University of Minnesota Athletics
Nine Gophers Advance at NCAA Championships
4/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
The Minnesota men’s gymnastics team finished fourth in the second team qualifying session at the NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships Thursday night at the Sports Pavilion. The Gophers tallied their second-best team total of the season, a 351.050, but it wasn’t enough to advance.
Oklahoma took first with a 360.950, while Illinois was second at 359.300. For Minnesota, it came down to a competition with Ohio State for the third and final spot to move on to Friday night.
The Gophers trailed the Buckeyes by 1.350 points going into the final rotation. Minnesota was on the parallel bars, while Ohio State was on the pommel horse. The Buckeyes turned in their best score of the season on the horse, a 57.550. Meanwhile, the Gophers struggled a bit on the bars and scored a 55.650, their third-lowest tally of the season.
It wasn’t all bad news for Minnesota, however. In addition to recording their second-best team score of the season, the Gophers had their best night of the year on the still rings and the vault. Minnesota’s team score of 58.600 was more than a full point better than their previous high on the rings. On the vault, the Gophers recorded a 63.100.
In addition, Minnesota had a number of individuals advance to Friday night as individuals. The top 10 competitors in Friday night’s competition will advance to Saturday night’s individual event finals. The following is a look at the Gophers who will move on to 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
Dabritz's score of 14.900 on the parallel bars was tied for the top mark in Thursday's second session.
Friday’s competition begins at 7 p.m. at the Sports Pavilion. Friday will see the NCAA Team and Individual All-Around Champions crowned. Saturday’s events begin at 7 p.m., with champions to be crowned in each of the six individual events.
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Players Mentioned
