University of Minnesota Athletics
Men's Gymnastics 2006 Season in Review
5/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
The Minnesota men’s gymnastics team finished in fifth place with a score of 206.950 in the qualifying round of the NCAA Championships, held at the University of Oklahoma.
Six teams competed in the session, No. 2 Stanford, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 6 Penn State, No. 7 Iowa, No. 10 Minnesota, and No. 11 William & Mary. Stanford won the session. The top three teams in the session, Stanford, Penn State and Iowa, advanced to the team finals.
Minnesota competed on the pommel horse in the first rotation, and the team struggled as it did on the horse at the Big Ten Championships two weeks ago. The team managed a 31.800 on the horse, the second- lowest team score in the event this year. Kit Beikmann led the way for the Gophers, earning an 8.250 to place eighth and advance to the event finals.
The Gophers moved to the still rings in their next rotation, and earned a team score of 33.700. Jake Lee was the highest finisher for Minnesota on the rings, earning an 8.700 to finish in 13th place in the event.
On the vault, Minnesota earned a 36.175, just .025 less than the team’s highest vault score this year, which was a 36.200 at the Big Ten Championships. Jake Lee set a career-high mark with a 9.475 on the vault, leading Minnesota in the event with a third-place finish. Sergei Dmitriev’s score of 8.900 was his best in the 2006 season.
The Gophers also had their second-highest score of the season on the parallel bars, earning a 35.725. Minnesota parallel bars score was the highest of the meet. Jake Lee was again Minnesota’s top scorer, placing second with a 9.200 on the parallel bars. Sergei Dmitriev scored a 9.075 to match his career-best score and place fifth.
On the high bar, Minnesota tallied a score of 35.525, the team’s best high bar score of the year. Minnesota’s previous best score on the high bar was a 35.250 against Wisconsin on March 4. Sergei Dmitriev was the highest scorer for the Gophers with a 9.200, setting a personal-best mark in the event. Dmitriev tied for eighth place, and advanced to the event finals.
The Gophers finished the meet on the floor, where the team earned a mark of 34.025. Sergei Dmitriev was again the leader for the Maroon and Gold, coming in 16th place with a score of 8.625.
In the all around, Jake Lee finished in fifth place with a total score of 52.550. Justin Meyer came in eighth, earning a mark of 50.425. Both gymnasts have advanced to the all around finals.
Individual Competition at the NCAA Championship
Jake Lee and Justin Meyer competed in the all around, while Sergei Dmitriev performed on the parallel bars and high bar, and Kit Beikmann competed on the pommel horse. Lee placed among the top 10 in two events, the pommel horse and the parallel bars. After a tie breaker on the parallel bars, Lee advanced to the individual event final on the pommel horse.
Jake Lee finished ninth in the all around with a score of 52.925. His top individual finish was eighth on the pommel horse, with a score of 8.650. On the parallel bars, Lee tied for 10th place with a mark of 9.225. He finished 27th on the high bar (9.075), 28th on the floor (8.675), tied for 29th place on the vault (8.950), and tied for 25th on the rings (8.350).
Justin Meyer finished 16th in the all around, earning a total score of 48.425. Meyer's best finish was on the vault, where he placed 38th with a score of 8.775. He came in 39th on the high bar (8.350), tied for 41st on the rings (8.200), tied for 42nd on the floor (8.250), and finished 45th on the pommel horse (7.000) and the parallel bars (7.850).
Sergei Dmitriev competed in two events, earning his best score on the high bar, with a 9.200 to place 22nd. Dmitriev's high bar score is the best of his collegiate career. He also earned a 7.850 on the parallel bars to tie with teammate Justin Meyer for 45th place.
Kit Beikmann performed on the pommel horse, and earned a score of 8.400 to tie for 17th place.
Jake Lee was Minnesota’s representative at the event finals, where he competed on the pommel horse. Lee finished in ninth place, earning a score of 7.925. The performance marked Lee's first appearance in the NCAA individual event finals.
Gophers in the Team Rankings
The Gophers are ranked 10th in the March 28 edition of the GymInfo National Rankings, the final ranking of the 2006 season. In the event-by event rankings, Minnesota is listed at No. 5 on the parallel bars, No. 9 on the vault, No. 10 on the horse, rings, and high bar, and No. 11 on the floor.
Individuals in the National Rankings
Minnesota had two gymnasts listed among the top 20 in individual rankings in the final ranking of the season. Jake Lee was listed in three events, with his highest rankings coming in the parallel bars. Le was ranked second in the country on the parallel bars, was listed at No. 4 in the all around, and was No. 12 on the vault.
Sergei Dmitriev was also ranked on the parallel bars, coming in at No. 14.
Lee Earnes All-Big Ten Acclaim
Jake Lee was a first-time All-Big Ten honoree at the 2006 Big Ten Championships. Lee was Minnesota’s top gymnast during the 2006 season, leading the team in average scoring and high score in five of six events, plus the all around. He was named the Big Ten Gymnast of the Week on Feb. 15 after his performance at Michigan.
Meyer Wins Sportsmanship Award
A Sportsmanship Award winner from each team was announced at the Big Ten Championship, with Justin Meyer winning the award for Minnesota. The student- athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
Academic All-Big Ten Honors
Three Gopher gymnasts earned Academic All-Big Ten honors, announced March 29. Honorees from the Gopher men’s gymnastics program are Joe Moore, Kyle True, and Mark Witmer. Moore is a senior, majoring in landscape architecture. True is majoring in mechanical engineering, and is in his junior year. Witmer, a sophomore, is majoring in history and Russian. Overall, Minnesota had 59 Academic All-Big Ten honorees for winter sports. Award winners must be in at least their second year at their academic institution, and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
Leading the Way
Jake Lee owns Minnesota’s best score of the season in the all around and five of six individual events. He also leads the team in average score in five events: horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, and the high bar.
New to the All Around
Senior Justin Meyer competed in the all around against Wisconsin on March 4, marking the first all around performance in his Gopher career. Meyer earned scores of 8.500 on the floor, 7.850 on the horse, 8.800 on the rings, 8.400 on the vault, 8.650 on the parallel bars, and 8.500 on the high bar for a total score of 50.750.
Against Iowa, Meyer set a personal-best with a score of 51.400 in the all around.
At the Big Ten Championship, Meyer earned a 51.050 in the all around, and earned his personal best vault score, with an 8.900.
Mays Steps Up at Big Tens
Mitchell Mays set a career-best mark on the vault at the Big Ten meet, earning a 9.050.Mays’ score was good for 18th place in the event. Along with Jake Lee’s score of 9.400 on vault, the Gophers earned their highest vault score of the season with a 36.200.
Campbell Tops on Floor
Freshman Eddie Campbell has the team’s highest average score in the floor exercise, with an average of 8.705. Campbell is the only freshman to lead the team in average scoring in an event. At the Big Ten Championship, Campbell earned a 9.100 on the floor to mark the best score of his career and the best score by a Gopher gymnast on floor this season.
Quast Makes Gopher Debut
Alex Quast, a freshman from Vadnais Heights, Minn., competed for the first time in his Golden Gopher gymnastics career against Wisconsin on March 4. Quast finished fifth on the still rings with a score of 7.850. He was in the line up on rings in each of the last three competitions of the year.
High Bar Success
The Gophers had their best high bar score of the season against Wisconsin on March 4, earning a 35.250. Four Minnesota gymnasts earned career-best scores, and one had a season-high score. Jake Lee set a career-best mark with a 9.400 to win the event title. Sergei Dmitriev had his best score of the season on the high bar, with a 9.050 to place second. Steve Vuong also had a personal-best score in the event with an 8.900 to come in third on the high bar. Justin Meyer had his personal-best score in the meet against the Badgers, with an 8.550 to place fourth. Frosh Eddie Campbell had the best score of his Gopher career with an 8.400 to place fifth.
At the Big Ten Championships
The Gophers placed sixth at the 2006 Big Ten Championships, held at Carver-Hawkeye Arena at the University of Iowa. Minnesota compiled a team score of 205.400. Ohio State won the meet with a score of 215.625.
On the floor exercise, Eddie Campbell was the top scorer for the Gophers, placing 10th with a career-best score of 9.100. As a team, the Gophers earned a 33.95 on the floor.
On the pommel horse, Justin Meyer was the top performer for the Maroon and Gold. Meyer scored an 8.500 to tie for ninth place. The Gophers struggled on the horse, earning a season-low 31.100.
Jake Lee was Minnesota’s top scorer on the rings, earning a 9.000 to tie for eighth place. Mitchell Mays earned a score of 8.800 to tie his personal best rings score. Minnesota compiled a team score of 34.65 on the rings.
Lee was also the top Gopher finisher in the vault competition, scoring a 9.400 to place fifth. The score was a season-best for Lee, and tied his career-high score. Mitchell Mays had a personal-best score of 9.050 on the vault, placing 18th. As a team, the Gophers earned their best vault score of the season with a 36.200.
Jake Lee was Minnesota’s leader on the parallel bars, earning the top individual score in the team competition. Lee’s mark of 9.550 is the best of his Gopher career. The team tallied a mark of 35.05 on the parallel bars.
Sergei Dmitriev and Jake Lee tied for Minnesota’s best score on the high bar, each earning a mark of 8.950 to tie for 11th place. Minnesota compiled a 34.450 as a team in the event.
Minnesota had two gymnasts compete in the all around, Jake Lee and Justin Meyer. Lee finished fifth with a total of 52.800, while Meyer came in ninth with a tally of 51.050. "Justin Meyer was my gymnast of the meet," said Burns. "We had a little disappointment in this meet, but Justin's performance was certainly a highlight."
The top eight finishers in each event qualified for the event finals. Jake Lee and Sergei Dmitreiv qualified to compete in the event finals for the Gophers.
Junior Jake Lee had his highest individual finish on the parallel bars, where he finished second with a score of 9.388. He also competed on the rings and the vault, where he placed eighth and ninth, respectively.
Sophomore Sergei Dmitriev competed on the parallel bars, and came in eighth place with a mark of 6.550.
Gophers Score Earn a Season-Best 211.150 in Regular Season Finale
The Minnesota men's gymnastics squad earned a season- high score, but lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes 211.150-212.000 on March 10. The Gophers beat their pervious season-high score of 209.150 by two full points. Jake Lee led Minnesota, winning the all around title, as well as event titles on the vault and parallel bars.
In the first rotation, Minnesota competed on the floor. Freshman Eddie Campbell was the top scorer for the Gophers, earning an 8.850 to tie for third place, and tie his personal-best score on the floor. Sophomore Matt Altomari finished fifth with an 8.800. Minnesota scored a 35.050 on the floor, tying the team's best floor score this year, while Iowa tallied a 36.200. Michael Reavis was the event champion, finishing first with a 9.550.
Minnesota moved to the pommel horse in the next rotation, where Jake Lee was the top finisher for the Maroon and Gold. Lee placed second with an 8.850. Also in the top five for Minnesota was Steve Vuong, who was fifth with an 8.500. As a team, the Gophers earned a 34.100 to win the event. Iowa compiled a team score of 33.950 on the horse, led by event champion Jake Becker, who had a mark of 8.950.
The Gophers scored their best rings score of the season with a 35.650. Jake Lee was the top Gopher scorer with a 9.050 to place third. Three Minnesota gymnasts tied or set career-best scores on the rings. Senior Justin Meyer set a season-high and tied his career-high score of 8.900 to tie for fifth place in the event. Sophomore Mitchell Mays set a personal best with an 8.900 to tie for fifth place. Steve Vuong placed seventh with a career-best 8.800. Iowa won the event with a 36.200, led by Matt Beiler's mark of 9.450.
In the fourth rotation, Minnesota competed on the vault, where the team compiled a score of 35.850. Jake Lee was the event champion, winning the vault with a score of 9.250. Steve Voung also placed among the top three with a 9.000 to place third and tie his personal- best score in the event. Justin Meyer earned a career-best 8.850 to tie for fourth place on the vault. Iowa had a score of 35.550 in the event.
Minnesota had its highest parallel bars mark of the season with a 36.150 to win the event. Jake Lee won his second event title of the evening with a 9.500 to tie his personal-best score on the parallel bars. Justin Meyer and Steve Vuong each earned a 8.900 on the bars to tie for fourth place. Meyer's score was a season-best, while Vuong's mark was a career high. Iowa's team score on the parallel bars was 35.300.
The Golden Gophers finished the meet on the high bar, and tallied a team score of 34.350 in the event. Sophomore Sergei Dmitriev won the event title with a 8.900. Steve Vuong and Jake Lee were also in the top five, with scores of 8.700 and 8.500, respectively. Iowa narrowly won the event with a team score of 34.400.
Jake Lee was the all around champion with a mark of 53.900, his second-best all around score of the season. Justin Meyer competed in the all around for the second time in his career, and earned a personal-best 51.400.
Gophers Score 204.950 In Dual With Wisconsin Club Team
The University of Minnesota men’s gymnastics team scored a 204.950 Saturday evening at the Sports Pavilion in front of 933 fans to record the team’s third highest team score of the season and the highest output in a home meet this year. The Gophers competed against the University of Wisconsin club team in a meet to promote men’s gymnastics in the region. Earlier on Saturday, the first day of the Men’s Junior Olympic Invitational was held at the Sports Pavilion as part of the Men’s Intercollegiate Gymnastics Support Program (MIGSP). MIGSP is designed to help promote opportunity for men’s gymnasts to compete after high school by ensuring that no more college programs are eliminated while trying to restore or create new programs at the college level. The junior meet will conclude on Sunday.
Saturday, the Gophers started on the floor exercise where sophomore Matt Altomari scored a career-high 8.900 to win the event. Sophomore Mitchell Mays competed in the event for the first time this season and scored an 8.000 to finish fourth, while freshman Edward Campbell finished second with a score of 8.650 and senior Justin Meyer was third with an 8.500.
Senior Jacob Lee posted the highest scored on the pommel horse with a 8.250, while sophomore Sergei Dmitriev scored an 8.200 to finish second.
The Gophers scored their second-highest team score of the year on the still rings with all five athletes setting personal bests on the event. Meyer equaled his season-best effort of 8.800, while Mays recorded a career-high on the event with an 8.750. Steven Vuong also established a new personal best with a mark of 8.700, while Campbell tied his season and career-best with an 8.300. Freshman Alex Quast competed for the first time on the rings and scored a 7.850.
Mays and Vuong tied for first in on the vault with scores of 8.700, while Campbell was third with an effort of 8.500. Meyer competed on the vault for the first time in his career and scored an 8.400.
Similar to the still rings, the Gophers scored their third-highest team score of the year on the parallel bars with five Gophers scoring personal bests. Dmitriev set a season best with a score of 9.050, while Meyer equaled his season best with an effort of 8.650. Campbell scored his career best with an 8.400 and freshman Kit Beikman and senior Kevin Green each set career best with an 8.250 and 7.300, respectively.
Minnesota concluded on the high bar with a season-best score of 35.250. Lee set his career best on the event with a mark of 9.300, while Vuong also set a new career-best mark with an 8.900. Meyer equaled his career-best effort with an 8.550 and Campbell established a new career best score with an 8.400.
Meyer finished the meet with an all-around score of 50.750, the first time he competed in the all-around as a Gopher.
Gophers Lose Moore for the Season
Minnesota lost senior gymnast Joe Moore to an arm injury at the Pacific Coast Classic on February 25. Moore will not compete for the remainder of the season.
Minnesota Takes Sixth at the Aquafina Pacific Coast Classic
The Golden Gophers scored their second-highest team score of the season to place sixth at the Aquafina Pacific Coast Collegiate Classic. The Gophers scored a 206.575 and were paced by a third-place all-around performance from junior Jacob Lee.
Top-ranked Oklahoma won the team event with a score of 217.300, while third-ranked Stanford was second (216.075), eighth-ranked California third (212.650), sixth-ranked Michigan fourth (208.600) and seventh-ranked Iowa was fifth (207.200).
Lee paced the Gophers with his third highest all-around score of the season with an effort of 52.175. Lee won the individual title on the parallel bars with a score of 9.350 and had a second top-10 finish with an eighth- place effort on the vault with a score of 8.975.
Other top-10 performances for the Gophers included a sixth-place finish by Kit Beikmann on the pommel horse with a score of 8.650 and a ninth-place showing for Gus Roethlisberger on the vault with a score of 8.900.
Sergei Dmitriev scored a 9.050 on the high bar to finish 11th, while Justin Meyer finished 13th on the parallel bars with a mark of 8.650. Steven Vuong scored an 8.150 on the pommel horse to finish 15th.
Gophers Defeat Nebraska 204.150-202.900
The ninth-ranked University of Minnesota men’s gymnastics team defeated the 10th- ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers, 204.150-202.900, Saturday night at the Sports Pavilion in front of 1,203 fans. Minnesota recorded its highest team score of the evening on the horizontal bar with an effort of 34.900 to overcome a 170.050 to 169.250 deficit heading into the final rotation. Junior Jacob Lee paced the Gophers with an all-around effort of 52.150 to win his fourth all-around of the season.
Minnesota held a slight advantage in the team score at 67.700 to 67.550 following the first two rotations, but dropped more than three points behind when the Cornhuskers recorded a score of 36.250 on the vault. Minnesota posted its own team score of 34.250 on the vault to close within a point of Nebraska, despite the Huskers taking the top five spots in the competiton. Nebraska’s Nick Moore won the event with a score of 9.400, while Mays finished with the Gophers top score at 8.600.
The Gophers captured the top three spots on the still rings with Lee winning the event with a mark of 8.750. Sophomore Mitchell Mays finished second on with a 8.200, while junior Steven Vuong was third with a 8.150.
Minnesota grabbed three of the top four spots on the horizontal bar to propel the Gophers to the victory. Sergei Dmitriev recorded a 9.000 to finish second, while Vuong helped with a third-place and personal-best score of 8.80.
Minnesota took three of the top five spots on the floor exercise with Lee finishing second behind a score of 8.600. Edward Campbell took fourth with a 8.500 effort, while Matt Altomari was fifth at 8.350. Nebraska’s Tony Burtle took top honors with a score of 8.750.
The Gophers claimed five of the top seven scores on the pommel horse with Justin Meyer posting an 8.750 to finish second. Nebraska’s Stephen Tetrault won the event with a 8.800. Vuong and Lee tied for fourth on the event, each posting an 8.500. Kit Beikmann finished sixth at 8.300, while Kevin Green was seventh (8.250).
Jacob Lee Named CGA National Gymnast of the Week
University of Minnesota junior Jacob Lee was named the College Gymnastics Association National Gymnast of the Week on Feb. 16. Lee captured the all around title and two individual titles against Michigan last weekend, leading the Gophers to their best team score of the season, a 209.150.
Lee was the winner on pommel horse with a score of 9.000, and took first place on parallel bars with a 9.500. In the all around, he finished first with a 54.600 to win his third all around title in three weeks. Lee also had his team’s highest scores on three other events, finishing second on the still rings (9.050), second on the vault (9.300) and third on the horizontal bar (8.750).
Jacob Lee Named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week
University of Minnesota junior Jacob Lee was named the Co-Big Ten Gymnast of the Week for the week of Feb. 15, and is sharing the honor with Iowa’s Michael Reavis. Lee captured the all around title and two individual titles against Michigan last weekend, leading the Gophers to their best team score of the season, a 209.150.
Lee was the pommel horse champion with a score of 9.000, and won on parallel bars with a 9.500. In the all around, he finished first with a 54.600 to win his third all around title in three weeks. Lee also had the highest Minnesota scores on three other events, finishing second on the still rings (9.050), second on the vault (9.300) and third on the horizontal bar (8.750).
The conference weekly honor is the first of Lee’s career. He is the first Golden Gopher to claim the Big Ten Gymnast of the Week accolade since former teammate Guillermo Alvarez was honored on March 8, 2005.
Gophers Lose Dual Meet Against Michigan 213.800-209.150
The ninth-ranked University of Minnesota men's gymnastics team fell to No. 8 Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., 213.800-209.150. Despite the loss, the Gophers registered their highest team score of the season. Individually, junior Jake Lee won his third all- around title in three meets with a mark of 54.600.
Lee won two individual events to go along with his all-around title. He won the pommel horse with a score of 9.00 and also captured the top spot on parallel bars with a score of 9.50. Lee also had the highest mark for the Gophers in three other events. He was second on the still rings with a 9.05, second on vault with a 9.30 and third on high bar with a 8.75. Sergei Dmitriev had the best score for the Gophers on floor with a score of 9.05 to earn a fourth place finish.
Gophers Win Home Opener Against Illinois-Chicago 201.200-196.250
The University of Minnesota men’s gymnastics team defeated the University of llinois- Chicago today 201.200-196.250 at the Sports Pavilion in the team’s home opener. The Gophers outperformed the Flames in four of six team events en route to the dual victory and a 1-1 record on the season.
Junior Jacob Lee won his second all-around title in the past two meets, posting a score of 50.500. UIC’s Tim Morrison finished second in the all-around with a score of 48.700. Lee also won the high bar with a mark of 8.60 and registered the Gophers’ highest score on rings, taking second with an 8.950. Lee also finished second on parallel bars with an 8.65 and was third on vault with an 8.90.
The Gophers also claimed an individual title on parallel bars as Steve Vuong won the event with a score of 8.70. The Bountiful, Utah native also earned the team’s highest mark on pommel horse with an 8.80 to finish second. Vuong added three other top-five finishes by placing fifth on rings with an 8.45, fifth on vault with an 8.70 and fifth on high bar with a 7.55.
Other top-five marks for the Gophers included senior J ustin Meyer taking third in three events. Meyer was third on pommel horse with an 8.10, parallel bars with an 8.45 and high bar with an 8.25. Senior Joe Moore scored an 8.45 to tie for fifth on rings and sophomore Sergei Dmitriev placed fourth on vault with an 8.75.
The Gophers received contributions from a wide variety as freshman Eddie Campbell had the Gophers’ highest score on floor exercise, taking second with an 8.850. Sophomore Matt Altomari posted an 8.80, while freshman Gus Roethlisberger scored an 8.550 to finish third and fourth on floor, respectively.
Illinois Tops Gopher Men’s Gymnasts 207.300-201.650 In Champaign
The University of Minnesota men’s gymnastics team fell at Illinois in the team’s first dual meet of the season, 207.300-201.650. Junior Jake Lee highlighted the night for the Gophers by claiming his first all-around title of the season, posting a score of 49.950.
Lee also claimed the vault title for the Gophers, scoring a 9.20 to place first. Lee tied junior teammate Steve Vuong for second on horse with a mark of 8.20 and was second on rings with a score of 8.850. Lee was third on parallel bars with a score of 8.70 and was fifth on high bar with an 8.50.
Other Gopher gymnasts with standout performances included freshman Eddie Campbell, who had the Gophers top score on floor with an 8.65 and freshman Gus Roethlisberger, who tallied an 8.55 on floor to finish fifth and was fourth on vault with a 9.05.
Senior Justin Meyer gave the Gophers a top-five performance on pommel horse, taking fifth with an 8.05. Senior Joe Moore was third on rings with a score of 8.65. Sergei Dmitriev was second on parallel bars with an 8.75, which represented the Gophers’ highest score of the night. Dmitriev also had the team’s highest mark on the high bar with a score of 8.75, placing third.
While the Gophers lost the meet to Illinois, they also lost freshman gymnast Adam Reichow for extended time due to a broken fibula.
Gophers Take Fifth At Windy City Invite
The eighth-ranked University of Minnesota men's gymnastics team took fifth place tonight at the Windy City Invitational in Chicago, Ill., with a score of 203.900. Ohio State won the meet with a team score of 211.650, while Illinois took second with a 210.500, Michigan placed third with a 207.400 and Iowa finished fourth with a mark of 205.800. The host school, Illinois-Chicago, placed sixth with a 197.350.
Gopher junior gymnast Jake Lee highlighted the Gophers' performance by taking third in the all-around with a score of 52.900 and placing third on the parallel bars with a 9.15 and fourth on the pommel horse with a score of 8.80.
Coach Mike Burns was pleased with the team's debut, especially considering the fact that a new scoring system was in place for the meet.
Burns Signs Four Student-Athletes To National Letters of Intent
University of Minnesota head men’s gymnastics coach Mike Burns has announced the signing of four recruits to National Letters of Intent. Joining the Gophers next year will be Cole Storer of Plano, Texas, Andre Berry of Cypress, Texas, Colin McGuire of Plano, Texas, and Aaron Fortunato of Bedford, Ohio.
"This is by far the best recruiting class in the country," said Burns. "I am so excited about the future of our program with the addition of this talented crop of recruits."
Storer, who competes for World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA), coached by Sergei Pakanich, and Berry, who competes for Cypress Gymnastics Academy, coached by Tom Meadows, are both members of the USA Junior National Team. They recently competed in a dual meet with the German Junior National Team at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
"Cole and Andre were instrumental in defeating the German National Team and between the two of them they won three of the six events," said Burns. "Andre and Cole come to our program with an amazing ability level in the gym. Their gymnastics prowess is an obvious plus, but even better than that is the fact that these are two great kids who are also good students. Success is something they already know and I am really looking forward to them bringing that level of success to Minnesota."
McGuire is another product of the WOGA program in Plano, where he is coached by Pavel Sadosky. He won the all-around title in the 2004 Liukin Invitational held annually at WOGA, one of the premier junior meets in the country.
"Colin is a gymnast that will blossom in our program here at Minnesota. He brings some great skills with him and I feel fortunate to have him as a part of our program. Colin is a technically sound gymnast with an awesome work ethic and a high level of skill. He also has an amazing amount of potential that we are really looking forward to tapping into as soon as he gets here next year. I really like the standards Colin has set for himself in the classroom as well," said Burns.
Fortunato of Westside Gymnastics in Copley, Ohio, was a qualifier to the 2005 VISA Championships where he narrowly missed the Junior National Team.
"The addition of Aaron to our incoming freshman class is a tremendous boost to the Minnesota Gymnastics Program. Aaron was a mere 0.025 points away from making the Junior National Team this past summer and I expect great things from him this year. Aaron is a very clean and consistent gymnast that will help immensely in our quest for a national title in the very near future."
"Overall, this is an unbelievable recruiting class and will help to propel Minnesota into the national picture. While these young men are great athletes, I am equally impressed with their success in the classroom and the impressive character they all possess."
Players Mentioned
