University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers to Host Big Five Qualifier
3/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
| No. 20 Minnesota hosts Big Five qualifier feat. Iowa, Michigan, Penn State and Rutgers | |
| Date | Saturday, March 14, 2015 |
| Time | 4:00 p.m. CT |
| Location | Sports Pavilion / University of Minnesota / Minneapolis, Minn. |
| Tickets | MyGopherSports.Com |
| Streaming | BTN (tape-delay / March 15 @ 2:30 p.m. CT) - BTN2Go (Live) |
| Live Stats | Minnesota Live Stats |
| Preview/Notes | Minnesota / Iowa / Michigan / Penn State / Rutgers |
| Social Media | @GopherWGym/Facebook |
The Top 10.0 Things You Need to Know
1.0 - No. 20 Minnesota will welcome four conference opponents to the Sports Pavilion on Saturday evening as the Maroon and Gold host one of the league's two Big Five meets. The meet is set to begin at 4 p.m. CT and will feature No. 5 Michigan, No. 12 Penn State, No. 25 Iowa and Rutgers as well as the Golden Gophers.
2.0 - Saturday's meet will be shown on tape-delay on the Big Ten Network on Sunday, March 15 at 2:30 p.m. CT. The meet will be broadcast live on BTN2Go with Lisa Byington and Sharaya Musseron on the call. Live stats and in-meet updates will be available during Saturday's competition.
3.0 - Last weekend the Maroon and Gold traveled to Baton Rouge, La. for the first time in twenty years to take on No. 2 Louisiana State University. The Tigers downed the Golden Gophers, 198.375-195.450. LSU captured each of the four team event titles as well as securing each of the individual awards including the all-around crown. Junior Lindsay Mable scored a 39.375 to place third in the all-around competition and her streak of individual event titles as well as ten consecutive all-around crowns was broken.
4.0 - Junior Lindsay Mable is currently ranked second in the nation in the all-around competition. This season, the Aurora, Colo. native has earned 25 individual event titles and ten all-around crowns. Mable became the first Golden Gopher to be ranked in the top spot in the all-around competition and she has earned six Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honors. Mable became the first Minnesota gymnast in school history to pick up five plus weekly conference laurels in a season since the award started recognizing student-athletes on a weekly basis in 1999. Gopher great Laura Johnson earned the award four times in 2006. Nationally, Mable sits in the top 20 in three events including vault (17t), balance beam (2t) and floor (10t).
5.0 - The Big Five qualifier this weekend will determine the rotation order and session placement for next weekend's Big Ten Championships at the Crisler Center on the campus of the University of Michigan. The top three teams from each qualifier will compete in the evening session (4:30 p.m.) and the lower two teams will compete in the morning (11:30 a.m.). Minnesota will begin tomorrow's the competition on the balance beam.
6.0 - Minnesota fell from 16 to 20 in the national rankings after falling to No. 2 LSU last weekend. The Golden Gophers have a regional qualifying score of 196.035 and are one of five conference teams to be ranked in the top 20 nationally. The squad holds a No. 19 ranking on vault (49.140), No. 24 on uneven bars (48.945), No. 17 balance beam (48.970) and No. 15 on floor exercise (49.175).
7.0 - Have you ever wondered what a meet day is like for one of the nation's top gymnasts? Gopher Digital Productions gives fans an inside look at the Minnesota women's gymnastics team during the Best of Minnesota meet. Watch the full videohere.Lindsay Mablespent time with the voices of the Gophers, Mike Grimm and Justin Gaard, on last week's edition of the Gopher Sports Podcast. Catch Lindsay's full interviewhere.
8.0 - Gophers returned 9 gymnasts from 2014 including two-time All-American and Big Ten all-around Champion, Lindsay Mable, as well as Gopher standouts in seniors Jenny Covers and Cierra Tomson. Minnesota had a successful 2014 season where they won their second consecutive Big Ten regular season title and advanced to the NCAA Regional held at the University of Minnesota. Minnesota welcomed five new members to the family at the beginning of the academic year. Freshmen Abby DeMuse, Bailey Gardner, Ciara Gardner,Hannah Hitchcock andRachel Rowland will made their regular season debut when the Gophers hosted Iowa State in January.
9.0 - The back-to-back Big Ten Conference regular season champions were tabbed to place fifth in the Big Ten this season. Juniors Lindsay Mable and Madeline Hanley were named as gymnasts to watch this season.The University of Michigan women's gymnastics team earned the coveted top spot in the coaches' poll while No. 2 Nebraska and No. 3 Illinois round out the top three. Minnesota will face top-ranked Michigan on Saturday. The Wolverines have the opportunity to claim the Big Ten regular season championship outright on Saturday.
10.0 - Keep up with the Maroon and Gold throughout the season by following @GopherWGym on Twitter and Instagram and Minnesota Women's Gymnastics on Facebook. To join the conversation, use the hashtag #AlwaysGolden.
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