Penn State gymnasts saved their best for last, posting season-high team scores on four of six events to propel the Nittany Lions to the team title during the National Collegiate Men's Gymnastics Championships April 3-4 at Illinois.

Penn State registered a season-high score of 223.350 to win their second title in five years and 11th overall. The Nittany Lions also won the crown in 2000 and compiled nine championships from 1948 through 1976. Oklahoma finished second in the team standings, followed by Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan and California.

Oklahoma was trying to become the first school to win three straight NCAA titles since Nebraska won five in a row from 1979 through 1983. The Sooners entered the final rotation with a slim lead, but they finished on the parallel bars while Penn State was on vault, a higher-scoring event. The Nittany Lions got what they needed, scoring a 37.200 in the event to beat the two-time defending champion Sooners by 1.050 points.

Penn State came into the meet ranked third in the country, but it won its qualifying round April 2. Oklahoma, which had its 52-meet winning streak snapped in March, finishing last in their qualifying session.

But the Sooners started quickly on the high bar, posting some of the best routines of the meet, including one from Heath Mueller that featured a release move in which he threw himself up and back over the bar, adding a somersault before coming down and catching the bar blindly. Mueller's solid landing earned a jumping celebration from Oklahoma coach Mark Williams.

But Penn State controlled two of the more difficult events -- pommel horse and rings. The Nittany Lions compiled a 38.225 on the pommel horse, with no competitor scoring below a 9.050. Then, led by senior Kevin Tan, the Nittany Lions scored well enough in the rings to position themselves to overtake Oklahoma in the final rotation.

Penn State sophomore Luis Vargas won the all-around title with a career-high 56.475, becoming the first Penn State gymnast to win the all-around since Marshall Avener in 1973.

In the individual events, California's Graham Ackerman won the floor exercise and vault and tied for second on the high bar.

Tan won the rings for a second year in a row while host Illinois captured two event titles -- Bob Rogers on the pommel horse and Justin Springs on the high bar. Ramon Jackson of William and Mary won the parallel bars title.

Team results

1. Penn St., 223.350; 2. Oklahoma, 222.300; 3. Illinois, 222.225; 4. Ohio St., 221.350; 5. Michigan, 220.525; 6. California, 220.325.

Individual results

All-around: 1. Luis Vargas, Penn St., 56.475; 2. Dan Gill, Stanford, 56.125; 3. Randy Monahan, Ohio St., 55.725; 4. Heath Meuller, Oklahoma, 55.000; 5. (tie) Justin Laury, Michigan, and Guillermo Alvarez, Minnesota, 54.675.

Floor exercise: 1. Graham Ackerman, California, 9.687; 2. Randall Heflin, California, 9.550; 3. Jock Stevens, Oklahoma, 9.525; 4. Guillermo Alvarez, Minnesota, 9.450; 5. Luke Bottke, Michigan, 9.337; 6. (tie) Dan Gill, Stanford, and Adam Pummer, Illinois, 9.312.

Pommel horse: 1. Bob Rogers, Illinois, 9.775; 2. (tie) Dan Gill, Stanford, and Luis Vargas, Penn St., 9.687; 4. Ben Newman, Illinois, 9.575; 5. Peter Shostchuk, Illinois, 9.525; 6. Guillermo Alvarez, Minnesota, 9.425.

Rings: 1. Kevin Tan, Penn St., 9.812; 2. Nyika White, Temple, 9.787; 3. David Henderson, Oklahoma, 9.600; 4. Peter Derman, Stanford, 9.562; 5. Josh Rasile, Nebraska, 9.525; 6. Jamie Henderson, Oklahoma, 9.475.

Vault: 1. Graham Ackerman, California, 9.687; 2. Adam Pummer, Illinois, 9.637; 3. Theo Maes, Temple, 9.550; 4. Michael Reavis, Iowa, 9.437; 5. Dan Gill, Stanford, 9.425; 6. Neil Faustino, Illinois-Chicago, 9.350.

Parallel bars: 1. Ramon Jackson, William & Mary, 9.200; 2. Linas Gaveika, Iowa, 9.187; 3. Joshua Gore, Oklahoma, 9.100; 4. Luis Vargas, Penn St., 9.025; 5. Justin Spring, Illinois, 9.000; 6. Graham Ackerman, California, 8.987.

High bar: 1. Justin Spring, Illinois, 9.775; 2. (tie) Dan Gill, Stanford, and Graham Ackerman, California, 9.737; 4. Linas Gaveika, Iowa, 9.687; 5. Ronald Ferris, Ohio St., 9.537; 6. (tie) Luis Vargas, Penn St., and Quinn Rowell, Oklahoma, 9.475.