Oct. 28, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State men's gymnastics head coach Randy Jepson has announced that senior Miguel Pineda (Galloway, Ohio) will serve as the Nittany Lion team captain for the 2012 season. A key contributor for Penn State throughout his first three seasons in Happy Valley, Pineda will lead a squad that returns 17 letterwinners, including four All-Americans, from last year's team that placed sixth at the National Collegiate Championships.
Pineda played an integral role in Penn State's 2011 success, particularly in serving as a cornerstone of one of the nation's top still rings line-ups. His continued emergence as a dominant force in the event at the 2011 National Collegiate Championships helped the Nittany Lions advance past the qualifier and into the team finals for the first time since 2008. Pineda set a career high in the rings and moved into a tie for second in the Penn State record book, scoring a 15.900, to place first in the national qualifier and then followed it up by a second place finish in the individual event finals, earning his first All-America honor. He also medaled in the still rings at the Big Ten Championships, placing third. Overall, Pineda totaled 15 top three finishes in the event, including four title wins. He also made major contributions as part of Penn State's pommel horse and parallel bars line-ups over the course of the season, totaling a combined four top three finishes.
Pineda also excels in the classroom, boasting a 3.99 cumulative grade point average in science. A two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recipient and three-time CGA First Team All-American Scholar Athlete, Pineda was instrumental in the men's gymnastics squad earning last year's Varsity `S' Award, an honor presented to the Penn State men's and women's teams with the highest team GPA. Earlier this year, he was also recognized on the Capital One Academic All-America® Men's At-Large First Team and received the prestigious NCAA Elite 88 Award at the 2011 National Collegiate Championships.
Penn State, which is ranked No. 6 in the GymInfo preseason coaches' poll, opens the 2012 season on Saturday, Jan. 14 when it hosts Army in a 7 p.m. dual meet at Rec Hall.