an early lead as Penn State put up a score of 62.10. The Nittany Lions swept the event with Matt Cormier scoring a top score of 13.60. Davis earned fourth with 12.55 followed by teammate Kalvin Kingshill in fifth with 12.25.

Mitchell showed strength on the pommel horse taking second with a score of 12.30, but it was not enough as Penn State claimed the team victory outscoring Army 59.650-52.20. Chase Clingman earned first place for Penn State with a score of 13.05.

The Black Knights were strong on the still rings, with help from Davis scoring 13.70 for the top spot. Zachary Monahan earned a stick bonus for a score of 12.70. Army outscored Penn State 63.350-63.050 to cut the Nittany Lions' lead to heading into the second half of the meet.

Army battled Penn State on vault, but just barely let the Nittany Lions claim victory on the event with a score of 68.30-68.00. Davis scored 14.10 for the Black Knights while Penn State's Michael Artlip barely edged out Davis with a 14.20 for the top score. Steven Manolakis recorded 13.950 on the event to help contribute to Army's score.

Armstong contributed to the Cadets' win on parallel bars scoring 12.25 to secure second place. Andrea Perez Gines earned first place for Penn State scoring 12.60. The Black Knights outscored the Nittany Lions 57.35-56.05 and prepared for the final event of the meet, the horizontal bar.

Penn State locked in its victory by taking first and second on the horizontal bar to outscore Army 59.80-57.95 in the event. Perez claimed third place in the event with a score of 12.15.

Coach's Corner
"All in all, we are off to a good start and hit over 70 percent of our routines. We need to get pommel horse more consistent, but our other events were on track. It was great to see the three plebes do such a good job tonight. We will be ready for next week at the West Point Open." – head coach Doug Van Everen.

Inside the Box Score

Army won two events over Penn State.
Three plebes made their collegiate debut: Zachary Perez, Gabe Almeida, Joseph Buselmeier.
Mathew Davis competed in the All-Around for Army scoring 73.450.

Up Next

Army prepares for the West Point Open on Friday, Jan. 14 and Saturday, Jan. 15.

Follow Along
For complete coverage of Army West Point men's gymnastics, follow the Black Knights on Twitter @ArmyWP_Gym and Instagram at @armywpgymnastics, and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com