University of Minnesota Athletics
Golden Gophers Announce 2012 Competition Schedule
6/15/2011 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
The University of Minnesota has announced the 2012 women's gymnastics competition schedule. The Golden Gophers will host five regular-season home dual meets at the Sports Pavilion during the season, plus the annual Always Dreaming Best of Minnesota Meet.
Minnesota continues its tradition of scheduling tough competition, with all but one of the Gophers' Division I opponents in the upcoming season having advanced to an NCAA Regional Championship in 2011. Five of Minnesota's 2012 competitors were among the 12 qualifying teams for last season's NCAA Championship: Arkansas, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
The Big Ten Conference continued to be one of the premier leagues in the nation last season, and boasted six teams that finished the 2011 campaign ranked nationally in the top 25 and two that qualified for the NCAA Championship. Big Ten newcomer and 2011 NCAA Championship qualifier Nebraska will help strengthen a conference that is already considered one of the top in the nation. Minnesota will face each of its Big Ten opponents on March 24 at the Big Ten Championships, which will be hosted by Iowa. The Gophers will also face six-of-seven league opponents in dual meets throughout the regular season.
The Golden Gophers, who finished the 2011 season ranked No. 22 in the nation, will kick off the 2012 campaign at home against Ohio State on January 7. The Buckeyes finished the 2012 season ranked 16.
Minnesota's first road meet of the season will be to Champaign, Ill., to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini on January 7. Illinois finished last season ranked No. 11 in the nation. Next, the Golden Gophers will return home to face the five-time defending Big Ten Champion Michigan on January 21. The Wolverines, who finished the 2011 campaign ranked sixth in the nation, were the lone Big Ten team to end last season ranked in the top 10. The Gophers cap off the month of January by hosting Penn State on January 28. The Nittany Lions completed last season ranked No. 14 in the nation.
Heading into February, the Golden Gophers travel to Norman, Okla. on February 3 for a quad meet with Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas Woman's. The Sooners and the Cornhuskers finished last season ranked No. 3 and No. 4 in the nation and both qualified for the 2011 NCAA Championship.
On February 11, the Gophers will host the annual Always Dreaming Best of Minnesota Meet. The Always Dreaming Best of Minnesota is a competition featuring all four of the collegiate women's gymnastics teams in the state of Minnesota: Gustavus, Hamline, Winona State, and the Gophers. The Best of Minnesota is one of the best-attended competitions each season. The meet is named Always Dreaming in honor of former Minnesota athletics compliance director Frank Kara, and will serve as a fundraising and awareness campaign for cancer research.
Minnesota remains at home to face the Big Ten newcomer Nebraska on February 18 before traveling to the Hawkeye state to face Iowa and Iowa State. The Golden Gophers first square off against the Hawkeyes on February 24 then travel to Ames, Iowa for a head-to-head matchup with the Cyclones on February 26. Iowa finished last season ranked No. 28 in the nation while Iowa State finished No. 24. The Gophers' road trip continues on March 2, as they travel to battle with Arkansas. The Razorbacks capped off their 2011 campaign by qualifying for the NCAA National Championship and finishing the season ranked No. 10 in the nation.
On March 10, a rematch of the Minnesota-Iowa State dual will take place at the Sports Pavilion. The Gophers will then close out its 2012 regular season by traveling to Denver, Colo. for a triangular meet with Denver and Iowa on March 17. Denver finished last season ranked No. 17 in the nation. Minnesota will compete in the Big Ten Championship on March 24 in Iowa City, Iowa.
If the Golden Gophers finish the regular season among the top 36 teams in the national rankings, they will advance to an NCAA Regional Championship for the 18th-straight season. The six schools hosting regional championships in 2012 are Auburn, Illinois, Arkansas, Utah, North Carolina State and Washington. The top two teams from each regional championship will earn a berth in the 2012 NCAA Championship, which will be hosted by the University of Georgia.
