University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Nebraska/Iowa/Penn State
Gophers Upset No. 2 Penn State
3/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
LINCOLN, Neb. - Minnesota ended the regular season with a bang on Sunday afternoon as the Gophers finished first among three strong conference opponents. The No. 6-ranked Maroon and Gold, who scored a 434.00 on the day, upset No. 2 Penn State (432.100) as well as Iowa (429.250) and host Nebraska (426.050).
"This was a great end to our regular season competitions," said head coach Mike Burns. "To get a victory over three quality teams was extremely satisfying and will be a great way to move into the post season in two weeks."
The Golden Gophers earned two team event titles including pommel horse (70.350) and vault (74.050) while senior Ellis Mannon and freshman Yaroslav Pochinka won individual event titles on the pommel horse and vault respectively.
"These guys are showing some incredible tenacity as a team," said Burns. "And the way they fought off a late surge by Penn State on the last event proves the kind of character they possess."
Minnesota began the competition on the still rings where senior Steve Jaciuk led the squad with a 15.200. Senior Jack Metcalf and junior Paul Montague, Jr. both contributed a 14.800 to the team's overall score of 73.200 on the event.
The Gophers went on to score a 74.050 on vault to earn the squad's first team title of the afternoon. Pochinka scored a 15.100 in his third collegiate competition to tie for first place on the apparatus. Senior Sean Bauer scored a 14.800 for the Gophers' second highest score on the event. Freshman Joel Gagnon and Mannon both added scores of 14.750 while freshman Tristan Duran scored a 14.650.
In the third rotation, the Maroon and Gold transitioned to parallel bars where Mannon led the Gophers with a score of 15.350 good enough for second place behind Nebraska's Sam Chamberlain (15.500). Senior Steve Jaciuk rounded out the top three competitors with a final score of 15.150. The Golden Gophers scored a team tally of 71.600.
Minnesota continued its success by compiling a team score of 71.100 as Jaciuk (14.450) and freshman Jalon Stephens (14.400) led the Gophers on the high bar. Jaciuk's score landed him in a tie for fourth place overall while Stephens finished in sixth.
During the fifth rotation, Bauer shined on floor exercise entering a score of 15.050 followed freshman Alex Wittenberg (14.850) and sophomore Zach Liebler (14.750). Bauer finished in third on the apparatus while the team scored a team total of 73.700.
Mannon sealed the big conference road win for the Gophers by scoring a season-high 15.800 on pommel horse followed by Montague who tallied a 14.850. The Gophers earned a 70.350 on the horse to earn the event win while Mannon and Montague finished first and second overall.
After the big win, the Gophers have a week off before heading to University Park, Pa. for the Big Ten Championships held by Penn State on March 27-28.
Players Mentioned
