University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, January 5
Maturi Pavilion
1:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Alumni Meet
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Gymnastics
/ Men's Gymnastics
/ Men's Gymnastics
/ Men's Gymnastics
/ Men's Gymnastics
/ Men's Gymnastics
/ Men's Gymnastics
/ Men's Gymnastics
Photo by: Christopher Mitchell / Sport Shot Photo
Gophers Alumni Claim 52nd Straight Alumni Meet Crown
1/5/2019 3:43:00 PM | Men's Gymnastics
Photo Gallery
It came down to the wire, but the Gopher alumni came away with the men's gymnastics Alumni Meet title for the 52nd year in a row.
The varsity squad was up by two-tenths of a point through three rotations, but the alumni pulled through on vault, high bar and parallel bars to keep their reign of excellence with a final score of 328.300-325.00.
"Honestly, I thought this might be the year. After 51 straight years of losing to the alumni, I thought this might be the year that we'd pull it off. After three events, we were up by a little less than a point and that was encouraging, but then the alumni, they just sort of got rejuvenated as they heard the news they were down at the halfway point, and they stepped it up," head coach Mike Burns said. "Having this Alumni Meet is super valuable in terms of ability to get the kinks out before we go out to the Rocky Mountain Open next week, where everything counts."
The alumni squad featured Gophers from as early as last season all the way to 1997, with All-Americans and NCAA and Big Ten event champions. The meet was another opportunity for this season's nine freshmen to see the greater legacy of Gopher gymnastics.
"It certainly gives you a sense of belonging and something bigger than themselves," Burns said. "To see all the alumni that were here, competing or not competing, it was refreshing and it was really very satisfying from my standpoint. The freshmen really got a chance to see what they've bought into. We've been around since 1903, one of the longest teams at the University, and there's a lot of tradition and a lot of love for the Gopher program, and it's good to see it."
EVENT BREAKDOWN
FLOOR
The floor contest had no shortage of skill and silliness, as the alumni team busted out Justin Timberlake, pom-poms, and Footloose in their routines. It wasn't all jokes, though, as the alumni came out victorious with two-time FX All-American Joel Gagnon's 14.400 awarding him the event title. Afterward, he had some fun and made an appearance with his "Tumbling Twin," Jalon Stephens, in Stephens's floor set. Shane Wiskus finished in a close second with a 14.300 and sophomore Colton Dee, freshman Eric Nakamura and Alex Wittenberg (2018) tied for third with 13.500s. The alumni and varsity teams tied on the event with both earning 54.400 total.
POMMEL HORSE
The alumni continued their win streak on pommel horse and bested varsity 54.000-52.700. Ellis Mannon had a stellar routine and scored a 14.500 to maintain his long history of dominance on the event. Mannon, 2015's Nissen-Emery Award winner, was a three-time All-American on pommel horse during his Gophers career, won back-to-back Big Ten titles on the event, and claimed the national title on horse in 2014 as a junior. Justin Karstadt placed third with a 13.700 and Nate Fortunato came in third with a 13.300.
RINGS
Varsity won one of just two events over the alumni with rings. Current Gophers edged former Gophers 53.300-51.800 on the event. All-American Shane Wiskus was crowned the victor with a final score of 13.600 on the event. Joel Gagnon took second on rings with a 13.500 and a smooth routine from Colton Dee earned him a 13.300 and third place in the event.
VAULT
Wiskus again led the pack on vault, scoring a 14.700 for the event crown. The alumni weren't going away quietly though, and still won the event 56.900-56.650. Adam Kern (2014) earned a 14.500 and took second. Not much has changed with Kern, as he finished second on the team in the event as a senior in 2014 with an average score of 14.550. Brothers Aaron (2010) and Nate Fortunato shared third place with a score of 14.200.
PARALLEL BARS
Parallel bars was the second event that varsity was able to steal away from alumni, 56.750-56.500. Wiskus earned his third and final event title of the day on parallel bars with a stunning set and score of 14.800, which bests his highest mark on the event all of last season. Ellis Mannon earned a 14.600 for second place and Jalon Stephens took home third with a 14.300.
HIGH BAR
Jalon Stephens easily proved why he's a two-time All-American on the high bar with an excellent set that earned him a 14.800. Junior captain Timmy Kutyla and Ellis Mannon came away with scores of 13.400 to tie for second place and 2015 All-American Steve Jaciuk rounded out the top spots with a 13.300 for third place. The alumni proved victorious on the event and bested by varsity in their largest margin of the day, 54.700-51.200.
The Gophers open the regular season Jan. 12 at the Rocky Mountain Open in Colorado Springs, Colo. at 7 p.m. The team's next home appearance is Jan. 26 for a dual meet against Michigan. For promotions and ticket info, check out our promotions calendar, and be sure to follow Gopher Men's Gymnastics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all of the latest updates on the team!
It came down to the wire, but the Gopher alumni came away with the men's gymnastics Alumni Meet title for the 52nd year in a row.
The varsity squad was up by two-tenths of a point through three rotations, but the alumni pulled through on vault, high bar and parallel bars to keep their reign of excellence with a final score of 328.300-325.00.
"Honestly, I thought this might be the year. After 51 straight years of losing to the alumni, I thought this might be the year that we'd pull it off. After three events, we were up by a little less than a point and that was encouraging, but then the alumni, they just sort of got rejuvenated as they heard the news they were down at the halfway point, and they stepped it up," head coach Mike Burns said. "Having this Alumni Meet is super valuable in terms of ability to get the kinks out before we go out to the Rocky Mountain Open next week, where everything counts."
Sophomore Shane Wiskus led the All-Around Competition with a score of 82.300 and senior Justin Karstadt was the runner-up with a mark of 80.200. Nate Fortunato (2014) competed the All-Around for the alumni and came in third with a 78.800. Wiskus won event titles on rings, vault and parallel bars, while alums Joel Gagnon (2018), Ellis Mannon (2015) and Jalon Stephens (2018) claimed the wins on floor, pommel horse and high bar, respectively.Heavy on hard work and dedication, a dash of fun, and all #Gophers: The recipe for a great Alumni Meet! Check out the highlights from the weekend's action for your #MotivationMonday. pic.twitter.com/XkOI9kIpCh
— Minnesota Men's Gym (@GopherMGym) January 7, 2019
The alumni squad featured Gophers from as early as last season all the way to 1997, with All-Americans and NCAA and Big Ten event champions. The meet was another opportunity for this season's nine freshmen to see the greater legacy of Gopher gymnastics.
"It certainly gives you a sense of belonging and something bigger than themselves," Burns said. "To see all the alumni that were here, competing or not competing, it was refreshing and it was really very satisfying from my standpoint. The freshmen really got a chance to see what they've bought into. We've been around since 1903, one of the longest teams at the University, and there's a lot of tradition and a lot of love for the Gopher program, and it's good to see it."
EVENT BREAKDOWN
FLOOR
The floor contest had no shortage of skill and silliness, as the alumni team busted out Justin Timberlake, pom-poms, and Footloose in their routines. It wasn't all jokes, though, as the alumni came out victorious with two-time FX All-American Joel Gagnon's 14.400 awarding him the event title. Afterward, he had some fun and made an appearance with his "Tumbling Twin," Jalon Stephens, in Stephens's floor set. Shane Wiskus finished in a close second with a 14.300 and sophomore Colton Dee, freshman Eric Nakamura and Alex Wittenberg (2018) tied for third with 13.500s. The alumni and varsity teams tied on the event with both earning 54.400 total.
POMMEL HORSE
The alumni continued their win streak on pommel horse and bested varsity 54.000-52.700. Ellis Mannon had a stellar routine and scored a 14.500 to maintain his long history of dominance on the event. Mannon, 2015's Nissen-Emery Award winner, was a three-time All-American on pommel horse during his Gophers career, won back-to-back Big Ten titles on the event, and claimed the national title on horse in 2014 as a junior. Justin Karstadt placed third with a 13.700 and Nate Fortunato came in third with a 13.300.
RINGS
Varsity won one of just two events over the alumni with rings. Current Gophers edged former Gophers 53.300-51.800 on the event. All-American Shane Wiskus was crowned the victor with a final score of 13.600 on the event. Joel Gagnon took second on rings with a 13.500 and a smooth routine from Colton Dee earned him a 13.300 and third place in the event.
VAULT
Wiskus again led the pack on vault, scoring a 14.700 for the event crown. The alumni weren't going away quietly though, and still won the event 56.900-56.650. Adam Kern (2014) earned a 14.500 and took second. Not much has changed with Kern, as he finished second on the team in the event as a senior in 2014 with an average score of 14.550. Brothers Aaron (2010) and Nate Fortunato shared third place with a score of 14.200.
PARALLEL BARS
Parallel bars was the second event that varsity was able to steal away from alumni, 56.750-56.500. Wiskus earned his third and final event title of the day on parallel bars with a stunning set and score of 14.800, which bests his highest mark on the event all of last season. Ellis Mannon earned a 14.600 for second place and Jalon Stephens took home third with a 14.300.
HIGH BAR
Jalon Stephens easily proved why he's a two-time All-American on the high bar with an excellent set that earned him a 14.800. Junior captain Timmy Kutyla and Ellis Mannon came away with scores of 13.400 to tie for second place and 2015 All-American Steve Jaciuk rounded out the top spots with a 13.300 for third place. The alumni proved victorious on the event and bested by varsity in their largest margin of the day, 54.700-51.200.
The Gophers open the regular season Jan. 12 at the Rocky Mountain Open in Colorado Springs, Colo. at 7 p.m. The team's next home appearance is Jan. 26 for a dual meet against Michigan. For promotions and ticket info, check out our promotions calendar, and be sure to follow Gopher Men's Gymnastics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all of the latest updates on the team!
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