University of Minnesota Athletics
Alumni Chalk up 51st Straight Alumni Meet Win
1/6/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
The Minnesota men's gymnastics alumni won their 51st straight meet against the varsity team Saturday, with a final score of 413.400 to 405.500.
"It's a great event to get the season started. Obviously the alumni come in and they're having a great old time," head coach Mike Burns said. "The pressure is off of them because they have had this 50-year-in-a-row streak behind them. They pulled it off again, miraculously. I'll have to talk to hose judges," Burns joked.
Alumnus Ellis Mannon (2015) won the all-around competition with an 84.900. Nathan Fortunato (2014) followed with an 83.700 and current freshman Shane Wiskus finished third with a 79.100. Tristan Duran was named the top performer of the meet.
"This program started in 1903. There's a lot of history and a lot of people still in the Twin Cities area backing the team," Burns said. "They come out and they support us. It's so good to see them."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Through the first three rotations, the varsity roster held a slim lead of 200.500 to 199.100 over the alumni. Varsity won floor 69.600 to 67.600, but trailed in both the pommel horse and the still rings.
In the final three rotations, the alumni pulled ahead by posting scores over 70.000 in the vault, parallel bars and high bar. A 72.000 for the alumni on the vault included never-before-seen skills.
FLOOR
Freshman Wiskus won the floor exercise title with a 14.400. Joel Gagnon followed closely in second with a 14.300.
To round out the top three, alumni Steve Jaciuk (2015) and Zach Liebler (2017) combined for an extra special routine that earned a 14.000. Jaciuk's performance included ribbon twirling and a serenade for judge Brian Meeker, a Gopher alumnus (1982).
"I always knew Steve was a true artist," Liebler said. "There was always a stem, but today a bloom."
On his crowd-pleasing performance, Jaciuk added, "I like to think Elton John's truest lyrics were 'Hold me closer, ribbon dancer.' We actually got ripped off. We should have gotten first."
POMMEL HORSE
On the pommel horse, the alumni had two of the top three scorers. Former NCAA Champion Ellis Mannon (2015) finished first with a 14.900, and Nathan Fortunato (2014) finished third with a 13.500. In between was junior Justin Karstadt, who posted a 13.700.
STILL RINGS
On rings, the alumni had the first and second place finishers. Jaciuk won with a 13.500, and Nathan Fortunato finished second with a 13.400. "I think I pulled something," Jaciuk muttered in the midst of his routine.
Wiskus finished third with a 13.200. It was his second top-three performance of the day.
VAULT
Senior Yaroslav Pochinka won the vault with a 14.800. Nathan Fortunato (2014) and Adam LaFleur (2013) followed with a 14.600 and 14.500, respectively.
All five vault competitors for the alumni received a score over 14.000.
PARALLEL BARS
The alumni achieved the superfecta on the parallel bars. Nathan Fortunato won with a 14.800 and Mannon (2015) finished in second with a 14.700. Following behind were Mike Morse (2009) and Paul Montague (2016) who each posted a 14.200.
HORIZONTAL BAR
On the horizontal bar, the alumni again had the top four finishers. Mannon had a 14.500 and Aaron Fortunato (2010) had a 14.100. The class of 2016 tied for third, as Montague and Danny DiBenedetto each had a 14.000.
The alumni finished the meet with a world record for stuck dismounts in a day. In fact, it was so many we lost track. All four judges were Gopher alumni, including Meeker (1982), Tim LaFleur (1978), Clay Strother (2003) and Russ Fystrom (1973).
Strother was named to the Minnesota Gymnastics Hall of Fame earlier this week for his lifetime efforts in promoting the sport in Minnesota.
UP NEXT
The Gophers officially start the season at the Windy City Invitational on Jan. 13 in Chicago. The meet is set to start at 7:30 p.m.
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
