Penn State alum lifts U.S. men's gymnastics to bronze at Olympics; Tyler Duzansky makes Mannelly watch list
A former Penn State gymnast has lifted the U.S. to bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Stephen Nedoroscik, who was an NCAA pommel horse champ in 2017 and 2018 and a 2021 world champion in the discipline, nailed his routine in the final round of the Olympics’ men’s teams gymnastic finals to put his country on the podium.
“I knew he had it as soon as I saw him take the podium and do his arm swings and take his warmup,” Penn State gymnastics head coach Randy Jepson said in a news release. “It’s just all about the first circle he does and as soon as he got that I knew his tempo was right and he was off to the races. I couldn’t be happier for Penn State’s second bronze medalist at the Olympics.”
Team USA finished behind China and Japan, respectively, to end a 16-year men’s team gymnastics medal drought.
“What it comes down to is that [Nedoroscik’s] scores on pommel horse are so much higher than everybody else on that one event that he adds a tremendous amount of potential score,” NBC Sports gymnastics analyst Tim Daggett, a 1984 gold medalist, told the outlet. “That one routine from Nedoroscik gives Team USA basically a full point over the next guy in line for the USA.”
Nedoroscik will compete in the pommel horse finals on Saturday.
Penn State long snapper Tyler Duzansky makes Mannelly Award watch list
Penn State second-year starting long snapper and redshirt junior Tyler Duzansky is on the Patrick Mannelly Award watch list. It is given annually to the best player at the position in college football. Chris Stoll was the last and only Nittany Lion to previously win the award. It has been given out annually since 2019.
“I would say the reason I came here, number one, obviously, to be able to play at the next level,” Duzansky said last October. “And, Penn State specifically has been able to produce specialists to the NFL in recent years.
“Chris Stoll and Jordan Stout, who I’ve played with here, and I would consider them both mentors to me. But then also just how the coaches treat players. It’s not like this everywhere. And I would say that another plus that Penn State gives to recruits and players.”
Duzansky is an All-Big Ten third-team pick by Phil Steele. He will lead a Lion special teams unit that must find a new starting kicker in addition to a new punt returner.
