University of Minnesota Athletics
GOLDEN GOPHER MEN'S GYMNASTICS TEAM FALLS TO IOWA
1/29/2000 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
With Iowa leading the meet by only .30 heading into the final rotation, the Golden Gophers missed five of their six routines on the horizontal bar. Sophomore Justin Conner was the lone Golden Gopher to hit his horizontal bar routine with a score of 9.4, good for fourth place in the event. Connor also scored a team-season high in the all-around with a score of 55.25, to earn second-place honors and was part of a four-way tie for first place on the vault with a score of 9.4.
Minnesota took first place honors in three out of the six events. Freshman Clay Strother put together two solid routines on the floor exercise and parallel bars earning first-place honors in both. He scored a career-high 9.85 on the floor exercise, bettering his previous career high by .05. The 9.85 score by Strother is the second-highest score ever recorded on the floor exercise in Golden Gopher history. Senior Lindsey Fang also score a career-high 9.8 on his pommel horse routine to better his previous career high of 9.600 which he scored in 1998 against Illinois-Chicago.
Senior Ryan Winterbourne earned third-place honors with a season-high 9.35 on the still rings. Also earning third-place honors on the pommel horse was senior Chad Conner who scored a 9.575.
Iowa's Todd Strada, the 1999 Big Ten all-around champion, won the all-around with a score of 56.3.
Minnesota travels to Ann Arbor, Michigan next Friday night to take on the defending national champion Wolverines. They will then travel to East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday night.
Iowa--223.15; Minnesota--221.325
Floor Exercise: 1. Clay Strother, UM, 9.85; 2. Andy Thornton, IA, 9.8; 3. Cameron Schick, IA, 9.45. Other Minnesota scores: Justin Conner, 9.15; Todd Guilbeau, 9.1; Allen Sopko, 8.65; Ryan Winterbourne, 8.6; Tim Koehler, 7.85.
Pommel Horse: 1. Lindsey Fang, UM, 9.8; 2. Todd Strada, IA, 9.6; 3. Chad Conner, 9.575. Other Minnesota scores: Todd Guilbeau, 9.475; Justin Conner, 9.3; Clay Strother, 9.15; Bob Goss, 8.95.
Still Rings: 1. Todd Strada, IA, 9.55; 2. Brian Christie, IA, 9.4; 3. Ryan Winterbourne, 9.35. Other Minnesota scores: Allen Sopko, 9.2; Matt Kieffer, 9.1; Todd Guilbeau, 9.1; Tim Koehler, 8.9; Clay Strother, 8.7.
Vault: 1. Cameron Schick, IA, 9.4; 1. Shane de Freitas, IA, 9.4; 1. Justin Conner, 9.4; 1. Bob Goss, 9.4. Other Minnesota scores: Bart Cramer, 9.2;Todd Guilbeau, 9.1; Tim Koehler, 8.9; Clay Strother, 8.7.
Parallel Bars: 1. Clay Strother, UM, 9.65; 2. Todd Strada, IA, 9.55; 3. Chad Conner, 9.4. Other Minnesota scores: Lindsey Fang, 9.075; Justin Conner, 8.9; Tim Koehler, 8.8; Todd Guilbeau, 8.15.
Horizontal Bar: 1. Shane deFreitas, IA, 9.6; 2. Todd Stada, IA, 9.625; 3. Andy Thornton, IA, 9.475. Minnesota scores: Justin Conner, 9.4; Clay Strother, 8.9; Ryan Winterbourne, 8.85; Chad Conner, 8.4; Todd Guilbeau, 8.05; Tim Koehler, 7.25.
All-Around: 1. Todd Strada, IA, 56.3; 2. Justin Conner, 55.25; 3. Shane deFreitas, IA, 54.8.
