University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Ranked No. 5 in Big Ten Coaches Poll
12/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
The University of Minnesota men's gymnastics team was picked to be No. 5 in the Big Ten in a Dec. 15 preseason coaches poll.
The Gophers are currently ranked No. 8 nationally, the same they ranking they held heading into last season. However, the Gophers also began last season ranked No. 3 in the Big Ten.
Minnesota head coach Mike Burns acknowledges that the team is hurt by its loss of eight seniors from a year ago, but holds that this year's squad will still be loaded with quality talent.
"I love seeing these pre-season rankings and getting a sense of what the other coaches are thinking," Burns said. "To be honest, with the losses we had to graduation from last year I can see where some might think we will be down a little from last year but our new crop of freshmen have been doing some great work in the gym and we'll see how they step up over the course of the season. Pre-season polls are great but I think the weekly competitions will give us a better indication of what our team is made of this year."
The coaches poll also named Minnesota sophomore Harris Coleman and junior D.J. Repp as players to watch during the 2011 season.
The entire Big Ten release can be viewed here.
The Gophers have also announced that the intrasquad scrimmage that was originally scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 19 has been cancelled.
The scrimmage was canceled because the Gophers coaching staff felt as though the team was looking well prepared for the upcoming season following the success of last Friday's intrasquad meet.
The Gophers have been working hard on a daily basis and each athlete has come a long way in having himself in peak form for the start of the season.
"We decided to eliminate the second intrasquad for a few reasons," Burns said. "The main one was the fact that these guys really did a nice job in the first intrasquad last week and I feel like we are on track for where we need to be at this point in the preparation phase. With final exams just starting, I also felt the time could be better spent studying so they can finish the semester on a high note. Academic success is a key part of why these guys are going to college and I want to be sure they have all the time they need to prepare for their finals."
Players Mentioned
