Seven Gymnasts Qualify To The Finals Of The NCAA Championship

The men’s gymnastics team from Penn State qualified fourth overall on Friday at the Covelli Centre, sending seven members to the NCAA Championship Finals.

With a team score of 405.423, Penn State advanced to the team finals by narrowly missing the top three of Friday’s evening session. Oklahoma won with a score of 418.957, followed by Ohio State (408.725) and Michigan (418.954), the 2024 Big Ten Champions.

Though none of the Nittany Lions’ competitors advanced to the finals, the team achieved a season-high score of 66.965 on pommel horse.

Two Nittany Lions athletes placed among the top three in the overall standings. With a season-high score of 83.531, Karnes won. Artlip scored 80.297, good for third place.

After achieving vault qualifying marks, rookies Esparo and Simpson will both compete in their first NCAA finals. Simpson scored a 14.500, while Esparo got a 14.433.

Esparo’s 13.733 also made him eligible for rings. With a 13.700, Underhill will accompany his partner on the event.

Garnczarek qualified for each of the three events he participated in, therefore the evening went well for him. The sophomore reported scores of 13.266 on the high bar, 13.633 on the floor, and 13.833 on the parallel bars.

Jaroh, they advanced to the event finals with a score of 13.900 after winning the high bar title in the Big Ten Championships over two weeks earlier.

At the championships the previous year, four Nittany Lions were recognised as All-Americans. Underhill, Jaroh, and Karnes deserved the recognition.

The NCAA Finals will feature seven gymnasts competing on Saturday, April 20 at 6 p.m.