University of Minnesota Athletics
NCAA Gymnastics Live Blog Tonight
4/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
The NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships continues tonight at the Sports Pavilion. The team and all-around champions will be named tonight. Meanwhile, the top 10 individuals on each event will advance to Saturday night's individual event finals. Minnesota has nine individuals competing tonight, looking for spots in Saturday's competition. We'll follow the Gophers and try to give you a taste of the team competition as well here at GopherSports.com:
As always, feel free to pass along a question or a comment at aseeley@umn.edu.
10:18 p.m.
Official results have now been posted. Click the PDF link above. That's all, folks! Thanks for following along!
9:58 p.m.
Back in a while to wrap it up for tonight.
9:57 p.m.
Unofficially, it looks as though Steven Legendre of Oklahoma is the all-around winner.
9:55 p.m.
Here's a look at the unofficial final standings:
1. Stanford 362.800
2. Michigan 361.500
3. Oklahoma 361.200
4. Cal 361.150
5. Illinois 359.30
6. Ohio State 355.950
9:50 p.m.
It's looking like Stanford is going to take this title home. The Cardinal are finished with a score of 362.800, while Oklahoma finished at 361.200. Cal, however is still on the floor and has a current score of 361.150. And there it is ... it's over. The Stanford fans are going crazy behind us. This is the first time since 2001 that a team other than Oklahoma or Penn State will win the national championship. Congratulations to Stanford!
Michigan has snuck in front of Oklahoma with a 361.500, as the Wolverines finished up on the floor. We said the floor scores had been high all night and pushed Michigan to what looks like a runner-up finish.
There is still plenty to sort out here, though. We've got to name an all-around champ and determine individual qualifiers for Saturday. Stick around.
9:48 p.m.
Oklahoma is 1.5 points behind Stanford with two more vaulters to go. The Caridnal, meanwhile, is finished on the still rings. OU needs a couple big-time vaults to catch up.
9:45 p.m.
Minnesota update - It looks like freshman DJ Repp and senior Kit Beikmann will advance to Saturday for the Gophers. Repp is currently tied for fifth in the vault, while Beikmann is tied for fifth in the pommel horse.
Oklahoma and Stanford are really battling. Sho Nakamori stuck a still rings routine for Stanford and OU's Steven Legendre almost on cue then stuck a huge vault. Things could be getting even more interesting.
9:40 p.m.
Oklahoma isn't going down without a fight, though. OU's Russell Czeschin -- who by the way is easily the tallest competitor here -- just nailed a great looking vault and fired up the Sooner crowd.
9:38 p.m.
Judging by the Stanford crowd reaction, if nothing else, the Cardinal has started off very well on still rings. The Cardinal could be in the driver's seat on this thing if they finish up strong here on the rings. The Stanford coaches were extremely excited with the finish of Kyle Oi just now. That's three Stanford gymnasts to compete on the rings and each has been well-received by the coaches and the crowd. I haven't been able to catch the scores, but I'm guessing it is looking good for the Cardinal right now.
9:32 p.m.
Here's a look at the standings heading into the seventh and final rotation:
1. California 302.100
2. Stanford 301.000
3. Michigan 300.300
4. Illinois 300.050
5. Ohio State 297.600
6. Oklahoma 297.150
But don't forget, Oklahoma is finishing up on the vault. The Sooners are in last coming into the final rotation, but on what is traditionally the highest-scoring event. Stanford, meanwhile, is on the rings. Michigan is right in the mix, as well. The Wolverines are on the floor, which has had some pretty high scores tonight. Illinois is right behind Michigan, but finishing up on the high bar. Ohio State is wrapping up on the pommel horse.
9:29 p.m.
Leslie K. from USA Gymnastics wrote in with a question about the all-around standings, since they don't show up in the live scoring program until the gymnasts have finished their competitions. Two Cal student-athletes -- Glen Ishino and Kyson Bunthowong -- are currently in first and second. Steven Legendre of Oklahoma is in third at this very moment.
9:25 p.m.
By the way, in answer to Regina B.'s question, tonight's attendance is 1,531. In this configuration, the Sports Pavilion probably holds about a little less than 3,000. But this is a very intimate setting and it is certainly a very good crowd.
It you hadn't guessed, we're in Rotation 6. Aaron Fortunato is about to take his turn on the still rings. He needs a good score to get back in the running for All-America honors in the all-around.
9:21 p.m.
Campbell's uniform is four years old. I just talked to him about it. He said it wasn't really a "sentimental" thing, but that it was the uniform he wore as a freshman and with this being his last collegiate meet, he felt like breaking it out.
Adam Reichow just finished his floor routine for Minnesota. He tallied a 15.250, which puts him just out of reach of advancing to Saturday.
9:15 p.m.
Another Gopher update. Eddie Campbell just competed on the floor. He came out wearing an old-school singlet. The Gophers haven't worn that uniform in at least two years. We'll have to see if there is a reason he didn't wear his current uniform.
9:10 p.m.
Minnesota update - Kit Beikmann now in a tie for fifth on the pommel horse. Fortunato just began his pommel horse routine and fell off early in the routine. DJ Repp still tied for third in the vault. Fortunato scores a 12.550 on the horse with the fall. Aaron is now out of the top eight in the all-around.
9:03 p.m.
McGuire tallied a 14.250 on the high bar, leaving him out of the running. I must have missed something in his routine that lowered his score a bit. Ali Aleiou just completed his high bar routine for the Gophers. His routine looked more difficult than McGuire's and he stuck the landing, as well. I'm not going to make a prediction, though. That didn't go so well for me on McGuire's routine.
Update - Aleiou scored a 14.150 ... shows you why I'm not a gymnastics judge. I thought it was a very good routine.
9:00 p.m.
Colin McGuire just stuck his dismount on the high bar. It was a very clean routine, giving him a good shot at advancing to Saturday. We'll update his score and standing on the bar shortly.
Just a reminder, this championship will air on ESPN2 Thursday, April 23 at 3 p.m. ET. That's 2 p.m. for you Sooner fans and other Central Time Zone fans. We don't don't have any Mountain Time Zone teams in attendance, but it will air at Noon PT for the Stanford and Cal fans.
8:55 p.m.
We're under way in Rotation 5. Oklahoma is on the pommel horse. Stanford is on a bye. The Sooners would need a 63.100 on the horse to pull even with Stanford going into Rotation 6. That's highly unlikely on that event. However, OU still has the rings to go in Rotation 6. The Sooners finish up on the vault, which could make for a VERY interesting finish.
DJ Repp is currently in third on the vault for you Minnesota fans.
8:50 p.m.
Received an email from Stanford fan Paul R., who informs me that Come Join the Band is the official Stanford fight song, but that the unofficial song is All Right Now by classic rockers Free. With the background music playing during the meet, the Cardinal's unofficial song may have already been played tonight for all I know. Unfortunately, the crowd is a little too loud for me to hear much of the music.
That leads me into another email. Regina B. in Norman, Okla. wants to know what the crowd is like. I can tell you this, Regina. It is a toss-up for loudest fans between your Sooner fans and the Stanford fans. Tonight's official attendance number hasn't come in yet. When it does, I'll pass it along.
8:45 p.m.
Dabritz just completed his parallel bars routine. In the middle of his dismount, head coach Mike Burns looked very excited, but that excitement quickly turned to disappointment. Dabritz lost his balance on the landing and ended up on his backside. That will be the end of Russell's championship. That's an unfortunate turn of events, as Dabritz had the top score of yesterday's evening session on the parallel bars.
8:40 p.m.
The only Gopher to compete in Rotation 4 will be Russell Dabritz on the parallel bars. The p bars is consistently the last event finished, though. So it could be another 10 minutes before we have his score.
8:35 p.m.
Aaron Fortunato update ... through three rotations (or halfway through), he ranks fifth in the all-around. The top eight finishers in the all-around earn All-America honors.
8:28 p.m.
Following three rotations, Stanford is in first place with a 181.25. Oklahoma has made up a bunch of ground, with a 179.45. Ohio State is wedged in between the two in second.
Fortunato scored a 14.750 on the floor.
We're on to Rotation 4 with Stanford on the floor, Ohio State is on the high bar, Michigan is on the vault, Cal is on the pommel horse and Illinois is on the rings. Or is that Michigan on the horse and Cal on the vault? Their uniforms have the exact same color combination. I need to remember that the Wolverines are wearing their gold pants/shorts, which will help me with differentiation. By the way, I was right the first time ... Michigan on vault and Cal on the horse.
8:25 p.m.
Aaron Fortunato is on the floor exercise as this is being typed. He stepped out of bounds on his first tumbling pass, but has been solid otherwise. Here comes the final tumbling pass. Fortunato leaves the floor with a clap, a fist pump and a point to the Minnesota fans.
8:15 p.m.
Kostya Kolesnikov and Mike Burns are both very pleased with DJ Repp's vault. He was very close to sticking the landing, if he didn't. It looked like a fairly difficult vault and he was rewarded with a nice score of 15.900. That puts Repp in second place at this point in the competition and bumps Reichow into a tie for sixth.
8:10 p.m.
Adam Reichow scores a 15.700 on the vault for Minnesota. His score has him in a four-way tie for fifth place right now. DJ Repp will be competing soon on the vault. Meanwhile, Kit Beikmann is currently tied for the No. 2 spot on the pommel horse.
Another responsive "BOOMER SOONER" chant has broken out. That's at least the third one. I'm still hoping for some musical version of the fight song. Does anyone out there know Stanford's fight song? I'm sure the group behind me and to my left does.
8:05 p.m.
Rotation 2 is in the books. Ohio State is in the lead with a 123.55 and Stanford is just one point back. Cal (118.600) and Oklahoma (116.700) round out the four teams who have competed in each of the first two rotations. The Sooners had a fairly difficult two apparatus to star on (p bars and high bar), as opposed to Stanford's (p bar and vault).
Rotation 3 will see Minnesota's DJ Repp and Adam Reichow on the vault. Fortunato will be on the floor, along with OU. Stanford is on the high bar, while Ohio State moves to the parallel bars, Illinois is on the pommel horse and Michigan is on the rings.
7:57 p.m.
It wasn't quite the fight song, but the Oklahoma gymnasts just chanted "Boomer!" and their fans responded with "Sooner!" Now then, the Stanford fans have responded with a "Let's Go Stanford!" chant. We haven't decided on press row which of the two groups is louder. The Ohio State fans and one Michigan fan are trying to hang, but not in the same league as OU and Stanford right now.
7:55 p.m.
Aaron Fortunato just gave his patented clap and fist pump following his high bar routine. He received a score of 14.500. Aaron has had two solid outings on his first two events tonight.
7:49 p.m.
Not to be outdone, Stanford's group is really making some noise behind us for their guys on the parallel bars. I used earplugs at the last rock concert I attended. I wish I had them in my bag about now.
7:48 p.m.
The Oklahoma fans are particularly vocal behind us tonight. They just did an OK-LA-HOMA chant, that now as I look at it doesn't really look as good typed out in a blog as it sounded live. I'm just disapointed that there is no way we're going to hear Boomer Sooner, the OU fight song. Next to the Rouser, it has to be one of the best fight songs in all of college sports. Maybe the OU fans could hum it or something.
7:45 p.m.
A bit of a hop backward on the landing for Dabritz on the still rings. He scored a 14.500, not quite as good as his 14.900 last night. We'll see if that will get him into Saturday night's competition. Following a competitor from Nebraska, Thomas O'Brien will be on the rings for Minnesota.
7:37 p.m.
Don't forget you can see live scoring of the event by clicking the link at the top of the page. In Rotation 2, the Gophers will have two competitors on the still rings. Russell Dabritz and Thomas O'Brien will be competing and Dabritz is about to begin his routine.
7:35 p.m.
Rotation 1 is over. Stanford is in the lead with a 63.250. Illinois, Ohio State, California and Oklahoma round out the top five. Oklahoma scored a 58.250 on the parallel bars. Stanford moves to the p bars, while OU moves to the high bar. Fortunato tallied a 14.300 on the parallel bars. He moves on to the high bar, as he'll be competing along with Oklahoma for the rest of the night.
7:30 p.m.
Beikmann just completed his routine on the pommel horse, got a nice cheer and a hug from assistant coach Kostya Kolesnikov. We'll see if his score of 14.900 is going to be good enough to get him one more night of competition in a Gopher uniform. The 14.900 for Beikmann is a solid score. I would think we'll see him Saturday.
Aaron Fortunato, who is competing in the all-around, is on deck for the parallel bars.
7:25 p.m.
O'Brien struggled just a bit on the pommel horse and will have to wait the rest of the night to see if he has a chance to make it to Saturday night. He tallied a 13.500. Beikmann, the Big Ten runner-up is now about to hop on the horse.
7:20 p.m.
Stanford is opening the meet on the vault and therefore should have a pretty good lead built after the first rotation, with Oklahoma being on the parallel bars, which is usually a lower-scoring event.
Minnesota's first competitor of the evening is Thomas O'Brien on the pommel horse. Kit Beikmann will be up shortly thereafter on the horse. Aaron Fortunato is also competing on the parallel bars in the first rotation.
7:15 p.m.
We're under way and there are large contingents of boisterous and loud Stanford and Oklahoma fans in the house and making their presence heard. The Sooners and Cardinal are the two favorites. Barring anything unforseen, tonight's team championship will likely come down to a matchup of those two. Oklahoma defeated Stanford in this building earlier this season in a tri-meet with Minnesota.
Players Mentioned
