University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Nebraska / UMN Club Team
Gophers Beat Huskers for Second Straight Home Win
1/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 5 University of Minnesota men's gymnastics team earned their second straight Big Ten victory after defeating the No. 7 Nebraska Cornhuskers, 435.150-428.100. With that score, the Maroon and Gold posted the fourth highest team score in program history.
Individually, junior Zach Liebler, senior Paul Montague Jr., freshman Justin Karstadt and sophomore Jalon Stephens claimed event titles.
Nebraska's Anton Stephenson earned the All-Around crown with an 85.900.
Sophomore Tristan Duran received the Louis J. Cook award, the honor given at every home meet to a gymnast who had an exceptional day.
"These guys are on fire and it's exciting to see how excited they are about what they're doing too," said head coach Mike Burns. "As the guys start to believe in their own ability and they start performing with what I know they're capable, there's a snowball effect and you're seeing that reflected in the scores. Life is good when you win. We have a few little things to work on, but overall, it's just some polishing up here and there. With it being so early in the season, it's great to see where we're at and I'm looking forward to taking it on the road next week."
Minnesota started the day on Floor, where the team scored a record-breaking 75.500. Liebler placed first with a score of 15.800, followed by Kyle King of Nebraska with a 15.750. Sophomore Alex Wittenberg rounded out the top three after earning a 15.500. Freshman Vitali Kan made his floor debut, scoring a 14.800.
"I thought tonight went really well for the team as a whole," said Liebler. "Personally, I had a little bit of issue last weekend with one of my skills on Floor. My Thomas, it's a roll-out skill, has been kind of hurting my arm, so that was the first time I did it since last Saturday and I think it went well."
On Pommel Horse, Gopher alumni Ellis Mannon notched a 15.100 for the UMN club team, which was good enough for first overall. Duran and Montague each notched a team-high 14.300 followed by sophomore Jack Kramer with a 13.900.
The Gophers moved to Still Rings, where Montague claimed first place honors with a 14.600. Nebraska's Austin Epperson earned second place honors, scoring 14.550. Karstadt rounded out the top three with a 14.400. Duran was tabbed fourth after earning a 14.300.
Through three rotations, the Maroon and Gold led 217.050 -214.700.
On Vault, Karstadt earned first place honors, scoring 15.050 followed by Liebler with a 14.950 with a 14.950. Sophomore Yaroslav Pochinka and Alex Magsam of Nebraska tied for third, each scoring 14.900.
Minnesota carried their momentum into Parallel Bars, scoring a season-high 72.850. Nebraska's Anton Stephenson claimed first place, scoring 14.950. Montague was tabbed second with a 14.900. Daniel Leal of Nebraska placed third with a 14.850. Duran and Stephens notched 14.750 and 14.650 respectively.
The Maroon and Gold finished the meet on High Bar, where Stephens came in first place with a 14.850, followed by Montague with a 14.650 and Duran with a 14.350.
"We had a couple of misses tonight, but we were able to spread them out over the course of the whole meet pretty well," said Burns. "There were a few stumbles, but, overall, there aren't too many areas where we need to spend a lot of time going back to the drawing board on."
LOOKING AHEAD
Next Saturday, the Maroon and Gold will travel to Colorado Springs, Colo. to take on the Air Force Falcons in a non-conference match-up. The first rotation is set to start at 2:00 p.m. MT (3:00 p.m. CT).
FOLLOW THE GOPHERS
Are you following the Gophers on the road or from home? Make sure to follow @GopherMGym on Twitter and use the team's hashtag #WhyNotUs. You can also check for updates on Facebook and Instagram by "liking" Minnesota Men's Gymnastics on Facebook or following the Gophers on Instagram.
###
Players Mentioned
