University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
NCAA Championships
Gophers Finish Sixth at NCAA Championships
4/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
April 16, 2016
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The University of Minnesota men's gymnastics team finished sixth at the NCAA Championships on Saturday night. It was the Gophers' first top-six finish since 2007. Junior Zach Liebler, sophomore Joel Gagnon and freshman Justin Karstadt earned All-America honors. Liebler collected two top-eight finishes.
"In spite of the fact that we came up a little short of our goals for this evening, I can't tell you how proud I am of this group of guys and what they accomplished this season," head coach Mike Burns said. "Under the leadership of our captains, especially senior Paul Montague, this team achieved our No. 1 goal of the year, which was to make it to team finals."
The Gophers' team score was 424.400, with their best event score coming on Vault at 73.300. Floor Exercise (71.650) and High Bar (71.550) were their next two best scores on the final night of the season. Oklahoma took home the team title with a score of 443.400.
Liebler tied for seventh in Vault with a score of 15.100. He and Gagnon tied for eighth on Floor Exercise with scores of 14.650. Karstadt was eighth on Pommel Horse at 14.950. Both Liebler and Gagnon earned All-America status on Floor last season as well.
Like Friday's qualifying session, the Gophers opened Saturday on the Pommel Horse. Karstadt turned in the Gophers' best score with a 14.950 to end the rotation. His score ranked eighth overall to put him on the podium.
"Justin's been quite a clutch performer for us on Pommel Horse, and he did it again tonight," Burns said. "I was sure excited to see him make it onto the All-America podium. As a freshman to set the bar as high as he did, that's an amazing accomplishment."
The Gopher were sixth after Pommel Horse (68.350) and remained there after Still Rings (69.750). Montague turned in a 14.350 for the Maroon and Gold's top score in the event.
For the second day in a row, Vault was the Gophers' highest-scoring event. They tallied a score of 73.300 as a team. Liebler's 15.100 tied for seventh overall. Gagnon, who had not competed in Vault on Friday, earned a 14.850. Karstadt's 14.750 was the Gophers' third best on the Vault.
"Vault continues to be one of our top events," Burns said. "It was great to see Joel get an opportunity to get back in the lineup and lead us off with a huge score to set the pace for the rest of the team. Zach Liebler was outstanding again. His performance led to one of his two All-American performances of the night."
Vault moved the Gophers into fifth, where they would remain through both bars rotations. Sophomore Tristan Duran got a 14.550 on the Parallel Bars, a team-best. Minnesota totaled a score of 69.800.
Sophomore Jalon Stephens again led Minnesota on the High Bar, turning in a 14.700. The High Bar was the final collegiate routine for both Montague (14.400) and Danny DiBenedetto (14.200). Minnesota notched a team score of 71.550.
"It's always fun to watch Jalon Stephens compete for the Golden Gophers," Burns said. "He's got such a dynamic personality that matches his dynamic gymnastics. He thrives on the pressure situations and he always seems to come through when the team needs him. It was great to see senior Danny DiBenedetto go out on a high note with a beautiful routine that exemplifies his explosiveness on High Bar."
The Gophers finished with a 71.650 on Floor Exercise. Liebler and Gagnon's 14.650 scores led the way and tied for eighth overall. Freshman Vitali Kan followed with a 14.500.
Duran finished ninth in the All-Around (85.050) and Karstadt was 13th (83.750).
"One of the more gritty performances of the weekend was put in by sophomore Tristan Duran," Burns said. "Competing in the All-Around both nights, he hit 12 of 12 routines and narrowly missed making the All-American podium. To show that kind of consistency on back-to-back nights is a tribute to his work ethic."
The Gophers have had at least one All-America performance in each of the past four years. They have nine in the past two years. Their best team finish in nine years tied the sixth-place finish they earned in 2007.
Players Mentioned
