University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Illinois/Stanford/Iowa/Canada/UMN Club Team
No. 3 Gophers Finish Second in Six-Team Meet
2/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 3 University of Minnesota men's gymnastics team placed second out of six teams with a score of 432.650, finishing .150 points behind No. 2 Stanford.
Illinois finished third (429.750) followed by the Canadian National Team (427.000), Iowa (419.700) and the UMN Club Team (161.950), respectively.
The Maroon and Gold recorded the highest team score on Floor with a 74.200. The team collected scores of 69.100 (Horse), 71.600 (Rings), 73.750 (Vault), 72.350 (Parallel Bars) and 71.650 (High Bar).
"When you're in a competition with such high level teams and you end up just coming short by such a small margin, it's hard to swallow," said head coach Mike Burns. "We had some troubles on the last event, so we kind of gave it away. We just have to get better. It's a disappointing loss, but I think it could also be motivating. Stanford is the second ranked team in the country and we're number three - they were just as worried about us as we were worried about them. It came down to the wire and I'm happy we were able to put on such a great event for a great crowd at the Sports Pavilion."
Freshman Justin Karstadt, sophomore Yaroslav Pochinka and sophomore Tristan Duran all earned individual titles for the Maroon and Gold.
Karstadt tied with Ryan Sheppard of Stanford for the all-around title with a score of 84.750 and received the Louis J. Cook award, the honor given at every home meet to a gymnast who had an exceptional day.
"Justin started out really rough on the Rings, but he just kept getting better and better and better," said Burns. "He knocked out Floor with the best routine he's ever done and did the same on High Bar and Horse. The last three events were just outstanding. He actually got stronger, more focused and more motivated as the night went on. Four days ago, I didn't know if he was going to be able to do a single skill on any event. He was physically beat - it was a hard week of conditioning and it showed earlier in the week. For him to come back from where he was three or four days ago to where he was tonight is was a testament to his fortitude."
Minnesota started the day on Still Rings. Senior Paul Montague claimed second place overall with a mark of 14.850 behind Sheppard who tallied a 14.950. Duran finished fifth with a 14.700.
The Gophers moved to Vault for their second rotation. Pochinka finished first overall after earning a 15.250. Junior Zach Liebler tied for third with Mathieu Csukassy of the Canadian National Team with identical scores of 15.050.
On Parallel Bars, Duran placed first with a record breaking 15.600. He broke Steve Jacuik's record of 15.450, which he set against Nebraska March 16, 2013. Montague claimed fourth overall with a 14.900.
Through three rotations, the Maroon and Gold were in first with a score of 217.700.
On High Bar, Montague finished third after tallying a 14.750 followed by Duran who claimed fifth with a 14.650.
On Floor, Liebler earned second overall behind Sam Zakutney of the Canadian National Team with a score of 15.150.
The Gophers finished the day on Pommel Horse. Karstadt tied for first with Brandon Ngai of Illinois with identical scores of 15.050. Ngai is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation on Pommel Horse. Montague earned the next highest mark for the Gophers with a 13.900.
"The weekend off is good, but it's also kind of bad in some ways," said Burns. "The good part is you get a little rest, a little down time. You can lick your wounds and get back and get the guys who are tweaked up a little bit a little healthier. The bad part is that when you're in this rhythm, it can throw you off a bit. We'll sit and evaluate what each guy needs to do, because each guy is different. The following week [at Oklahoma], we'll get back on track to where we need to be as we get ready to go. We have a really good team and I trust and have confidence in them."
LOOKING AHEAD
Next weekend, the Maroon and Gold will send Liebler and alum Ellis Mannon to the Winter Cup in the Las Vegas, Nev.
The team will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 27 as they travel to Norman, Okla. to take on the Sooners. Action is set to begin at 5:00 p.m.
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.
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Players Mentioned
