University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Gymnastics Hall of Fame Inducts Class of 2007
1/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
The 1976 men’s gymnastics team took first place at the Big Ten Championships, while individual gymnasts won four titles. Tim LaFleur, a sophomore in 1976, was the Big Ten all around champion, winning the first of three conference all around titles of his career. On the pommel horse, senior Dan Jarosch won the Big Ten title. Jeff LaFleur was the parallel bars champion, while senior Mike Wilbur took first place on the rings. Following the Big Ten Championships, the Gophers went on to finish fifth at the NCAA Championship, with Jeff LaFleur earning All-America status on the parallel bars. Jeff LaFleur was a Big Ten Medal of Honor winner in 1976, his senior season. Members of Minnesota’s 1976 Big Ten Championship team were: Curt Adams, Brad Dennis, Reid Gysland, Shawn Hayth, Jeff LaFleur, Tim LaFleur, Jay Lowinske, Bob McHattie, Jim McKattie, Jeff Stockwell, Bob Waldron, and Mike Wilber.
Duane Hoecherl has been a part of the Minnesota gymnastics community for more than 50 years. He began competing in gymnastics at South High School in Minneapolis in 1953, where he won two state titles in the all around. In 1956, he joined the Golden Gopher squad, where he was voted the Team MVP in 1958 and 1959, and served as a team captain in 1959 and 1960. He earned All-America acclaim on the parallel bars in 1959, and was the 1960 Big Ten Champion on the parallel bars. Hoecherl began judging high school boys gymnastics in 1957, and was a collegiate judge from 1964-1977. He judged five Big Ten Championships, and was a judge at the 1969 NCAA Championship at Temple. He formed the Minnesota Gymnastics Judges Association in 1969. He has been serving as a high school girls gymnastics judge since 1979, and has judged nine Minnesota state championships. In addition to judging, Hoecherl started two gymnastics programs in Minnesota, one in Brooklyn Center and one in Bloomington. In 30 years of coaching, he never had a losing season. In 1973, he was entered in “Who’s Who in Gymnastics”, published by the United State Gymnastics Federation. Since retiring, Hoecherl has busied himself with judging women’s gymnastics, coaching high school tennis, competing in USTA tennis tournaments, and playing music. He currently resides in Bloomington, Minn., with his wife Clare.
The 1997 Golden Gopher women’s gymnastics team was the first in program history to advance to the NCAA Championships, and finished the season with a No. 10 national ranking. Mindy Knaeble, a junior on the 1997 squad, qualified for the NCAA finals on floor exercise, and placed ninth in the event. She became Minnesota’s first All-American since 1990. Judy Cavazos, a freshman in 1997, also had a strong showing at the NCAA meet, posting a 9.875 on bars to earn second-team All-America honors. During the season, the 1997 Gophers set school records for team score (196.35), vault (49.125), beam (49.3), and floor (49.275). Individual records broken during the 1997 season included Kim Sveum on the vault (9.925), Mindy Knaeble on the beam (9.95), Kristen Vandersall and Judy Cavazos on the floor (9.95), and Judy Cavazos in the all around (39.3). Members of the 1997 women’s gymnastics team were: Stacey Batza, Melissa Chang, Judy (Cavazos) Peterson, Cami Phillippi, Kristi Selinger, Jenny (Mazzone) Tichenor, Cathy (Keyser) Sonmore, Mindy Myhre, Mindy (Knaeble) Kiff, Molly Umland, Kim (Svuem) Franke, Lacey Purkat, Kristen (Vandersall) Senden, and Jonda (Hammons) Hughes.
Barbara Tebben competed in high school gymnastics in St. Louis Park, Minn., and went on to compete at Eastern Montana College. Since college, Tebben has been involved in several gymnastics programs in the Twin Cities area, including Mini Hops Gymnastics Association, St. Louis Park Community Education, Edina Gymnastics Association, Bloomington Gymnastics Club, and Eden Prairie Gymnastics Club. Tebben has served as a gymnastics judge since 1981, and was a Minnesota NAWGJ board member from 1983-1986 and again from 1996-2000. He was the state judging director from 1986-1996, and has served in that same capacity again from 2000 to present.
