The Penn State men’s gymnastics team, ranked sixth nationally, will begin its postseason at the NC Championship Regionals hosted by the University of Illinois at the State Farm Center in Champaign on April 17. The team is scheduled to compete in the evening session starting at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, with coverage available via ESPN+. Individual finals are set for Saturday and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
This event marks an important step for Penn State as it seeks to build upon last season’s fifth-place finish at the NC Championships, which was its best result since 2016. Senior Josh Karnes earned All-American honors last year with strong performances on parallel bars and in the all-around competition.
In their most recent meet, Penn State narrowly lost to Ohio State but secured four event titles during the contest. Four student-athletes—Luke Esparo, Akseli Karsikas, Landon Simpson, and Matt Underhill—were named College Gymnastics Association Regular Season All-Americans this year. This is the largest group of Nittany Lions to receive such honors since 2024.
Freshman Shaun Smith was recognized as Big Ten Freshman of the Year and has been a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week honoree this season. He currently ranks among national leaders on floor and vault events. Simpson also received recognition for sportsmanship within the conference.
Graduate student Kellen Ryan returned for another season after initially planning just one year with Penn State following his graduation from Minnesota. The coaching staff remains led by Randy Jepson in his thirty-fifth season, alongside associate head coach Tony Beck and assistant coach Carlos Vazquez—who recently received a national Honor Coach Award from his peers.
Looking ahead, first-year athletes Eliran Ioscovich and Shaun Smith were named to this year’s Big Ten Men’s Gymnastics All-Freshman Team. With nine returning athletes—including past All-Americans—and a new class of seven gymnasts joining this season’s roster, Penn State aims to continue its success throughout postseason competition.
