University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Big Ten Championships
Gophers Take Bronze at B1G Championships
4/8/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
Day 1 Scores / Event Finals Start List
The University of Minnesota earned bronze at the 2017 Big Ten Men's Gymnastics Championships with a score of 413.300 at the State Farm Center on Friday night. Ohio State defended its title with a 418.600, while Illinois claimed second place with a 416.400. Nine individual routines originally qualified, but after a scratch, Tristan Duran moved from an alternate to a competitor on high bar for Saturday's event finals.
"We had a great opportunity to win this meet and we didn't get the job done," head coach Mike Burns said. "We had six missed routines. There is emotional pain, but we will have to use it to fuel the next step, and this team has a lot of heart."
Minnesota kicked off the meet with a 71.900 on vault. Junior Yaroslav Pochinka led the pack with a stuck landing and 14.900, the highest score of the night. Zach Liebler and Vitali Kan each notched a 14.700 to tie for third. Canadians Joel Gagnon and Justin Karstadt also pitched in with scores of 14.400 and 13.200, respectively.
The Gophers tallied a 69.300 on parallel bars, over a point above the team's average during the regular season. Karstadt scored an incredible season high score of 14.850 to earn the top spot. Duran earned a 14.050. Ben Winkel scored a 13.750, followed by Gagnon (13.400) and Ryan Bergman (13.250).
On high bar, the team posted a 67.500, having to count two falls. Jalon Stephens was Minnesota's top performer with a season-high 14.500 earning him a share of second place. Gagnon scored a 13.950 to earn a share of seventh, and was followed by Duran's 13.900 that tied for 10th. Karstadt and Shaun Herzog also contributed with scores of 12.900 and 12.250.
Maroon and Gold earned a 70.300 on floor exercise. Junior captain Alex Wittenberg scored a 14.550 to tie for fifth. Kan scored a 14.200, followed by Gagnon's 14.000. Luke Aldrich finished with a 13.800, while Liebler notched a 13.750. Karstadt scored a 12.900 to go towards his all-around.
Minnesota again had to count two falls on pommel horse as the team scored a 66.700. Karstadt finished second with a 14.450. Duran posted a 13.850, while Wittenberg notched a 13.100. Kan (12.750) and Aldrich (12.550) were also a part of the lineup.
The Gophers ended the night on rings with a 67.600. Senior Mitchell Soukup scored a 14.300 to advance with the second highest score, despite facing injuries his entire career. Pochinka scored a 13.750, followed by Kan's 13.650. Stephens (13.500) and Karstadt (12.400) also added to the team score.
"Mitchell is probably the finest feel-good story for me," Burns said. "His body is a wreck and a week ago we weren't sure if he'd even be able to compete. He stepped up beyond belief with an unbelievable effort. He put all the pain aside and did that performance for himself, but really more for the team."
Karstadt placed fifth in the all-around competition with an 80.700.
Individual event finals will be contested tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. at the State Farm Center. Finalists were determined by the top ten scores from Friday's competition. Minnesota has qualified 10 routines from nine individuals, including three on vault and high bar, and will have a competitor on each event.
"We will shift our focus to tomorrow, and it will be nice to be well represented." Burns said. "Both of our seniors are represented. We hope to come away with some hardware. Tomorrow is another day."
FINAL TEAM SCORES
Ohio State, 418.600
Illinois, 416.400
Minnesota, 413.300
Penn State, 411.200
Nebraska, 410.000
Iowa, 402.150
Michigan, 401.250
INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS
Wittenberg, Floor
Karstadt, Pommel Horse
Soukup, Rings
Kan, Vault
Liebler, Vault
Pochinka, Vault
Karstadt, Parallel Bars
Gagnon, High Bar
Stephens, High Bar
Duran, High Bar
Players Mentioned
