Blue White Illustrated

| L ike a lot of coaches in college athlet- ics, Penn State's Randy Jepson was happy just to see his team in action again, even if the atmosphere was a little un- usual. Actually, unusual might be a bit of an un- derstatement. When Jepson's Nittany Lion men's gymnastics team took the 9oor at Rec Hall on Jan. 16 to face Army in its opener, spectators weren't the only ones missing. Absent, too, was the Lions' opponent. The meet was held vir- tually, meaning that while Penn State went through its routines in Rec Hall, the Black Knights performed theirs at the team's prac- tice facility in West Point, N.Y. Penn State ended up winning the meet, 383.65-355.20, and Jepson was grateful for the chance to see his team compete against athletes from another school, regardless of the circumstances. "It was great to kick o: the season and get into a competitive mode again a;er all these months," he said. "Certainly, we were rusty in some places. But the guys are excited to move forward with our preparation for our meet in two weeks with Illinois." The rustiness was understandable, and it's likely that some of Jepson's coaching colleagues are feeling the same way, as their teams resume competition a;er protracted layo:s brought on by the pan- demic. The same weekend that the men's gym- nastics team got its season under way, Penn State resumed competition in swimming and diving, indoor track and 8eld, and women's gymnastics. The wrestling team had also been set to begin its season that weekend at Rutgers, but the Lions were forced to put team activi- ties on hold due to positive COVID tests within the program. The men's and women's gymnastics teams had seen their previous seasons cut short when all intercollegiate activities were halted in March, but their new sea- sons were delayed only slightly, as they typically start competition in early January. Other teams have had a longer layo:. The women's volleyball team, for in- stance, had its season shi;ed from the fall to the winter. Russ Rose's squad hadn't been in action in more than 13 months as it prepared for its opener at Michigan on Jan. 22. Big Ten teams will be playing 22- match conference-only slates this year, with less travel than usual. When they go on the road, they will face the same oppo- nent in back-to-back matches rather than traveling to two di:erent locations. For Penn State, the only exception to that formula is a home-and-home series against Ohio State coming later this month, with the 8rst of those matches set for Rec Hall on Jan. 26 and the rematch taking place in Columbus on Jan. 31. The Lions went into their opener ranked ninth in the preseason AVCA poll. This year's NCAA tournament will feature a 48-team 8eld that will be announced on April 4. Dates and locations for the tour- nament's early rounds have not been an- nounced, but the semi8nals and 8nal will take place April 23-25 in Omaha, Neb. As of mid-January, Penn State's other fall sports teams were still waiting to see what their seasons will look like, assum- ing they're able to be played. Outdoor venues might be safer than indoor venues from a COVID-prevention standpoint, but it's tough to play soccer and 8eld hockey in a central Pennsylvania winter. Meanwhile, Jepson's sixth-ranked gymnastics team is eager to see where the season goes from here now that it's under way. Against Army, the Nittany Lions captured individual titles in 8ve of six events, with wins by Alex Frack on paral- lel bars and high bar, Brennan Pantazis on 9oor exercise, Nick Mock on pommel horse and Parker Clayton on rings. "I was really proud of a lot of our guys," Jepson said. "Nick Mock did a great job, and Parker Clayton was really solid. Brady Yamamoto and Kaleb Booth came in with no preparation due to some unfortunate circumstances, but they did a great job, and I was really proud of how they pulled through it and rocked it today." With any luck, they'll have a chance to do so again when the Illini visit Rec Hall – in person – on Jan. 31. ■ BACK IN ACTION After a protracted layo, Penn State's fall and winter teams are launching their seasons JEPSON It took six tries, but in mid-Janu- ary Penn State earned its 8rst sweep of the season against a Big Ten opponent. The Nittany Lions came from be- hind late to win, 3-2 in overtime, on Jan. 15, before coasting to a rela- tively straightforward 3-1 win the following a;ernoon. Heading into a two-game series against visiting Wisconsin on Jan. 21-22, Penn State had won three in a row and seven of nine following an 0-5 start to the season. A;er a poor defensive showing the previous weekend against Ohio State, the Lions showed clear im- provement in that department. Overall, Penn State outshot the Spartans 74-50 for the weekend, exerting its will in both games of the series. –DAVID ECKERT VARSITY VIEWS MEN'S ICE HOCKEY Nittany Lions sweep Michigan State

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