University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Gymnasts Open Season At Windy City Invite
1/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
GOPHERS KICK OFF SEASON AT WINDY CITY INVITE
The Gopher men’s gymnastics team will open the regular season this Saturday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Windy City Invitational in Chicago, Ill.
2007 SEASON PREVIEW
The Gopher Men’s Gymnastics Program continues to improve under the tutelage of head coach Mike Burns and his able staff of Kostya Kolesnikov and Russ Fystrom. With the addition of the biggest freshman class in the nation, the Gophers are poised to begin their move up the national rankings. “When I arrived at Minnesota in 2004, I knew one of the keys to our success would be bringing in quality personnel to complement our core group of veterans,” said Burns. Joining senior co-captains Jake Lee, the 2006 Minnesota Most Valuable Gymnast, and Kevin Green, is a strong group of experienced upperclassmen and talented freshmen who will be counted on heavily to move this program to the next level.
Junior National Team Members Cole Storer and Andre Berry are the most notable of this impressive freshman class but don’t stop looking at these two talented young men. “This is a group of freshmen with a bundle of talent and a strong desire to succeed,” said Burns. With the loss of seniors Joe Moore and Justin Meyer from last year’s squad, the 2007 edition of Gopher Gymnastics is ready for action. “Justin Meyer was one of our most consistent performers in the all-around last year and Joe was a staple of our still rings lineup for years. Both of these guys will be sorely missed but we worked hard to bring in some young talent to fill these holes.”
Relying on freshmen for a team’s success can sometimes be a tall order, but Burns feels especially good about the experience that these youngsters bring to the table. “Cole, Andre, Aaron Fortunato, and Thomas O’Brien all have experience at the US National Championships level as junior gymnasts. This meet is the pinnacle of competition in the USA and the fact that all four of these gymnasts have competed there gives me more confidence in their ability to handle high pressure situations,” said Burns. Storer and Berry have also competed in international competitions as members of the US Junior National Team so they are no strangers to intense competitive experiences.
Coupled with this group of freshmen is a strong group of returning veterans as mentioned earlier. The senior class of Jake Lee and Kevin Green, both of whom were voted co-captains by their teammates, will be looked to for leadership throughout the season.
“Jake had a breakout year in 2006,” said Burns. “Finishing in the top 10 in the all-around at the 2006 NCAA Championships and tied for 11th at the 2006 US National Championships is a real tribute to his hard work and dedication.” The best part about this level of success is the fact that Lee is hungrier to take it to the next level in 2007.
Kevin Green, competing as a fifth-year senior, is poised to be an impact player not only on his signature event, the pommel horse, but he is working hard to break into the line-up on several other events. “This could be a great year for Kevin,” said Burns. “He’s been making steady progress this fall and hopefully Kevin will be posting some solid scores this season.”
The Gophers junior class is made up of a combination of true juniors and red-shirt juniors. Steve Vuong and Kyle True are the redshirt juniors while Sergei Dmitriev, Mitchell Mays, and Matt Altomari are the true juniors. True sat out last season while Vuong sat out the 2005 campaign. “Having Steve and Kyle both healthy again in the same season will be a key to our success,” said Burns. “Both of these guys have potential to put some big points on the board and the team will look to them for solid sets throughout the season.”
Steve Vuong will be counted on heavily to provide scoring power on all six events. “Steve has the ability to be one of the top gymnasts in the nation with his uncanny gymnastics sense,” said Burns. “Steve has that great combination of strength and explosive power that is so critical in our sport.” Vuong’s signature events are the pommel horse, still rings, parallel bars, and high bar, but his vault and floor are really starting to get back to a high level after a season-ending knee injury during his sophomore year. “Steve could be one of the top all-around gymnasts in the nation this year. He’s a fun guy to work with and always brings a positive attitude with him to the gym.”
Kyle True missed the entire 2006 season with a lingering hand injury that kept him from training on a consistent basis. “That hand injury was one of the more frustrating things I have ever dealt with,” said Burns. “The hand has finally healed and Kyle is back on track to be a contributor on many events this year.” True will be counted on heavily on high bar and parallel bars, his best events, but don’t be surprised if he makes the line-up on all six events during the season.
Sergei Dmitriev had a banner year in 2006 with season-best performances at the NCAA Championships. “Sergei did a great job for us last year, especially at the NCAA Championships. He posted season-high scores on vault, parallel bars, and high bar and qualified to the second day of competition on parallel bars and high bar. “Sergei performed some of his best routines when the team needed it the most; at the NCAA Championships. As a coach, you can’t ask for more out of your athletes. Sergei really came through last year.” Dmitriev will again be instrumental this year especially with the experience at the big meets that he brings to the table.
Mitchell Mays could be ready to open a lot of eyes this year. Hampered by nagging injuries his first two years, Burns is expecting Mays to make a name for himself this season. “Mitchell started slow last year after some set backs early in the season, but he slowly and methodically got back to form and had his best meets at the Big Ten and the NCAA Championships. We train all year to peak at these two championship meets and Mitchell looked his best when it counted the most. He’s been working really hard this fall and I predict his will be a name people will recognize throughout the upcoming season.”
Matt Altomari lettered last year with solid performances throughout the year. “Alto made significant contributions in every meet on floor exercise with the kind of performances every team counts on to succeed,” said Burns.
The sophomore class of Eddie Campbell, Adam Reichow, Kit Beikmann, and Alex Quast will bring the experience they garnered from their freshman year into their second year on the squad. “As a coach it’s always exciting to see the maturity and development that occurs from freshman year to sophomore year,” said Burns. “This is the time these guys really transform into the young men you envision them to be when you recruit them.”
Eddie Campbell was the Gopher’s top competitor on the floor exercise last year and he will continue to put up big scores there this year. “Eddie’s improvement on the other events over the summer and fall is what’s really getting me excited about the 2007 season,” said Burns. “A big part of our success will fall on Eddie’s shoulders and I feel like he’s really ready for that responsibility this year.”
Adam Reichow’s freshman year was cut short when he broke his fibula in the Illinois meet last year. “That was a real blow to our team last year but he’s back this season looking like the Junior National Champ he was on the floor as a senior in high school,” said Burns. “The NCAA awarded Adam a redshirt season so we are lucky to have him for four more years!”
The big surprise of 2006 was the work of freshman walk-on pommel horse specialist Kit Beikmann. “Kit really wanted to come to Minnesota and he made the best of his opportunity here. He competed in every meet for us on pommel horse and was able to break into the lineup on parallel bars on several occasions as well. At the NCAA Championships he had one of his best days and qualified to the second day of competition with the team’s highest score on horse.” Beikmann’s desire to succeed along with his great work ethic will be a combination that is hard to beat in the upcoming season.
Alex Quast broke into the line-up in several meets last year, earning his first varsity letter as a Gopher gymnast. “Alex is a pleasure to have in the gym,” said Burns. “He’s a hard worker who has shown steady improvement since he walked into Cooke Hall last year as a freshman.” Quast could break into the lineup again this year on the still rings.
This brings us full circle back to the freshman class. Touted as one of the best freshman classes in the nation they will be looked to early in their careers to carry a significant amount of weight in the success of the program. “This is a very special group of young men,” Burns stated. “Anytime you can sign two Junior National Team Members to join your program it’s a good sign that the program is strong and healthy.”
Cole Storer from WOGA (World Olympic Gymnastics Academy) in Plano, Texas and Andre Berry from Cypress Gymnastics Academy in Cypress, Texas bring that National Team experience to Minnesota gymnastics, but the rest of the freshman class will be asked to provide scoring power as well.
Aaron Fortunato of Bedford, Ohio and Westside Gymnastics missed the Junior National Team at the 2005 US Nationals by a mere fraction of a point. “Aaron does clean and smart gymnastics,” said Burns. “I really like his combination of great skill selection and impeccable execution in his gymnastics.” Fortunato will be looked to on all six events but he is a real standout on the horizontal bar where he was a finalist at the 2006 Junior National Championships and finished 5th in the nation.
Thomas O’Brien from Surgent’s Elite Gymnastics in Roselle Park, New Jersey finished 24th in the all-around in a highly competitive field at the 2006 Junior National Championships. He also competed at the 2004 US Nationals in Nashville, Tenn., where he finished 12th overall. “Thomas is a solid gymnast who excels on the pommel horse and parallel bars but he has made some great strides on the other events this fall,” said Burns.
Colin McGuire also hails from Plano, Texas and WOGA. “Colin is awesome on floor and vault and will bring us some scoring power on both of those events,” said Burns. “He has the ability to break into the lineup on several of the other events as well but the competition on every event for starting spots will be keen.” McGuire was the all-around champ at the 2004 Liukin Invitational.
Michael Hillin comes to the Gophers from Alamo Gymnastics in San Antonio, Texas. “Michael has an impressive repertoire of skills and abilities and our job is to find the best combination to maximize his scoring potential,” said Burns. “I see some great things out of this kid every day in the gym and he has been making some solid progress in many areas.” Hillin was a Junior National qualifier for many years and was a bronze medalist on high bar at the 2002 Junior Nationals.
Cameron Lee and Ali Aleiou round out this impressive freshman class. Lee is a Minneapolis native and trained at TAGS-Eden Prairie while Aleiou hails from Brookfield, Wis., and was a member of Swiss Turners Gymnastics in West Allis. Lee was slowed with wrist injuries his senior year in high school but is very talented on the pommel horse and could make the lineup on that event. “Cameron is slowly coming back from wrist surgery, so it’s a slow process, but he has the makings of a really solid pommel horse worker for this team,’ said Burns. “Ali comes from a great program at Swiss Turners and has been well-coached there. His best event now is high bar and he continues to improve on the other events as well.”
The 2006-2007 Gopher gymnastics team should prove to be one of the best teams Minnesota has put on the floor in many years. “This could be a special year for this program,” said head coach Mike Burns. “I’m excited about the personnel we brought in this year and combined with the returning upperclassmen, I think we have a real exciting team on our hands! What a great year to be hosting the Big Ten Championships right here on campus.”
Players Mentioned
