University of Minnesota Athletics
Men's Gymnastics Team Ready To Kickoff 2006 Season
1/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
Burns believes that these accomplishments only serve as stepping stones in reaching a higher level on the national scene. Despite the loss of Alvarez, the Gophers have a strong group of incoming freshman and a veteran corps of gymnasts that have the team primed to pick up in 2006 where they left off in 2005.
Leading the way for the Gophers will be senior co-captains Justin Meyer and Joe Moore. Meyer is a three-year letterwinner could break into the all-around after several seasons as a multiple-event specialist. Moore, a still rings specialist, scored at least a 9.00 on rings in each meet last season except one. Kevin Green rounds out the Gophers’ senior class and will be a valuable member to the team as a pommel horse specialist.
Jake Lee, Kyle True and Steve Vuong give the Gophers as good a junior group as anyone in the country. Lee, who joined Alvarez as the team’s top all-arounders in 2005, will be among the Gophers’ top gymnasts this season. True joined the Gophers last season after transferring from Illinois-Chicago and made significant contributions on vault, parallel bars and high bar. After a solid season in 2004, Vuong returns from an injury which forced him to miss the 2005 season.
The Gophers’ sophomore class is loaded with potential as Sergei Dmitriev looks to build off his freshman campaign in which he contributed in almost every event. Matt Altomari, Chris Jackson, Mitchell Mays and Mark Witmer should also get an opportunity to contribute in a bigger capacity after gaining experience last season.
The future of the Gopher program lies with the freshman class. Kit Beikmann, Eddie Campbell, Alex Quast, Adam Reichow and Gus Roethlisberger have Burns excited that the future is now with such a stellar first-year class.
The Gophers’ blend of quality upperclassmen with talented freshman might not be more evident than on floor exercise, where that balance is one of the reasons Burns is excited about the event.
"Having Junior National Champ Adam Reichow on this event will help our team tremendously on floor exercise this year. He is a powerful and dynamic tumbler that should bring the excitement level up at every meet,” said Burns. “Joining Adam on floor is freshman Gus Roethlisberger who competed at the World Tumbling and Trampoline Championships this fall. Freshman Eddie Campbell will also give us strength on floor. Having these three guys join returnees Jake Lee, Kyle True and Sergei Dmitriev could make this one of our best events in 2005."
Vuong’s return to action should give Minnesota a spark on pommel horse. The Gophers showed great improvement through last season on horse and have reason to feel good about that event this season.
"Having Vuong back after sitting out last year due to injury will help us a lot on pommel horse,” Burns said. “He has increased his level of difficulty, and along with Jake Lee, should give us a great 1-2 punch there. Freshman walk-on Kit Beikmann has been a pleasant surprise as well and should see action this year. Justin Meyer will again be looked to for solid routines on horse as our go-to guy. Kevin Green continues to show improvements and should be an impact player as well. Sophomore Mark Witmer could also see action on horse this year.”
Last season Clinton Mays and Joe Moore were the Gophers’ primary weapons on rings. This season Moore returns and may have a new Mays working alongside him as Clinton’s brother, Mitchell, looks to fill the void left by his older brother.
“Joe Moore is our top returning ring man from last year and will again be our top competitor on rings. His strength level is high and his swing work has improved since last year,” said Burns. “Mitchell Mays has been slowed with a wrist injury but if he recovers he will be a force to be reckoned with on rings. Justin Meyer, Jake Lee, Steve Vuong and Sergei Dmitriev will also be looked to for scoring potential.”
The Gophers posted several high scores on vault last season and with added depth on that event this season, they are hoping that vault is another event that catapults them over the top in 2006.
"Vault is another event that could be very good for us this year. Reichow and Roethlisberger will add strength and depth to this event. Lee, Dmitriev, Mays and True are the top returnees from last year's squad and Meyer could break into the line-up on vault as well,” said Burns.
There will be a veteran presence to the line-up on parallel bars and Burns is hoping that will help make this a solid event for the Gophers.
“Kyle True, Jake Lee, Justin Meyer and Sergei Dmitriev will be joined by Steve Vuong to make up the core of our parallel bars team. Eddie Campbell has potential to be an impact player on this event as well,” said Burns.
High bar has been a make-or-break event for several teams in recent history and the Gophers believe they may be able to separate themselves from their opponents on the high bar in 2006.
“Vuong, Lee, Dmitriev and True again make up the core of this event and Campbell and Reichow could break into the line-up as well,” said Burns. “Justin Meyer has also made great strides on high bar and could be a very pleasant surprise this year. Mark Witmer also may see action on high bar.”
The Gophers will be faced with new challenges in 2006, including a new scoring system, which may take time for teams to get adjusted to. Burns feels that the Gophers will have to use their early competitions to get acclimated with the new system.
"With the new FIG Code of Points we are using this year it's pretty tough to predict where this team is right now in the preparation phase," said Burns. "The new rules have made it tougher for the entire collegiate gymnastics community so it will be exciting to see where everyone else is as the season unfolds. Adjustments will be necessary throughout the year to find the right blend of difficulty in our routines without sacrificing execution deductions. The final push to the Big Ten and NCAA Championships late in the season will be a great finale to what should prove to be an interesting season of gymnastics."
The Gophers had many memorable moments in 2005. With a strong nucleus of upperclassmen mixed with an energetic group of newcomers, Gopher fans can look forward to many more in 2006. It didn’t take long for head coach Mike Burns to make an immediate impact on the Gopher men’s gymnastics team. In only his first season, Minnesota showed steady improvement under Burns and had several team and individual highlights. In 2005, the Gophers posted a score of 217.400 at the NCAA Team Championships, which was the team’s highest score since 2000. Individually, Guillermo Alvarez earned the Nissen-Emery Award as the top senior gymnast in the nation, becoming only the third Gopher to earn the award and first since John Roethlisberger in 1993.
Burns believes that these accomplishments only serve as stepping stones in reaching a higher level on the national scene. Despite the loss of Alvarez, the Gophers have a strong group of incoming freshman and a veteran corps of gymnasts that have the team primed to pick up in 2006 where they left off in 2005.
Leading the way for the Gophers will be senior co-captains Justin Meyer and Joe Moore. Meyer is a three-year letterwinner could break into the all-around after several seasons as a multiple-event specialist. Moore, a still rings specialist, scored at least a 9.00 on rings in each meet last season except one. Kevin Green rounds out the Gophers’ senior class and will be a valuable member to the team as a pommel horse specialist.
Jake Lee, Kyle True and Steve Vuong give the Gophers as good a junior group as anyone in the country. Lee, who joined Alvarez as the team’s top all-arounders in 2005, will be among the Gophers’ top gymnasts this season. True joined the Gophers last season after transferring from Illinois-Chicago and made significant contributions on vault, parallel bars and high bar. After a solid season in 2004, Vuong returns from an injury which forced him to miss the 2005 season.
The Gophers’ sophomore class is loaded with potential as Sergei Dmitriev looks to build off his freshman campaign in which he contributed in almost every event. Matt Altomari, Chris Jackson, Mitchell Mays and Mark Witmer should also get an opportunity to contribute in a bigger capacity after gaining experience last season.
The future of the Gopher program lies with the freshman class. Kit Beikmann, Eddie Campbell, Alex Quast, Adam Reichow and Gus Roethlisberger have Burns excited that the future is now with such a stellar first-year class.
The Gophers’ blend of quality upperclassmen with talented freshman might not be more evident than on floor exercise, where that balance is one of the reasons Burns is excited about the event.
"Having Junior National Champ Adam Reichow on this event will help our team tremendously on floor exercise this year. He is a powerful and dynamic tumbler that should bring the excitement level up at every meet,” said Burns. “Joining Adam on floor is freshman Gus Roethlisberger who competed at the World Tumbling and Trampoline Championships this fall. Freshman Eddie Campbell will also give us strength on floor. Having these three guys join returnees Jake Lee, Kyle True and Sergei Dmitriev could make this one of our best events in 2005."
Vuong’s return to action should give Minnesota a spark on pommel horse. The Gophers showed great improvement through last season on horse and have reason to feel good about that event this season.
"Having Vuong back after sitting out last year due to injury will help us a lot on pommel horse,” Burns said. “He has increased his level of difficulty, and along with Jake Lee, should give us a great 1-2 punch there. Freshman walk-on Kit Beikmann has been a pleasant surprise as well and should see action this year. Justin Meyer will again be looked to for solid routines on horse as our go-to guy. Kevin Green continues to show improvements and should be an impact player as well. Sophomore Mark Witmer could also see action on horse this year.”
Last season Clinton Mays and Joe Moore were the Gophers’ primary weapons on rings. This season Moore returns and may have a new Mays working alongside him as Clinton’s brother, Mitchell, looks to fill the void left by his older brother.
“Joe Moore is our top returning ring man from last year and will again be our top competitor on rings. His strength level is high and his swing work has improved since last year,” said Burns. “Mitchell Mays has been slowed with a wrist injury but if he recovers he will be a force to be reckoned with on rings. Justin Meyer, Jake Lee, Steve Vuong and Sergei Dmitriev will also be looked to for scoring potential.”
The Gophers posted several high scores on vault last season and with added depth on that event this season, they are hoping that vault is another event that catapults them over the top in 2006.
"Vault is another event that could be very good for us this year. Reichow and Roethlisberger will add strength and depth to this event. Lee, Dmitriev, Mays and True are the top returnees from last year's squad and Meyer could break into the line-up on vault as well,” said Burns.
There will be a veteran presence to the line-up on parallel bars and Burns is hoping that will help make this a solid event for the Gophers.
“Kyle True, Jake Lee, Justin Meyer and Sergei Dmitriev will be joined by Steve Vuong to make up the core of our parallel bars team. Eddie Campbell has potential to be an impact player on this event as well,” said Burns.
High bar has been a make-or-break event for several teams in recent history and the Gophers believe they may be able to separate themselves from their opponents on the high bar in 2006.
“Vuong, Lee, Dmitriev and True again make up the core of this event and Campbell and Reichow could break into the line-up as well,” said Burns. “Justin Meyer has also made great strides on high bar and could be a very pleasant surprise this year. Mark Witmer also may see action on high bar.”
The Gophers will be faced with new challenges in 2006, including a new scoring system, which may take time for teams to get adjusted to. Burns feels that the Gophers will have to use their early competitions to get acclimated with the new system.
"With the new FIG Code of Points we are using this year it's pretty tough to predict where this team is right now in the preparation phase," said Burns. "The new rules have made it tougher for the entire collegiate gymnastics community so it will be exciting to see where everyone else is as the season unfolds. Adjustments will be necessary throughout the year to find the right blend of difficulty in our routines without sacrificing execution deductions. The final push to the Big Ten and NCAA Championships late in the season will be a great finale to what should prove to be an interesting season of gymnastics."
The Gophers had many memorable moments in 2005. With a strong nucleus of upperclassmen mixed with an energetic group of newcomers, Gopher fans can look forward to many more in 2006.
Players Mentioned
