University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Take Down No. 2 Penn State
2/24/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
Final Results // Buy Tickets for the Gophers Final Home Meet!
The No. 6 University of Minnesota Gophers found a way down the stretch for the second straight meet knocking off the No. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions 404.250-402.300 on the road.
"I'm so proud of these guys being able to take this meet right down to the last event and come away with a win," head coach Mike Burns said. "We started strong and finished strong but ran into a bit of a buzz saw in the middle of the meet. They fought right down to the last routine of the night and they continue to find a way to get the job done."
The Gophers had a few guys take a lighter load coming off the Winter Cup and did not compete Joel Gagnon or Jalon Stephens in the big victory. The Gophers took first or tied for first on five events with Shane Wiskus, Justin Karstadt, Shaun Herzog and Tristan Duran all taking home event titles.
"I am proud of this team for coming together at the end and not letting our falters get in our way," Herzog said.
POMMEL HORSE
The Gophers notched a season high 68.050 on pommel horse to get the meet started. They hit on all five routines with big scores at the bottom of the rotation for all three podium finishes. Vitali Kan scored a 13.900, Duran followed with a 13.950 and Karstadt anchored with a season high 14.350 to win the event title.
FLOOR
The Gophers took the top-four finishes on floor and hit their second highest mark of the season with a 69.600. Wiskus tied his career high with a 14.700 to win the event. Kan notched a 13.900 for second while Luke Aldrich and Herzog each hit a 13.850 for third.
VAULT
Vault continues to be the Gophers strongest event. They went over the 70 mark for a fourth straight meet scoring a 70.100. Herzog carried over some Winter Cup magic with a 14.250 to open the event. Yaroslav Pochinka hit a 14.400 and Wiskus anchored with a 14.600 to tie for the event title.
RINGS
The Gophers ran into a bit of trouble on rings. They had three freshmen in the lineup. Wiskus scored a 13.650 on the event and Pochinka notched a 13.350.
HIGH BAR
Timmy Kutyla picked a great time to notch a new career high on high bar. He scored a 13.750 and finished third on the event. Duran came up clutch on the event winning yet another high bar title with a 13.900.
PARALLEL BARS
With the meet coming down to the final scores, the Gophers picked up big points on their final event of the day. Karstadt scored a 13.600 for third and Wiskus took second with a 13.650. Herzog won the event with a clutch 13.750.
"I knew after high bar that we needed hit routines and that was the only way we would be able to take Penn State in the home stretch," Herzog said. "I told myself to do what I do every day in the gym and capitalize on each skill. In the end it was just what we needed."
UP NEXT
The Gophers travel to UIC for a meet on Sunday, March 4 at 2 p.m.
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Players Mentioned
