University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Sign Five for 2015-16
11/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
The University of Minnesota men's gymnastics program announced the addition of five student-athletes for the 2015-16 season. Shaun Herzog, Vitali Kan, Ryan Wangler, Justin Karstadt and Ben Winkel have signed with the Maroon and Gold and will join the team in the fall of 2015.
"I'm super excited about this group of incoming freshmen we just signed," said head coach Mike Burns. "The talent level is very high and there is a high degree of competitive success on all their resumes. We have a very talented group of seniors graduating this year so it was critical to bring in some serious talent - and that we did!
Shaun Herzog is from Daggett's Gymnastics in Agawam, Mass. and is coached by Tim Daggett, Daren Morace and RJ Heflin. Herzog hails from Manchester, Conn. and attends Manchester High School. He qualified for the 2014 P&G National Gymnastics Championships held in Pittsburgh this past August by virtue of his performance at the 2014 USAG Junior Olympic National Championships in Long Beach, Calif. Prior to the Junior Nationals in May, Shaun finished 2nd in the All Around at the Region 6 Regional Championships posting a score of 86.00 and finishing no lower than 5th place on any of the 6 events. Herzog then went on to finish in 20th place at the P&G Championships to cap off a very successful junior campaign. He also finished in the top ten on three events: 9th on Floor Exercise, 6th on Vault, and 6th on High Bar. Herzog will be the third gymnast to join the Gophers from Daggett's Gymnastics. Junior Danny DiBenedetto and Freshman Luke Aldrich also hail from Daggett's Gymnastics.
"Shaun had a very good meet at the JO Nationals back in May and was able to qualify to the biggest meet of the year, the P&G National Gymnastics Championships held in August in Pittsburgh," said Burns. "He really started to show his strengths as a gymnast at the Regional Championships last season. He was able to keep things rolling by finishing in 18th place in the Junior Elite 15-16 Age Group meet at JO Nationals and qualify to the P&G Championships which is the ultimate goal at the Junior Nationals. Shaun got a lot of experience at the Elite level this past year and we are extremely excited about him joining our Golden Gopher Gymnastics family next year. I see a huge upside with Shaun in the coming years as a part of our program and I am thrilled that he will be wearing the Maroon and Gold for the next four years."
Vitali Kan from Swiss Turners Gymnastics in West Allis, Wisc. where he is coached by his dad, Andre Kan and Alex Belanovsky. He also lives in West Allis where he attends Nathan Hale High School. Kan qualified for the 2014 P&G Championships at the National Qualifier in Colorado Springs in July. He was the Region 4 Regional All Around Champion with a score of 86.15. He then went on to post a two-day total of 157.60 for a 14th place finish in the All Around at the P&G Championships. He also posted three top 10 individual event placing - 5th on Floor Exercise, 3rd on Vault, and 10th on Parallel Bars.
"Vitali had a tougher qualification process by virtue of competing at the US National Qualifier but he competed extremely well and was awarded one of only 7 qualification spots provided to juniors at the meet," said Burns. "Kan comes to us from Swiss Turners Gymnastics, the top ranked gymnastics club in the nation in 2014 at the Junior National Championships. He brings a championship mentality to the Gophers program which is as important as the physical traits he also brings our way. He is an extremely well coached gymnast with a very positive attitude that will serve him well in the college ranks. He is another in a long line of Gopher greats who have hailed from the Swiss Turner program and we are very excited for Vitali to join us next fall."
Ryan Wangler from Classic Gymnastics in Chanhassen, Minn. is currently coached by Gopher alumni Matt Frey and was coached by fellow Gopher alums Andre Berry and Josh Wokurka prior to Frey joining the staff at Classic Gymnastics. He attends Prior Lake High School and resides in Savage, Minn. Wangler is the third Gopher signee who competed at the 2014 P&G Championships this past summer making our incoming class a very experienced one. Ryan qualified through the Junior National Championships in a similar fashion to Shaun Herzog but there was nothing easy about his path. The day before the National Championships Ryan injured his back and no one was sure if he could even compete. Compete he did in spite of the pain and he was one of only 24 gymnasts to qualify in his age group. At the Region 4 Championships he finished one place behind future teammate Vitali Kan and then reversed the placing at P&G Championships by finishing one place ahead of Kan in 13th place.
"I was really impressed with the persistence he showed at JO Nationals in spite of the injury he was dealing with,' said Burns. "Sometimes you have to decide if something is important enough to do. If it is, you will find a way, if it isn't you'll find an excuse. Ryan found a way and got the job done! We are extremely pleased that we were able to keep the top high school prospect in the state of Minnesota here at home to be future Golden Gopher."
Justin Karstadt is from Futures Gymnastics in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada where he is coached by Zhaohui Huang and Steven Sugrim. He hails from Toronto, Ontario, Canada and attends Silverthorn Collegiate Institute. While Justin obviously was not a part of the US National scene last summer he is no stranger to high level competition and great results. At the 2014 Canadian Junior National Championships Justin posted the top All Around score at the competition, winning the coveted Gold Medal for his efforts in the All Around. After winning the All Around at Nationals Karstadt went on to win the Gold Medal on Pommel Horse and the Silver Medal on Still Rings, Parallel Bars, and High Bar. Justin also competed at the 2014 Junior Pan Am Championships in Aracaju, Brazil where he helped Team Canada win the Bronze medal and he went on to win the Silver Medal on Pommel Horse.
"Justin is definitely a great addition to our program and his success at the Canadian Junior Nationals is a testament to not only his talent but also knowing how to succeed when the stakes are the highest. That is an awesome recipe for success and we are very happy with Justin's decision to become a Golden Gopher in the fall of 2015, joining a very talented group of incoming freshmen. Justin is bringing some pretty impressive credentials to the table and he still has one year of high school remaining."
Ben Winkel is from Classic Gymnastics in Chanhassen, Minn. where he too is coached by Matt Frey and was previously coached by Andre Berry and Josh Wokurka, all of who are products of the Golden Gopher Gymnastics program. Winkel resides in Afton, Minn. where he attends Stillwater High School. He finished his junior year with a 17th place finish at the Region 4 Championships and will be another Minnesota native to be wearing the Maroon and Gold in the fall of 2015. At the 2014 USAG Minnesota State Championships Ben finished 4th in the All-Around and was crowned State Champion on both Floor Exercise and Still Rings while being recognized as the Vice-Champion on the Parallel Bars. Winkel joins his Classic Gymnastics teammate Ryan Wangler and their former teammate Ryan Bergman who is a current freshman on the Minnesota roster, making Classic Gymnastics the second club program to place three gymnasts on the Golden Gopher Gymnastics team.
"Ben continues to improve on a daily basis and will be a great addition to our roster next year,' said Burns. "He has several events that he will be focusing on as a freshman and his Parallel Bars, Still Rings, and Floor Exercise are three of his best events. The work being done at Classic Gymnastics is high level and it's great to see such a great group of talented gymnasts right here in our back yard."
On entire 2015-16 signing class...
"These young men will all make an immediate impact on our program and we shouldn't lose a beat in the positive direction the team is heading," said Burns. "The atmosphere in the gym this fall has been outstanding and I believe this was a huge factor in the decision these high school seniors had to make. The guys who are currently on the team really showed the recruits the benefits of being a student-athlete here at the University of Minnesota and the meaning of wearing the Block 'M' on their chests. This group of incoming freshmen is going to be a great addition to the program next year.
The Gophers open the 2015 season with the exhibition Alumni Meet at the Sports Pavilion on Jan. 10.
