University of Minnesota Athletics
Men's Gym Signs Five for 2019-20
11/15/2018 1:53:00 PM | Men's Gymnastics
The University of Minnesota men's gymnastics program has signed five student-athletes to the class of 2023, head coach Mike Burns announced Wednesday.
"I'm really excited about this group of guys we have coming in next year for the fall of 2019," head coach Mike Burns said. "We had a lot of really talented kids visit us this fall with a lot of interest in our program. I feel like we got an outstanding bunch of guys to help us move forward in our quest for Big Ten and national titles."
Crew Bold - Tag USA Gymnastics - Florida Virtual School
Bold is a native of Delray Beach, Fla. He competes for Tag USA Gymnastics and attends Florida Virtual School. He finished with an all-around score of 82.400 at regionals and placed third in the all-around with an 80.900 at JO Nationals. In 2018 he also qualified for the US National Championships in Boston.
"Crew was a recent competitor at the US National Championships in Boston. He has displayed an amazing amount of high level skill development and I really feel like the sky is the limit with this gymnast," Burns said. "Also, I'm very excited about his decision to come to Minnesota. I think he's going to be a game changer in our program moving forward."
Andrew Hyde - Mini-Hops Gymnastics - Wayzata High School
Hyde is a native of Plymouth, Minn. He competes for Mini-Hops Gymnastics and attends Wayzata High School. He is a three-time National Qualifier, a four-time All-State gymnast and a two-time All-American. He also competed at JO Nationals in 2018.
"Andrew is going to be counted on for his abilities on both the pommel horse and the still rings," Burns said. "Those events tend to be ones that can make or break the success of a collegiate team so we're really attracted to what he's been capable of doing on those two. He's a local kid and we're really looking forward to him making an impact on our program."
Donte McKinney - Triumph Gymnastics - Union Pines High School
McKinney is a native of Cameron-Fort Bragg, N.C. He competes for Triumph Gymnastics and attends Union Pines High School. In 2017 he placed second on vault at the P&G Gymnastics Championships. He has high scores of 14.500 on rings and 14.450 on vault.
"Donte is one of the most talented gymnasts I've seen in a long time," Burns said. "He's got just an amazing skill set that I'm really looking forward to helping hone into what I feel could be one of our top gymnasts in the United States and the NCAA."
Victor Perez - Fuzion Gymnastics - Staley High School
Perez is a native of Kansas City, Mo. He competes for Fuzion Gymnastics and attends Staley High School. He is a three-time JO National Qualifier. At regionals he took first place on parallel bars and has high scores of 14.200 on vault and 14.100 on high bar.
"Victor could be one of the best kept secrets in the United States right now in terms of men's gymnastics," Burns said. "His skill level has started to really progress at a high rate and he's really opened the eyes of a lot of coaches in the United States. He was a highly sought after recruit after some amazing development just this past year. He attended our summer camp back in June and he was just a pleasure to work with and I feel like he is going to be just an amazing addition to our lineup on several of the events that we really need some bolstering."
Valen Watrous - GymTek Academy - International Virtual Learning Academy
Watrous is a native of Franklin, Tenn. He competes for GymTek Academy and attends International Virtual Learning Academy. He is a four-time state champion and was named Tennessee Gymnast of the Year. He has a high score of 14.600 on floor and 14.200 on pommel horse.
"Valen was a late addition to our recruiting and I'm extremely excited about him not only as a gymnast, but also as a person," Burns said. "He has great character and I think that's going to really translate to extreme positive development in his gymnastics abilities. He's a product of a coach I respect tremendously. He's the type of kid who's going to really contribute to a positive culture in our program."
"I'm really excited about this group of guys we have coming in next year for the fall of 2019," head coach Mike Burns said. "We had a lot of really talented kids visit us this fall with a lot of interest in our program. I feel like we got an outstanding bunch of guys to help us move forward in our quest for Big Ten and national titles."
Crew Bold - Tag USA Gymnastics - Florida Virtual School
#NSD18 starts in a big way! Welcome Crew Bold who recently competed in the US National Championships. #Gophers #SkiUMah pic.twitter.com/EgFVdH6ju9
— Minnesota Men's Gym (@GopherMGym) November 14, 2018
Bold is a native of Delray Beach, Fla. He competes for Tag USA Gymnastics and attends Florida Virtual School. He finished with an all-around score of 82.400 at regionals and placed third in the all-around with an 80.900 at JO Nationals. In 2018 he also qualified for the US National Championships in Boston.
"Crew was a recent competitor at the US National Championships in Boston. He has displayed an amazing amount of high level skill development and I really feel like the sky is the limit with this gymnast," Burns said. "Also, I'm very excited about his decision to come to Minnesota. I think he's going to be a game changer in our program moving forward."
Andrew Hyde - Mini-Hops Gymnastics - Wayzata High School
Another one signed! Andrew Hyde will add instant depth to pommel horse and still rings. #Gophers #SkiUMah pic.twitter.com/zXEVxehMAI
— Minnesota Men's Gym (@GopherMGym) November 14, 2018
Hyde is a native of Plymouth, Minn. He competes for Mini-Hops Gymnastics and attends Wayzata High School. He is a three-time National Qualifier, a four-time All-State gymnast and a two-time All-American. He also competed at JO Nationals in 2018.
"Andrew is going to be counted on for his abilities on both the pommel horse and the still rings," Burns said. "Those events tend to be ones that can make or break the success of a collegiate team so we're really attracted to what he's been capable of doing on those two. He's a local kid and we're really looking forward to him making an impact on our program."
Donte McKinney - Triumph Gymnastics - Union Pines High School
Big time signing! According to Coach Burns, Donte McKinney has a chance to be one of the top gymnasts in the entire country. #Gophers #SkiUMah pic.twitter.com/9RfuYjJ0dY
— Minnesota Men's Gym (@GopherMGym) November 14, 2018
McKinney is a native of Cameron-Fort Bragg, N.C. He competes for Triumph Gymnastics and attends Union Pines High School. In 2017 he placed second on vault at the P&G Gymnastics Championships. He has high scores of 14.500 on rings and 14.450 on vault.
"Donte is one of the most talented gymnasts I've seen in a long time," Burns said. "He's got just an amazing skill set that I'm really looking forward to helping hone into what I feel could be one of our top gymnasts in the United States and the NCAA."
Victor Perez - Fuzion Gymnastics - Staley High School
"One of the best kept secrets in the United States." -@Mikeburns265 on Victor Perez #Gophers #SkiUMah pic.twitter.com/0ziTwLbmUl
— Minnesota Men's Gym (@GopherMGym) November 14, 2018
Perez is a native of Kansas City, Mo. He competes for Fuzion Gymnastics and attends Staley High School. He is a three-time JO National Qualifier. At regionals he took first place on parallel bars and has high scores of 14.200 on vault and 14.100 on high bar.
"Victor could be one of the best kept secrets in the United States right now in terms of men's gymnastics," Burns said. "His skill level has started to really progress at a high rate and he's really opened the eyes of a lot of coaches in the United States. He was a highly sought after recruit after some amazing development just this past year. He attended our summer camp back in June and he was just a pleasure to work with and I feel like he is going to be just an amazing addition to our lineup on several of the events that we really need some bolstering."
Valen Watrous - GymTek Academy - International Virtual Learning Academy
One final #NSD18 announcement! Welcome Tennessee Gymnast of the Year Valen Watrous to the #Gophers.
— Minnesota Men's Gym (@GopherMGym) November 15, 2018
"He's the type of person who's going to really contribute to a positive culture in our program."- @MikeBurns265 pic.twitter.com/5dicHmn4Zr
Watrous is a native of Franklin, Tenn. He competes for GymTek Academy and attends International Virtual Learning Academy. He is a four-time state champion and was named Tennessee Gymnast of the Year. He has a high score of 14.600 on floor and 14.200 on pommel horse.
"Valen was a late addition to our recruiting and I'm extremely excited about him not only as a gymnast, but also as a person," Burns said. "He has great character and I think that's going to really translate to extreme positive development in his gymnastics abilities. He's a product of a coach I respect tremendously. He's the type of kid who's going to really contribute to a positive culture in our program."
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