University of Minnesota Athletics
Meet Preview: Gophers Set for Home Opener
1/24/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
Jan. 24, 2018
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The No. 6 University of Minnesota Gophers welcome the No. 8 University of Iowa Hawkeyes and the UMN Club Team at the Maturi Pavilion this Saturday for their home opener at 1:30 p.m.
The Gophers finished second at the Windy City Invitational before having an early season bye week this past weekend. Iowa was also at the Windy City and took third.
"Honestly I wasn't a big fan of the early bye week. You get the season started and then you have to take a little break. We took advantage of it. We had a lot of guys do routines on Saturday," head coach Mike Burns said. "We have Iowa coming in and the UMN Club Team. It's going to be a great weekend and we are hoping we can get a lot of fans out there to support their Golden Gophers."
Meet Rewind
Minnesota scored a 401.400 led by an 81.250 all-around title from Shane Wiskus at the Windy City. No. 3 Illinois took first at the invitational with a 404.300. Iowa came in third with a 393.200 and UIC rounded out the night with a 356.800.
Yaroslav Pochinka won the vault title for the second year in a row at the Windy City with a 14.600. Alex Wittenberg wasn't far behind with a 14.500. Jalon Stephens was knocking on the door for a top-three finish on high bar. He finished with a 13.500 for fourth place while first place was a 13.600 and second was a two-way tie at 13.550. Wiskus took the floor title with a 14.150 and Joel Gagnon was right behind with a 14.050.
In his first competitive meet Wiskus won the all-around with an 81.250. Tristan Duran took second in the all-around with an 80.950. Shaun Herzog took ninth in the all-around with a 74.400.
Freshman Phenom
In his first time competing at the collegiate level Wiskus won the all-around and the floor titles at the Windy City. He was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week and was the first ever NCAA Rookie of the Week by the CGA. He is ranked fourth in the NCAA on all-around and fourth on floor.
"To start his freshman year as the all-around champion at the Windy City is a huge feather in his cap," Burns said. "He came here for a reason and he told me this. He wants to win championships and he is helping us get there."
Duran Duran
Duran is fifth in the NCAA in all-around after an impressive opening weekend. He notched an 80.950 with five top-10 finishes. His 14.150 on pommel horse ranks fourth in the NCAA.
"Tristan is one of the more efficient guys. He has gotten to a point in his career where he can come into the gym, get warmed up, take one or two turns and be ready for his routine," Burns said. "Tristan was a highlight out there. He did a great job."
Don't Get in Yaro's Way
Pochinka's 14.600 on vault has him ranked third in the NCAA. He has been a powerful vaulter throughout his career and has big goals for this season.
"He is obviously accomplished and he has an amazing ability. My hope for Yaro this year is that we can get him to the event finals at Big Tens and All-American at the NCAA Championships," Burns said. "When he comes running down that runway like you don't want to get in his way. If you did you would probably be on the short end of that stick."
Scouting The Hawkeyes
Through two weeks Iowa has taken third out of four teams and second out of three teams. They have been to Chicago twice taking on UIC both times. Last time out the Hawkeyes won three event titles and recorded 11 individual season-best scores, eight career-high scores, and two team season-best scores.
Elijah Parsells took home the pommel horse title for the Hawkeyes last week with a 13.900. Iowa won floor last week with a 67.750 led by Bennet Huang who won the event with a career-best 14.250. Rogelio Vazquez won rings with a 13.400. Huang finished third with a career-best 76.650 in the all-around.
Tank Top Giveaway
The first 100 fans in the door this Saturday will receive a free tank top!
Make sure to follow Gopher men's gymnastics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay up-to-date on the latest promotion and giveaway news!
| Minnesota vs. Iowa and UMN Club | |||||||||||
| Date | Saturday, Jan. 27 (1:30 p.m.) | ||||||||||
| Location | Maturi Pavilion | Minneapolis, Minn. | ||||||||||
| Tickets | MyGopherSports.com | ||||||||||
| Promotions | Click Here | ||||||||||
| Live Stream | BTN Plus | ||||||||||
| Live Stats | |||||||||||
| Social Media | @GopherMGym | Facebook | Instagram | ||||||||||
Buy Tickets Today!
The No. 6 University of Minnesota Gophers welcome the No. 8 University of Iowa Hawkeyes and the UMN Club Team at the Maturi Pavilion this Saturday for their home opener at 1:30 p.m.
The Gophers finished second at the Windy City Invitational before having an early season bye week this past weekend. Iowa was also at the Windy City and took third.
"Honestly I wasn't a big fan of the early bye week. You get the season started and then you have to take a little break. We took advantage of it. We had a lot of guys do routines on Saturday," head coach Mike Burns said. "We have Iowa coming in and the UMN Club Team. It's going to be a great weekend and we are hoping we can get a lot of fans out there to support their Golden Gophers."
Meet Rewind
Minnesota scored a 401.400 led by an 81.250 all-around title from Shane Wiskus at the Windy City. No. 3 Illinois took first at the invitational with a 404.300. Iowa came in third with a 393.200 and UIC rounded out the night with a 356.800.
Yaroslav Pochinka won the vault title for the second year in a row at the Windy City with a 14.600. Alex Wittenberg wasn't far behind with a 14.500. Jalon Stephens was knocking on the door for a top-three finish on high bar. He finished with a 13.500 for fourth place while first place was a 13.600 and second was a two-way tie at 13.550. Wiskus took the floor title with a 14.150 and Joel Gagnon was right behind with a 14.050.
In his first competitive meet Wiskus won the all-around with an 81.250. Tristan Duran took second in the all-around with an 80.950. Shaun Herzog took ninth in the all-around with a 74.400.
Freshman Phenom
In his first time competing at the collegiate level Wiskus won the all-around and the floor titles at the Windy City. He was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week and was the first ever NCAA Rookie of the Week by the CGA. He is ranked fourth in the NCAA on all-around and fourth on floor.
"To start his freshman year as the all-around champion at the Windy City is a huge feather in his cap," Burns said. "He came here for a reason and he told me this. He wants to win championships and he is helping us get there."
Duran Duran
Duran is fifth in the NCAA in all-around after an impressive opening weekend. He notched an 80.950 with five top-10 finishes. His 14.150 on pommel horse ranks fourth in the NCAA.
"Tristan is one of the more efficient guys. He has gotten to a point in his career where he can come into the gym, get warmed up, take one or two turns and be ready for his routine," Burns said. "Tristan was a highlight out there. He did a great job."
Don't Get in Yaro's Way
Pochinka's 14.600 on vault has him ranked third in the NCAA. He has been a powerful vaulter throughout his career and has big goals for this season.
"He is obviously accomplished and he has an amazing ability. My hope for Yaro this year is that we can get him to the event finals at Big Tens and All-American at the NCAA Championships," Burns said. "When he comes running down that runway like you don't want to get in his way. If you did you would probably be on the short end of that stick."
Scouting The Hawkeyes
Through two weeks Iowa has taken third out of four teams and second out of three teams. They have been to Chicago twice taking on UIC both times. Last time out the Hawkeyes won three event titles and recorded 11 individual season-best scores, eight career-high scores, and two team season-best scores.
Elijah Parsells took home the pommel horse title for the Hawkeyes last week with a 13.900. Iowa won floor last week with a 67.750 led by Bennet Huang who won the event with a career-best 14.250. Rogelio Vazquez won rings with a 13.400. Huang finished third with a career-best 76.650 in the all-around.
Tank Top Giveaway
The first 100 fans in the door this Saturday will receive a free tank top!
Make sure to follow Gopher men's gymnastics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay up-to-date on the latest promotion and giveaway news!
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Gymnastics
/ Men's Gymnastics
/ Men's Gymnastics
/ Men's Gymnastics
/ Men's Gymnastics
/ Men's Gymnastics
/ Men's Gymnastics
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