University of Minnesota Athletics
Sunday, March 17
Maturi Pavilion
1:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Air Force
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 Host Air Force In St. Pat's Dual
3/14/2019 5:53:00 PM | Men's Gymnastics
Video Preview: Burns Turn 3/12
The Minnesota men's gymnastics team will return to Maturi Pavilion for the first time in over a month on Sunday, looking for some St. Patrick's Day luck for a 1 p.m. dual against the Air Force Falcons.
The No. 6 Gophers have been on the road for three consecutive meets, which culminated in a come-from-behind victory and two Big Ten wins at Ohio State last week. It is the second time this season that Minnesota has seen No. 13 Air Force, as the Falcons hosted the Gophers for Minnesota's first meet of the year, the Rocky Mountain Open.
Minnesota will be without senior Justin Karstadt this weekend as he competes at the University of Calgary International Cup with his native Team Canada, creating some shift in the lineup.
"It opens up a spot for maybe some of the guys who haven't competed much to get in there," head coach Mike Burns said. "It's a great opportunity to get that meet experience, but also to do it at home in the Pavilion, in the comfort of our own environment, with our own fans."
There are just two meets left in the Gophers' regular season schedule, both of which will be home gym advantage. Next weekend's tri-meet against No. 5 Penn State and No. 8 Iowa will be crucial as Minnesota continues to chase down the first-ever Big Ten Regular Season Championship. The Gophers are currently in fourth place in the Big Ten standings, but the team was able to get a huge boost and go from 0-2 to 2-2 with last weekend's victory.
Minnesota will welcome its fans back to Maturi Pavilion after a long break in stylish fashion. The first 100 at Sunday's dual will receive free, metallic block "M" t-shirts. The Gophers will also host their Tumble with the Team event, where fans are invited to come on to the competition floor following the meet and try out the gym equipment with the team. For all home promo and ticket info, be sure to visit our promotions calendar.
Sunday's dual will be streamed via BTN Plus and live stats will be available. Fans keeping up from home can also follow the Gophers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all updates and coverage. Coach Burns and freshman Garrett Kasiski previewed the meet, the state of the Big Ten, and last weekend's victory on the most recent episode of Burn's Turn, which can be found on Facebook!
Last Time Out
The day had already been filled with ups and downs as Minnesota suffered two falls on pommel horse, hit all of its rings routines, and then took a couple more falls on high bar. The situation looked grim for the Gophers as the team was down by eight points and in third place headed into the last rotation against No. 7 Nebraska and No. 9 Ohio State, but Minnesota was able to overcome and score 406.300 for the meet victory and two wins in the Big Ten standings. The Gophers set new team season highs on rings (69.600) and floor (70.300).
The day was highlighted by Shane Wiskus's second meet in a row with career marks. He came away with the all-around title after scoring a career-high 84.350, now the country's second-best score. On his way to the all-around, Wiskus also earned event titles on rings and high bar, both with scores of 14.350, new career highs. He rounded out his podium finishes on the day with silvers on floor (14.550) and vault (14.700), and was named Big Ten and CGA Gymnast of the Week for his efforts.
Gophers in the Rankings
The Gophers remain ranked No. 6 overall. They are currently No. 9 on pommel horse, moved from No. 10 to No. 8 on rings and are also No. 8 on high bar, No. 4 on floor, and moved up on both parallel bars and vault to No. 2. Karstadt and senior captain Vitali Kan continue to be ranked on pommel horse and vault, both at No. 10. Wiskus became the nation's No. 1 all-arounder after his stellar performance on the weekend, and he is also ranked at No. 4 on parallel bars and No. 5 on high bar.
The Road Ahead
As the last meet of the regular season, it will be a big day at Maturi Pavilion on March 23. The Gophers will face off against No. 5 Penn State and No. 8 Iowa, looking for another two wins to add to their Big Ten standing. It will Club Day at the Pav, and youth gymnasts who pre-register receive free entry to the meet. Minnesota will also honor each of its six seniors on March 23 for their last career home meet. For tickets, visit MyGopherSports.com.
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 and was recently named a 2019 Nissen-Emery Award finalist. Herzog had a breakout season last year that saw him finishing with six career-highs and All-American honors on rings. He isn't slowing down this year, highlighted by a great Winter Cup performance that included ninth place overall and two other top 10 finishes. Kutyla is the only junior on the team and has scored on parallel bars and high bar in every meet this season.
The Minnesota men's gymnastics team will return to Maturi Pavilion for the first time in over a month on Sunday, looking for some St. Patrick's Day luck for a 1 p.m. dual against the Air Force Falcons.
The No. 6 Gophers have been on the road for three consecutive meets, which culminated in a come-from-behind victory and two Big Ten wins at Ohio State last week. It is the second time this season that Minnesota has seen No. 13 Air Force, as the Falcons hosted the Gophers for Minnesota's first meet of the year, the Rocky Mountain Open.
Minnesota will be without senior Justin Karstadt this weekend as he competes at the University of Calgary International Cup with his native Team Canada, creating some shift in the lineup.
"It opens up a spot for maybe some of the guys who haven't competed much to get in there," head coach Mike Burns said. "It's a great opportunity to get that meet experience, but also to do it at home in the Pavilion, in the comfort of our own environment, with our own fans."
There are just two meets left in the Gophers' regular season schedule, both of which will be home gym advantage. Next weekend's tri-meet against No. 5 Penn State and No. 8 Iowa will be crucial as Minnesota continues to chase down the first-ever Big Ten Regular Season Championship. The Gophers are currently in fourth place in the Big Ten standings, but the team was able to get a huge boost and go from 0-2 to 2-2 with last weekend's victory.
Minnesota will welcome its fans back to Maturi Pavilion after a long break in stylish fashion. The first 100 at Sunday's dual will receive free, metallic block "M" t-shirts. The Gophers will also host their Tumble with the Team event, where fans are invited to come on to the competition floor following the meet and try out the gym equipment with the team. For all home promo and ticket info, be sure to visit our promotions calendar.
Sunday's dual will be streamed via BTN Plus and live stats will be available. Fans keeping up from home can also follow the Gophers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all updates and coverage. Coach Burns and freshman Garrett Kasiski previewed the meet, the state of the Big Ten, and last weekend's victory on the most recent episode of Burn's Turn, which can be found on Facebook!
Last Time Out
The day had already been filled with ups and downs as Minnesota suffered two falls on pommel horse, hit all of its rings routines, and then took a couple more falls on high bar. The situation looked grim for the Gophers as the team was down by eight points and in third place headed into the last rotation against No. 7 Nebraska and No. 9 Ohio State, but Minnesota was able to overcome and score 406.300 for the meet victory and two wins in the Big Ten standings. The Gophers set new team season highs on rings (69.600) and floor (70.300).
The day was highlighted by Shane Wiskus's second meet in a row with career marks. He came away with the all-around title after scoring a career-high 84.350, now the country's second-best score. On his way to the all-around, Wiskus also earned event titles on rings and high bar, both with scores of 14.350, new career highs. He rounded out his podium finishes on the day with silvers on floor (14.550) and vault (14.700), and was named Big Ten and CGA Gymnast of the Week for his efforts.
Gophers in the Rankings
The Gophers remain ranked No. 6 overall. They are currently No. 9 on pommel horse, moved from No. 10 to No. 8 on rings and are also No. 8 on high bar, No. 4 on floor, and moved up on both parallel bars and vault to No. 2. Karstadt and senior captain Vitali Kan continue to be ranked on pommel horse and vault, both at No. 10. Wiskus became the nation's No. 1 all-arounder after his stellar performance on the weekend, and he is also ranked at No. 4 on parallel bars and No. 5 on high bar.
The Road Ahead
As the last meet of the regular season, it will be a big day at Maturi Pavilion on March 23. The Gophers will face off against No. 5 Penn State and No. 8 Iowa, looking for another two wins to add to their Big Ten standing. It will Club Day at the Pav, and youth gymnasts who pre-register receive free entry to the meet. Minnesota will also honor each of its six seniors on March 23 for their last career home meet. For tickets, visit MyGopherSports.com.
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 and was recently named a 2019 Nissen-Emery Award finalist. Herzog had a breakout season last year that saw him finishing with six career-highs and All-American honors on rings. He isn't slowing down this year, highlighted by a great Winter Cup performance that included ninth place overall and two other top 10 finishes. Kutyla is the only junior on the team and has scored on parallel bars and high bar in every meet this season.
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