University of Minnesota Athletics
No. 24 Minnesota Welcomes Defending Big Ten Champions
1/19/2012 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Jan. 19, 2012
l Live video
Minnesota Meet Notes 
l Michigan Meet Notes
The Univeristy of Minnesota returns home for a matchup with the five-time defending Big Ten Conference Champions in Michigan. The Gophers hope to rebound after they struggled at Illinois last weekend where they posted a 192.800. The meet begins at 6 p.m. at the Sports Pavilion. Parking will be limited due to a number of other Minnesota athletic events going on Saturday afternoon and night.
Last Time vs. Michigan
The last time Minnesota met with Michigan was at the NCAA Regional meet last spring. The Wolverines, who hosted the meet, ended up winning the Regional with a score of 197.075 while the Gophers finished in a tie for fourth with Stanford.
Last Meet: Illinois
The Gophers struggled in their first road meet of the season as the team combined for a score of 192.800 in Champaign, Ill. The No. 15 Fighting Illini won the dual meet with a score of 194.725.
Sophomores Kayla Slechta and Dusti Russell were the lone Gopher gymnasts to win an event with Slechta winning vault with a 9.825 and Russell winning beam with a 8.850. Russell also claimed the all around crown with a 38.800.
Struggling with the Blue
The Gophers have not defeated Michigan since 2006 when they snagged the Big Ten Championship crown in East Lansing, Mich. As far as a dual meet, Minnesota has not come out on top since January 15, 1999. In that triumph, the Gophers won 193.550-193.050 at Ann Arbor, Mich.
Big Ten Elites
Since 1988, Minnesota and Michigan have won the Big Ten Championship all but one season (1990, Illinois). The Gophers have won five of those 23 titles while the Wolverines have an unprecedented 18 championships. Since falling to Minnesota at the 2006 Big Ten Championships, Michigan has gone on to win the last five crowns.
Fresh Impact
The trio of Gopher freshmen have had a huge impact on Minnesota's season thus far with at least Cierra Tomson and Kylie Schermann have performed all around and Jenny Covers has competed on vault and bars.
GymInfo Rankings
Minnesota began the season ranked No. 22 in the GymInfo preseason ranking, but they have slipped two spots to No. 24 in the first official rankings of the season. In the event rankings, the Gophers are Top 20 in two events as a team: vault and floor.
Junior Shannon Golich is the lone Gopher gymnast to be ranked in the Top 20 individual. She is currently tied for 14th on beam after scoring a 9.850 in the team's season opener against Ohio State.
Big Ten Leads the March
The Big Ten Conference has six schools ranked in the GymInfo Top 25 rankings, which is only matched by the Southeastern Conference. The Pac-12 follows with five while the Big 12 and the Atlantic Coast Conference each have two teams. The Big East, Western Athletic Conference and Sun Belt have on school representing their conference in the rankings with Boise State being the lone independent program in the Top 25.
Starting 2012 on the Right Foot
Minnesota started the 2012 season hot as they earned a 195.075, which is the highest a Gopher squad has scored for a season opener since 2003 (195.525).
Cherwink Suffers Another Setback
Sophomore Justine Cherwink will miss the first half of the 2012 season, due to a leg injury, which she suffered back in October. The Aledo, Texas native missed much of last season because of a similar leg injury but with the opposite leg. She is currently on schedule and a return this season is highly anticipated.
Saturday's Promotions
- All community members of Lakeville and friends and family members of Kylie Schermann can receive $4 general admission!
- Hall of Fame Weekend
- The University of Minnesota Gymnastics Foundation will be honoring:
- Dan Schermann- Lifetime Service Award
- Bridget Knaeble Warner- Honorary Athlete
- Colleen Stark Haws- Courage Award
- Big Brothers & Sisters: Free general admission for Bigs & their Little's!
Follow the Action
All home meets can be watched live by signing up for Gopher All-Access. Each web stream will be accompanied with live commentary from former gymnasts Jamie Bullock and Jade Beattie DeSmidt. Live stat updates can also be found on the schedule page at GopherSports.com.
Gopher Facebook/Twitter
For the latest and most updated information on Minnesota women's gymnastics check out the team on Facebook (Minnesota Women's Gymnastics) and Twitter (@GopherWomensGym).
Get Score Updates on Your Phone
Fans can get scoring updates from all Golden Gopher athletics through the Twitter account @GopherScores. Just find and follow @GopherScores, then set up your phone or mobile device to receive text updates.
Players Mentioned
