The last time the Michigan men’s gymnastics team headed for Penn State’s Rec Hall, the Wolverines were clear underdogs. The Nittany Lions were ranked second in the nation and Michigan hadn’t beaten them head-to-head in State College since 2001.

Times have changed.

Now, the second-ranked Wolverines are the ones riding the hot streak. Michigan pulled off an upset in State College in 2007, and last year, beat the Nittany Lions at Cliff Keen Arena.

Last Saturday's Windy City Invitational win didn’t hurt, either.

“I know it’s still early in the season, but it gives you confidence,” senior Ralph Rosso said. “It should add a little more confidence knowing that we didn’t hit all our sets and there’s still lots of room for improvement.”

Michigan hit 51.4 percent of its routines in Chicago but still scored a solid 346.10. The only team to score higher this year is defending national champion No. 1 Oklahoma.

But the third-ranked Nittany Lions are never a team to take lightly. They won the NCAA team title two years ago in their home arena and then the Big Ten title at Rec Hall in 2008. Last year, Penn State standout senior Casey Sandy won the Big Ten parallel bars and all-around titles, the Big Ten Gymnast of the Year award, the NCAA all-around championship and racked up six All-America honors. 


Penn State lost a strong class of seniors including All-Americans Derek Helsby, Vladi Klurman, Santiago Lopez and Tommy Ramos. Its captain, senior Josh Borromeo, has not competed this year due to a bicep injury.

But the Nittany Lions also gained a talented freshman class, led by Miguel Pineda, a former Junior National Team member who won the all-around title at last weekend’s West Point Open.

“I’m sure a lot of people stepped up on certain events, and I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of guys doing events they wouldn’t have competed otherwise,” Rosso said. “That’s all part of being a competitor in the Big Ten.”

Rec Hall is known for being one of the toughest arenas in collegiate men’s gymnastics — the Nittany Lions have lost there just three times since 2004.

And in addition to the Penn State men's team, Michigan will have to deal with the distraction of a Penn State-Michigan State women’s meet taking place at the same time. With two of their beloved teams competing at once, the ever-enthusiastic Rec Hall fans will be louder than ever.

But after three competitions at Penn State in the past two years — a dual meet, the 2007 NCAA championships and last year’s Big Ten championships — the Wolverines are well-prepared to cope with the deafening atmosphere.

“There were some pretty rowdy fans sometimes saying inappropriate material that I hope our fans would never say to anyone,” Rosso said. “I hope we’re mature enough to block that stuff out.”

Michigan’s lineup will be bolstered by the return of junior Mel Santander, last year’s team MVP. Sophomore Ben Baldus-Strauss’s knee injury doesn't seem as serious as initially expected, but both he and junior co-captain David Chan (sore back) will be out this weekend. Santander should be able to make up for those losses.

“He is one of the best pommel-horse workers in the nation,” Rosso said. “When we’ve got Mel in competitions, I’m pretty sure everyone’s like, ‘Oh, he’s gonna hit.’ ”

To keep their improbable streak alive, all the Wolverines will need to hit tomorrow.