University of Minnesota Athletics
Live NCAA Championships Blog Tonight
4/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
The top three teams in tonight's second session will advance to Friday's team championship. The University of Minnesota will be competing to advance to the team finals and we'll follow their progress here at GopherSports.com. The competition begins at 7 p.m., so click refresh often and we'll try to bring you the flavor of the event if you're unable to be at the Sports Pavilion tonight.
If you have a question or comment, please feel free to share it by emailing us at aseeley@umn.edu.
9:44 p.m.
A number of Gophers will be moving on to Friday night's competition. The top 10 individuals in tomorrow's competition will take part in Saturday's individual event finals. Here's a look at the Minnesota individuals who will be taking part Friday:
Aaron Fortunato - All-Around
Adam Reichow - Floor Exercise, Vault
Eddie Campbell - Floor Exercise
Kit Beikmann - Pommel Horse
Thomas O'Brien - Pommel Horse, Still Rings
Russell Dabritz - Still Rings, Parallel Bars
DJ Repp - Vault
Ali Aleiou - High Bar
Colin McGuire - High Bar
Thanks for following along with us here at GopherSports.com. Good night and Go Gophers!
9:20 p.m.
Aaron Fortunato had a nice routine and was very pleased with it. But the final tally will show Ohio State taking third and Minnesota fourth. The Gophers' season as a team comes to an end here in the team qualifying round.
9:18 p.m.
Russell Dabritz had a slight step on his dismount of the parallel bars, but a pretty good routine. Unfortunately, for the Gophers it is going to be too little too late. With Ohio State finished on the pommel horse and Minnesota's last competitor coming up on the parallel bars, the Gophers are a full four points behind. Ohio State rebounded from some early struggles on the pommel horse to post its season-high score of 57.550.
9:11 p.m.
Repp's score of 13.500 is lower than the Gophers would have hoped for. But Ohio State just had a rough outing on the pommel horse. Minnesota needs these last three routines to be really good if they want to compete tomorrow. Unfortunately, as I typed that last line, Berry fell off the apparatus, meaning his score is very likely not going to count. Things are beginning to look grim for the home team.
9:09 p.m.
Thomas O'Brien turned in a 13.200. The pressure is on for Repp, Berry, Dabritz and Fortunato. Repp with a small step on the dismount, but (to this untrained eye), it looked like a nice routine.
9:07 p.m.
Dabritz's score of 13.300 won't help the Gophers, but they still have five left to compete. Minnesota needs scores in the 14-or-better range to have a shot at the comeback.
9:04 p.m.
Minnesota's lineup on the parallel bars - Ross Cameratta (who had a clean routine), Thomas O'Brien, DJ Repp, Andre Berry, Russell Dabritz and Aaron Fortunato.
9:02 p.m.
Ohio State opens with a fairly clean pommel horse routine. Minnesota wouldn't be unhappy if the Buckeyes had some issues on the horse.
9:00 p.m.
Rotation 7 is about to get under way. Here's the rundown of who's where ...
Floor - Iowa
Pommel Horse - Ohio State
Still Rings - Oklahoma
Vault - Illinois
Parallel Bars - Minnesota
High Bar - UIC
8:57 p.m.
Minnesota will need to make up 1.350 points vs. Ohio State in the final rotation of the evening to qualify for Friday's session. The Gophers will be on the parallel bars, where they average a 56.66. Ohio State averages 55.74 on the pommel horse, where they will be competing in the final rotation. An average to above-average night on the bars for Minnesota combined with an average to below-average night on the horse for the Buckeyes could make it a real nail-biter down the stretch.
8:50 p.m.
Dre Berry stuck the landing on a high, triple flip attempt. Unfortunately, he stuck it on his backside. That score won't count for Minnesota and Fortunato will try to finish strong. The Gophers already had a 63.100 coming into Fortunato's final vault. That's their best score of the season on the vault. Fortunato tallies a 15.100, but it doesn't count as Minnesota's first four vaults were all very solid scores.
8:48 p.m.
Repp with just a small step on his landing, in what looked like a very difficult vault. Storer scored a 15.650, while Repp tallies a 15.900.
8:46 p.m.
Cole Storer will be third on the vault for the Gophers, after Reichow turns in a 15.800. Another solid vault for the Gophers, with just a slight hop on the landing. Minnesota could use a couple stuck landings from their final three vaulters, DJ Repp, Andre Berry and Aaron Fortunato.
8:44 p.m.
Colin McGuire will start things off on the vault for Minnesota. A little hop at the end, but he seems pleased and scores a 15.750. Huge amplitude (my fancy word for height) on Adam Reichow's vault, with just a little step on the landing.
8:43 p.m.
Here's a look at Rotation 6 ...
Floor - Individuals
Pommel Horse - Oklahoma
Still Rings - Illinois
Vault - Minnesota
Parallel Bars - UIC
High Bar - Iowa
8:42 p.m.
Rotation 5 is in the books. The Gophers move to the vault, where they need a huge score to make up some ground on Ohio State.
8:40 p.m.
The Gophers are up to a 58.600 on the rings after O'Brien's 14.950, which is Minnesota's highest score of the season. It's the first time the Gophers have topped 58.000 on the rings this season. A great finish on the rings could loom large for the Gophers later on tonight. Fortunato sticks his landing and it is six straight solid rings routines for Minnesota.
8:36 p.m.
It's a 14.650 on the rings for Russell Dabritz. That ties him for the fifth-best mark on the apparatus this season. The Gophers already have a 57.950 on the rings with two more competitors to go. That score is easily Minnesota's best of the season. Thomas O'Brien may have just improved upon it with a stuck dismount. Last up for Minnesota on the rings is Aaron Fortunato.
8:31 p.m.
We just posted a photo album of some pictures taken of the Gophers during tonight's early rotations. Check it out by clicking the link above. Our staff photographer Eric Miller does such a great job!
8:28 p.m.
Big cheers and high five's for both Ross Cameratta and DJ Repp, the Gophers' first two competitors on the still rings. The Gophers have struggled on rings this year, so a solid start could be a big help. Eddie Campbell followed with another well-received routine.
8:25 p.m.
Minnesota's score on pommel horse was a 57.700, its third best score of the season.
Rotation 4 is history. Rotation 5 is under way. Here's a look at the teams competing in this rotation...
Floor - Ohio State
Pommel Horse - Illinois
Still Rings - Minnesota
Vault - UIC
Parallel Bars - Iowa
High Bar - Individuals
8:22 p.m.
Beikmann's score is a 15.100, second best score in school history on the pommel horse. His own record is 15.400, set earlier this year. It is just the fifth time a Gopher gymnast has topped 15.000, four of those were tallied by Beikmann.
8:19 p.m.
It's a clean routine for Beikmann who gets big hugs of congratulations from head coach Mike Burns and assistant coach Kostya Kolesnikov as he exits the competition area. We're awaiting a score ... Aaron Fortunato will be last up on the horse for Minnesota.
8:15 p.m.
O'Brien had a couple struggles during his pommel horse routine. O'Brien can usually be counted on for one of Minnesota's three best scores on the horse. Beikmann, a two-time All-Big Ten competitor and former All-American on the horse, is getting set to compete.
8:07 p.m.
Dre was happy with his 13.950 and rightfully so. It tied his season-best mark on the apparatus. Russell Dabritz just wrapped up his horse competition, with Cole Storer about to begin his routine. Dabritz scores a 14.100, his second best tally of the year. Thomas O'Brien is next.
8:07 p.m.
"Dr. Dre" Andre Berry will get the Gophers going on the pommel horse. Kit Beikmann will compete fifth. He is currently No. 4 in the nation and holds three scores of 15.000 or better.
8:06 p.m.
Rotation 4 is about to get started. Here's the rundown ...
Floor - Oklahoma
Pommel Horse - Minnesota
Still Rings - UIC
Vault - Iowa
Parallel Bars - Individuals
High Bar - Ohio State
8:04 p.m.
Minnesota will be up on the pommel horse when Rotation 4 gets under way. The Gophers are No. 4 in the nation on the horse, tying for their highest individual event ranking, along with a No. 4 rank on the vault.
7:55 p.m.
Below is a look at the team scoring through two rotations. The battle to watch tonight for Gopher fans is with Ohio State. It very well may come down to Minnesota and the Buckeyes duking it out for the third spot in tomorrow night's team final.
Score after Rotation 2
1. Ohio State - 124.600
2. Oklahoma - 122.050
3. Illinois - 116.200
4. Minnesota - 116.00
5. UIC - 56.260 (1 rotation)
6. Iowa - 53.350 (1 rotation)
7:50 p.m.
It is considerably quieter in the Sports Pavilion with Minnesota not competing in this rotation. I may have Excedrin Headache No. 96 by the end of the night.
7:47 p.m.
Cole Storer has a few small issues in his routine and the Gophers are now finished with their second rotation. Minnesota put up a 59.700 on the floor. It was the Gophers' third best score of the season on the floor. Minnesota has a bye in Rotation 3. Here's a look at Rotation 3 ...
Floor - Illinois
Pommel Horse - UIC
Still Rings - Iowa
Vault - Individuals
Parallel Bars - Ohio State
High Bar - Oklahoma
7:40 p.m.
McGuire also very happy with his routine. His final tumbling pass finished with two front flips, which he nailed. We await the score ... and it comes in at 14.400, his best total in the last month. Fortunato is competing. He stepped out of bounds on his first tumbling pass, but has been solid since.
7:38 p.m.
Reichow had reason to be pleased with his routine. His 15.300 was the second best score of the year on the floor for Minnesota. McGuire in the middle of his routine as I type this entry.
7:37 p.m.
Reichow is pleased with his routine, giving two fist pumps at its completion. Colin McGuire is up next for the Gophers, followed by Aaron Fortunato and Cole Storer. Cole is the Gophers' top ranked athlete on the floor, coming in at No. 13 in the nation.
7:35 p.m.
Adam Reichow, who has Minnesota's best score of the season on the floor (15.450, March 21 vs. Illinois) is up next. Berry's score was 14.600, while Campbell tallied a 15.000.
7:32 p.m.
Andre Berry gets Minnesota going on the floor exercise and gets some big cheers. Salt Lake City native Eddie Campbell is up next. Minnesota's best team total on the floor this season is 60.200 and the Gophers rank No. 7 on this event as well.
7:30 p.m.
Gophers score a total of 56.300 on the high bar. Not their best score of the season, but a bit of a bounce-back from the Big Ten Championships, where they scored a 55.850. We move to Rotation 2 ...
Floor - Minnesota
Pommel Horse - Iowa
Still Rings - Individuals
Vault - Ohio State
Parallel Bars - Oklahoma
High Bar - Illinois
7:26 p.m.
Tough break for Mineesota's anchor on the high bar, Cole Storer. He missed a release move. We'll have an overall score on the Gophers for the high bar shortly. Click on the link above for live scoring updates throughout the meet.
7:23 p.m.
One big step on the dismount for Fortunato, but he was pleased with the vault. He gave the big clap and fist pump following his dismount, which looked like it had at least three twists and a couple rotations (at least to this untrained eye).
7:20 p.m.
Colin McGuire next up on the high bar for the Gophers. Aaron Fortunato, ranked No. 13 in the nation (Minnesota's best individual ranking on the bar) is up fifth.
7:14 p.m.
Dabritz stuck his dismount as well. It's a good start for the Gophers. Perhaps starting on the high bar, as opposed to finishing there, is good for Minnesota. DJ Repp is up next and hits two nice release moves, and another.
7:12 p.m.
Ali Aleiou gets the Gophers started on the high bar and gets the crowd going with a stuck dismount. Russell Dabritz is up next.
7:05 p.m.
Here's a look at where each team is starting tonight:
Floor - UIC
Pommel Horse - Individuals
Still Rings - Ohio State
Vault - Oklahoma
Parallel Bars - Illinois
High Bar - Minnesota
7:00 p.m.
March-in has begun. The group of individuals and individual all-around qualifiers has made it to the floor, as have Illinois-Chicago, Iowa, Ohio State and Illinois. Oklahoma, the favorite for tonight's session is taking the floor as I type this. Minnesota will be next to an anticipated loud cheer from a few hundred rowdy Gopher fans behind me.
6:55 p.m.
Minnesota will open tonight's competition on the high bar. The Gophers are ranked No. 7 in the nation on the high bar entering tonight's event. Minnesota's top score on the apparatus this season is 58.550, recorded on March 15. Cole Storer has the team's best individual score so far, tallying a 14.900 on Jan. 31.
6:50 p.m.
The teams have cleared the floor and are in the locker room making their final preparations. There is a nice, partisan Minnesota crowd directly behind me and they've already performed the Minnesota Rouser at least once. March-in will take place at 7 p.m. and competition will begin shortly thereafter.
Players Mentioned
