University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Alumni Meet
Players Mentioned
Meet Preview: 2019 Alumni Meet
1/3/2019 3:06:00 PM | Men's Gymnastics
The Gopher men's gymnastics team will be in action at Maturi Pavilion for the first time in 2019 this weekend. Minnesota will host its 52nd Annual Alumni Meet Saturday, Jan. 5 at 1 p.m. Gophers Alumni currently hold an undefeated 51-0 streak in the contest.
The Gophers will break into Maroon and Gold teams for the event, with the same lineups as the recent intrasquad meet. The alumni will have one squad that features previous Gopher All-Americans and some of last season's national runner-ups in Joel Gagnon, Jalon Stephens, Alex Wittenberg, Luke Aldrich, Jack Kramer and Jordan Poganski.
"The alumni meet has consistently been one of my favorite meets because it's always a great atmosphere. All of our alumni competing and cheering for us right there on the competition floor really helps put on a show for the fans, and it boosts our team energy," senior captain Vitali Kan said. "I'm hoping to see our team capitalize on that energy for our first meet on competition equipment, and I think we're going to see a lot of solid and exciting gymnastics."
It's the team's first opportunity to go up against competitors other than each other before the season kicks off at the Rocky Mountain Open in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Jan. 12. The Gophers have recently been tabbed No. 2 in conference in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll, while they came in at No. 4 in the College Gymnastics Association's National Preseason Poll. Senior captain Vitali Kan and sophomore and 2018 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year Shane Wiskus were also named to the Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch list.
The event is free and open to the public, and free pizza will be served following the meet. The Alumni Meet is one of five events at the Pav for the team this season. Be sure to check out the promotions calendar for all home promos and ticket information! Keeping up from home? Follow Gopher Men's Gymnastics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all the latest updates on the team.