University of Minnesota Athletics
Men's Gymnastics Hands out Team Awards
5/9/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
The Gopher men's gymnastics team is fresh off a historic season that saw them finish second, tied for best finish in team history, at the NCAA Championships.
The runner-up finish was the best finish for Minnesota since 1990. The Gophers hit on every routine and had eleven named All-Americans, which is a school record. The team celebrated the season and handed out team awards at the annual team banquet last week.
Most Improved Gymnast: Shaun Herzog
Herzog set career highs on all six events this season becoming an integral part in the Gophers lineup after only competing regularly on one event last season. He won two event titles and took 13 total podium finishes. The junior only had six podium finishes and had never won an event title in his previous two seasons.
He was a late addition to the USA Winter Cup Gymnastics Winter Cup Challenge and took advantage by advancing to the second day of competition. He scored a 15.100 on vault in the Gophers last home meet of the season which tied for the second highest mark in the NCAA in the regular season. He earned All-American honors on rings at the NCAA Championships.
The Spirit of Gopher Gymnastics Award: Vitali Kan
The coaching staff believed that Kan was the best example of living out the gopher men's gymnastics culture. He was supportive of teammates, celebrated team and individual success and went above and beyond what it took to prepare for success. Kan qualified for event finals on both floor and pommel horse and earned All-American honors on vault.
Minnesota Gymnastics Service Award: Jack Kramer
On top of being a senior gymnast, Kramer put in hours of work behind the scenes for Minnesota gymnastics. He made highlight videos for the team and used his drone flying skills to make high quality practice and hype videos. He was instrumental in the promotion of the Gopher men's gymnastics program throughout the season.
Outstanding Big Ten Championship Competitor Award: Tristan Duran
Duran was crowned the Big Ten Co-Champion on parallel bars with a 14.150. He is the first Gopher to win the Big Ten Championship on parallel bars since John Roethlisberger won it in 1992. He was named First Team All-Big Ten for his performance.
Outstanding NCAA Championships Competitor Award: Shane Wiskus
Wiskus capped off a stellar freshman season with All-American honors on rings, high bar and was the national runner-up in the all-around as just a freshman. He took seventh on high bar with a 13.866, fourth on rings with a 13.866 and recorded an 83.064 on all-around.
Outstanding Career Award: Joel Gagnon
Gagnon was a finalist for the Nissen-Emery Award this past season. He was a true example of what it means to be a student-athlete. He earned the Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship.
He was a two-time NCAA All-American on Floor Exercise, 2015 & 2016, and broke the school record on Floor Exercise (15.60) on Day 2 of NCAA's his freshman year. He also successfully competed two new Parallel Bar skills in separate international competitions that are now in the FIG Code of Points (Gagnon 1 and Gagnon 2).
Gagnon will get his degree in aerospace engineering & mechanics with a minor in astrophysics. He will go to graduate school at McGill University in Montreal while also continuing to compete for the Canadian National Team.
Most Valuable Gymnast Award: Tristan Duran
Duran was clutch all season for the Gophers. He went last on p-bars at the NCAA Championships, the Gophers final event of the whole evening, and scored a 13.866 to lift Minnesota from third to second. He earned All-American honors in the all-around, was a CGA Gymnast of the Year nominee and was a B1G champion on p-bars. He won five event titles and took 15 total podium finishes this season.
Minnesota Gymnastics Leadership Award: Alex Wittenberg & Joel Gagnon
Wittenberg and Gagnon were each multiple year captains. Wittenberg was the captain for the Gophers for two seasons while Gagnon was for three years. The two of them, along with their entire class of 10 seniors, led the Gophers to new heights and will leave big shoes to fill.
Speaking of...
Meet the New Captains: Shaun Herzog, Timmy Kutyla and Vitali Kan
The Gophers will have three brand new captains for the 2018-19 season. Herzog and Kan will look to fill those roles as seniors while Kutyla, who will be the lone junior on the squad, will also step into a captain position.
