University of Minnesota Athletics
Burns Blog: Gold Wins Intrasquad Meet
12/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
The Gold Team defeated the Maroon Team at the first Maroon & Gold Intrasquad Friday afternoon by a score of 48-44. A Modified FIG scoring system was utilized in this, the first of two Maroon & Gold intrasquads. The next Maroon & Gold intrasquad will be held on December 19th at Cooke Hall.
The Gold Team was led by freshman All-Around champion DJ Repp from Albuquerque,NM. DJ had a great day today and showed why we're so excited about having him as a part of our program.
Both teams displayed strong routines throughout the course of the day and came away with the sense that this can certainly be the season this team has envisioned since last April. I have a really good feel about these guys. If they can keep the necessary focus over the next month with final exams and some time spent with family over the holidays, I really think they can achieve more than they thought possible. It's not going to be easy and the sacrifices will at times seem monumental but the rewards will be worthwhile if they can keep their eye on the prize.
That prize will be realized in a little over four months when the Gophers host the 2009 NCAA Championships right here at the Sports Pavilion on our own campus. Hosting the NCAA's right here in our gym will be a huge advantage to these guys. 3hey love to compete in front of a home crowd and this meet will prove to be very special. You won't want to miss this meet in April!
The Maroon Team was led by Thomas O'Brien with solid routines on rings and parallel bars. This by far the best Thomas has looked since coming to Minnesota. Thomas will be a valuable asset to this team this year. Freshman Russell Dabritz also put up solid scores on pommel horse, rings, and parallel bars and showed his strengths on those events. Andre Berry continues to make great progress after having surgery on both shoulders last spring. Andre is an important link to the team's success so it was really good to see how much he could do already.
Aaron Fortunato and Adam Reichow provided solid support for the Maroon Team on several events and continue to show great potential. Colin McGuire and Cole Storer did the same for the Gold Team with their solid performances on floor exercise and pommel horse.
All in all, everyone provided some highlights to the first Maroon & Gold Intrasquad and their performances raised the expectations for Maroon & Gold II on December 19th.
-Head Coach Mike Burns
Players Mentioned
