University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, January 26
Maturi Pavilion
1:30 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Michigan
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Gymnastics
/ Men's Gymnastics
/ Men's Gymnastics
/ Men's Gymnastics
/ Men's Gymnastics
/ Men's Gymnastics
Photo by: Jessica Frankl
Meet Preview: Gophers Open Home Slate with Michigan Dual
1/23/2019 3:05:00 PM | Men's Gymnastics
Video Preview: Burns Turn 1/22
After two weeks on the road, the Minnesota men's gymnastics team gets to compete at Maturi Pavilion for the first time this season on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
The No. 7 Gophers will host the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines in a Big Ten battle, the first dual meet of the season for either squad. Minnesota got their first peek at Michigan's team last weekend at the Windy City Invitational in Chicago, Ill. No. 4 Illinois came away with the meet title, while the Wolverines edged the Gophers out of second by 2.2 points.
"The last two meets weren't our greatest, but I think we've done a good job of finding the positives and what we're proud of moving forward," freshman Ben Eyles said. "We had a big team meeting [on Monday] to focus on what our priorities are and what we need to change in the gym. I think we're all really motivated to kind of prove ourselves this weekend."
The Gophers have claimed two third place finishes in their first two meets of the season, but they'll look to come away with their first dual win with a home gym advantage. Minnesota has been strong in the last three events in the order and is ranked No. 5 on vault, No. 4 on parallel bars and No. 4 on high bar, but the team will look to sharpen up on floor, pommel horse and rings.
"We have a really good floor team, so we just have to pay a little closer attention to detail, especially on our landings, holding your press long enough, making sure you're not taking too many steps on your landings," head coach Mike Burns said. "As the season goes on, those things start to gel a little bit more, but it does take some time in the competition field to get out there and feel more comfortable when you're having the jitters that you normally have in a competition setting."
The meet will be part of a historic slate for the Big Ten, as this season is the first that the conference will name a regular season champion.
The Michigan dual will be Minnesota's first competition at home, one of four at Maturi Pavilion this season. It will run in conjunction with the John Roethlisberger Iceberg Meet, a three-day annual junior competition named for 15-time Gophers All-American and three-time Olympian John Roethlisberger.
The day is also filled with promotions for Gopher fans. It is Student Appreciation and Faculty and Staff day at the Pav, with the first 100 students receiving free Goldy long sleeve shirts and faculty and staff receiving discounted admission. Prior to the meet, fans can take photos with Paul Bunyan's Axe once doors open at 12:30, and post-meet, the Gophers will be signing autographs. For full promotions info all season long and ticket info, check out our promotions calendar.
Fans keeping up at home can watch online via BTN Plus streaming and through live stats, as well as following the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for updates. To watch a video preview of the Michigan Meet featuring Coach Burns and freshman Ben Eyles, head on over to Facebook for this week's edition of Burns Turn!
Last Time Out
The Gophers headed south last weekend for an annual tradition: The Windy City Invitational. The meet was similar to the season-opening contest, with Minnesota facing some struggles in its first three events, but coming through on its final two top finish in a top three spot. The Gophers came in third place in the field of Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Washington and host UIC. The team had the best scores of the night on vault and parallel bars, with scores of 70.950 and 67.750, respectively. Senior captain Vitali Kan earned his second vault title in as many weeks with a 14.500, while senior Justin Karstadt posted two podium finishes: Second on pommel horse and third on parallel bars, scoring a 13.950 on each. Sophomore Shane Wiskus placed second on high bar with a 13.900 and senior captain Shaun Herzog came in second in the All-Around with a 79.700.
Gophers in the Rankings
Minnesota currently sits at No. 7 in the country, per Road to Nationals standing. In the last CGA Coaches' Poll on Jan. 14, the Gophers were voted No. 5. Three Minnesota gymnasts are ranked within the top 10 nationally on five events after two weeks. Vitali Kan maintains his vault dominance with a No. 2 ranking and is also No. 9 on floor. Justin Karstadt is also ranked in two events, No. 4 on pommel horse and No. 6 on parallel bars. Junior captain Timmy Kutyla rounds out the rankings at No. 6 on high bar.
The Road Ahead
The Gophers will head to Iowa on Feb. 2 for a tri-meet against the Hawkeyes and UIC Flames and will return home for a dual with Arizona State on Feb. 9 at 2:30 p.m. The meet falls on National Pizza Day, with free pizza for students in attendance while supplies last. It's also Goldy's Kids Club Day, with free signed posters available at the marketing table. There will also be a post-meet handstand contest and the athletes will be available for autographs!
New Year, New Leaders
The Gophers are anchored this season by a brand new set of captains. Chosen by their team and outgoing seniors, junior Timmy Kutyla and seniors Vitali Kan and Shaun Herzog are serving as this year's Gophers leaders. Kan is a two-time All-American on vault, while Herzog had a breakout season last year that saw him finishing with six career-highs and All-American honors on rings. Kutyla is the only junior on the team and has scored on parallel bars and high bar through this two full seasons.
After two weeks on the road, the Minnesota men's gymnastics team gets to compete at Maturi Pavilion for the first time this season on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
The No. 7 Gophers will host the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines in a Big Ten battle, the first dual meet of the season for either squad. Minnesota got their first peek at Michigan's team last weekend at the Windy City Invitational in Chicago, Ill. No. 4 Illinois came away with the meet title, while the Wolverines edged the Gophers out of second by 2.2 points.
"The last two meets weren't our greatest, but I think we've done a good job of finding the positives and what we're proud of moving forward," freshman Ben Eyles said. "We had a big team meeting [on Monday] to focus on what our priorities are and what we need to change in the gym. I think we're all really motivated to kind of prove ourselves this weekend."
The Gophers have claimed two third place finishes in their first two meets of the season, but they'll look to come away with their first dual win with a home gym advantage. Minnesota has been strong in the last three events in the order and is ranked No. 5 on vault, No. 4 on parallel bars and No. 4 on high bar, but the team will look to sharpen up on floor, pommel horse and rings.
"We have a really good floor team, so we just have to pay a little closer attention to detail, especially on our landings, holding your press long enough, making sure you're not taking too many steps on your landings," head coach Mike Burns said. "As the season goes on, those things start to gel a little bit more, but it does take some time in the competition field to get out there and feel more comfortable when you're having the jitters that you normally have in a competition setting."
The meet will be part of a historic slate for the Big Ten, as this season is the first that the conference will name a regular season champion.
The Michigan dual will be Minnesota's first competition at home, one of four at Maturi Pavilion this season. It will run in conjunction with the John Roethlisberger Iceberg Meet, a three-day annual junior competition named for 15-time Gophers All-American and three-time Olympian John Roethlisberger.
The day is also filled with promotions for Gopher fans. It is Student Appreciation and Faculty and Staff day at the Pav, with the first 100 students receiving free Goldy long sleeve shirts and faculty and staff receiving discounted admission. Prior to the meet, fans can take photos with Paul Bunyan's Axe once doors open at 12:30, and post-meet, the Gophers will be signing autographs. For full promotions info all season long and ticket info, check out our promotions calendar.
Fans keeping up at home can watch online via BTN Plus streaming and through live stats, as well as following the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for updates. To watch a video preview of the Michigan Meet featuring Coach Burns and freshman Ben Eyles, head on over to Facebook for this week's edition of Burns Turn!
Last Time Out
The Gophers headed south last weekend for an annual tradition: The Windy City Invitational. The meet was similar to the season-opening contest, with Minnesota facing some struggles in its first three events, but coming through on its final two top finish in a top three spot. The Gophers came in third place in the field of Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Washington and host UIC. The team had the best scores of the night on vault and parallel bars, with scores of 70.950 and 67.750, respectively. Senior captain Vitali Kan earned his second vault title in as many weeks with a 14.500, while senior Justin Karstadt posted two podium finishes: Second on pommel horse and third on parallel bars, scoring a 13.950 on each. Sophomore Shane Wiskus placed second on high bar with a 13.900 and senior captain Shaun Herzog came in second in the All-Around with a 79.700.
Gophers in the Rankings
Minnesota currently sits at No. 7 in the country, per Road to Nationals standing. In the last CGA Coaches' Poll on Jan. 14, the Gophers were voted No. 5. Three Minnesota gymnasts are ranked within the top 10 nationally on five events after two weeks. Vitali Kan maintains his vault dominance with a No. 2 ranking and is also No. 9 on floor. Justin Karstadt is also ranked in two events, No. 4 on pommel horse and No. 6 on parallel bars. Junior captain Timmy Kutyla rounds out the rankings at No. 6 on high bar.
The Road Ahead
The Gophers will head to Iowa on Feb. 2 for a tri-meet against the Hawkeyes and UIC Flames and will return home for a dual with Arizona State on Feb. 9 at 2:30 p.m. The meet falls on National Pizza Day, with free pizza for students in attendance while supplies last. It's also Goldy's Kids Club Day, with free signed posters available at the marketing table. There will also be a post-meet handstand contest and the athletes will be available for autographs!
New Year, New Leaders
The Gophers are anchored this season by a brand new set of captains. Chosen by their team and outgoing seniors, junior Timmy Kutyla and seniors Vitali Kan and Shaun Herzog are serving as this year's Gophers leaders. Kan is a two-time All-American on vault, while Herzog had a breakout season last year that saw him finishing with six career-highs and All-American honors on rings. Kutyla is the only junior on the team and has scored on parallel bars and high bar through this two full seasons.
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