University Park, Pa. — The NCAA Men's Gymnastics Committee has selected Penn State University as hosts of the 2013 National Collegiate Championships. Historic Rec Hall, the competitive home of Nittany Lion gymnastics, will serve as the host venue in what will be its 85th year of service.
"I am thrilled that the NCAA committee has selected Penn State as the site for the 2013 National Championships," said head coach Randy Jepson, who is entering his 20th season at the helm of the Nittany Lion program. "Our events staff, fans, and alumni have made Penn State and Rec Hall a premier place to stage this event. We should have a team of seasoned veterans by 2013 that will leave no stone unturned in their quest for a national title on their home floor."
The 2013 event will mark the overall eighth time Penn State has hosted and the seventh time Rec Hall has housed the National Collegiate Men's Gymnastics Championships. Penn State previously hosted the championship meet in Rec Hall in 1960, 1966, 1974, 1983, 1991, and 2007. In 1998, the championships were held in the Bryce Jordan Center.
When Penn State last hosted the championships, in 2007, the Nittany Lions thrilled the partisan Rec Hall crowd by capturing their NCAA-record 12th national title. Led by Nissen-Emery winner Matt Cohen, All-Americans Tommy Ramos, Santiago Lopez, Vladi Klurman, and Derek Helsby, and sophomore sensation Casey Sandy, Penn State edged powerhouse Oklahoma in come-from-behind fashion to claim the crown. The Lions also won a national title on their home floor in 1960, their sixth overall.
Penn State's talented rising sophomore class, which includes Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Blue/White Illustrated Penn State Rookie of the Year Felix Aronovich (Kiryat Bialik, Israel), three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week honoree Nick Grant (Butler, Pa.), and standout contributors Tony Beck (Catasauqua, Pa.), Matt Chelberg (Athens, Ohio), Mackenzie Dow (Cranford, N.J.), Parker Raque (Louisville, Ky.), and Scott Rosenthal (Clearfield, Pa.), will be seniors in 2013 and finish out their collegiate careers at the championships.