University of Minnesota Athletics
Sunday, March 17
Maturi Pavilion
1:00 PM
University of Minnesota
402.050
vs
387.350
Air Force
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
/ Men's Gymnastics
/ Men's Gymnastics
Photo by: Jessica Frankl
Gophers Top Air Force In St. Patrick's Day Battle
3/17/2019 4:11:00 PM | Men's Gymnastics
Meet Results
The Minnesota men's gymnastics team returned to Maturi Pavilion for the first time in over a month on Sunday and delivered quite the show.
The No. 6 Gophers defeated the No. 13 Air Force Academy Falcons 402.050-387.350. Some changes in the lineup tested the team, but huge outings from the underclassmen and team captains helped push Minnesota to a victory.
"It wasn't one of our strongest performances, but we also rested a few guys and we got a chance to see some of our younger guys," head coach Mike Burns said. "There was a lot of really solid performances overall."
The day was highlighted by freshman Garrett Kasiski as he stepped up to make his career debut on vault in the No. 3 spot. Following two other solid performances by fellow rookies Mike Moran and Ben Eyles, Kasiski delivered a stuck handspring double front vault that scored a 14.900, erupted Maturi Pavilion, and went on to win him the event title. The score is also a new team season high, and the freshman trio of Kasiski, Moran (14.400) and Eyles (14.350) swept the podium finishes on vault.
Kasiski also claimed the bronze on rings after making his first appearance of the year on the event just last week with a score of 13.200. He was the recipient of the meet's Cooke Award for his outstanding performance.
Sophomore Shane Wiskus continues to impress each week and earned the event titles on parallel bars and high bar with new career-high scores of 14.900 and 14.400, respectively. It is the third consecutive week in which he's set a new career best on high bar.
Freshman Eric Nakamura claimed the second floor title of his career with a score of 14.250, while senior captain Vitali Kan split the gold on pommel horse with a score of 13.750. Kan also took third on floor (13.750). The Gophers swept the podium on vault as well as parallel bars, with Wiskus, freshman David Pochinka (14.200) and junior Timmy Kutyla (13.800) all placing. Senior Michael Harris and sophomore Henry Meeker rounded out Minnesota's podium finishes on the day with a pair of bronzes on high bar (13.100) and pommel horse (13.200).
The win was huge for the team as it heads into the last week of the regular season looking for two Big Ten victories against No. 5 Penn State and No. 8 Iowa.
"We did have a few mistakes," Burns said. "As a coach, you're always kind of looking at the things you have to fix, but we're on spring break this week ... heading into our final home meet next week, it's going to be a great end of the season battle with two great programs."
Floor
The Gophers began the day on floor and scored a 68.300. Nakamura again proved to be a valuable asset in the floor lineup and led Minnesota with a score of 14.250 for the event title. Kan was the Gophers' second-best finisher with a score of 13.750, good for third place.
Pommel Horse
Minnesota had a much better outing on pommel horse Sunday after a tough go last weekend. Kan split the event title with Air Force's Ethan Esval, both scoring 13.750. Meeker scored a career-best 13.200 on the event to take third place, and Wiskus was just behind in fourth with a 13.150. The Gophers earned a 65.050 on horse to lead the dual.
Rings
In just his second-ever outing on the event, Kasiski led the Gophers on rings with a third-place score of 13.200. Pochinka tied for fifth with a 13.000, and Minnesota finished rings with a final score of 63.150.
Vault
The Falcons were up on the Gophers halfway through the meet, but Minnesota made up some serious ground in the vault rotation. The freshman trio of Kasiski (14.900), Moran (14.400) and Eyles (14.350) shined in the first three lineup spots, and claimed the gold, silver and bronze. Wiskus was the Gophers' next-best finisher in fifth with a score of 14.150. Minnesota scored a 71.350 on vault.
Parallel Bars
The Gophers saved their best for last on parallel bars as Wiskus delivered a career-best routine of 14.900 in the No. 5 spot. Minnesota went on to sweep the podium on the event with Pochinka in second (14.200) and Kutyla in third (13.800). The Gophers recorded a final score of 68.450, 8.05 points ahead of the Falcons.
High Bar
Wiskus was again last up on high bar, and again posted a career-high set of 14.400 for the event title. Harris came in third with a score of 13.100, and Kutyla posted a 13.000 for fourth place. Minnesota earned a 65.750 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. Along with the Gophers facing off against Penn State and Iowa, it's also Club Day and Senior Day at the Pav. Youth gymnasts who pre-register receive free entry to the meet. Minnesota will also honor each of its six seniors for their last career home meet. For tickets, visit MyGopherSports.com. The meet is set to begin at 2 p.m.
The Minnesota men's gymnastics team returned to Maturi Pavilion for the first time in over a month on Sunday and delivered quite the show.
The No. 6 Gophers defeated the No. 13 Air Force Academy Falcons 402.050-387.350. Some changes in the lineup tested the team, but huge outings from the underclassmen and team captains helped push Minnesota to a victory.
"It wasn't one of our strongest performances, but we also rested a few guys and we got a chance to see some of our younger guys," head coach Mike Burns said. "There was a lot of really solid performances overall."
The day was highlighted by freshman Garrett Kasiski as he stepped up to make his career debut on vault in the No. 3 spot. Following two other solid performances by fellow rookies Mike Moran and Ben Eyles, Kasiski delivered a stuck handspring double front vault that scored a 14.900, erupted Maturi Pavilion, and went on to win him the event title. The score is also a new team season high, and the freshman trio of Kasiski, Moran (14.400) and Eyles (14.350) swept the podium finishes on vault.
Kasiski also claimed the bronze on rings after making his first appearance of the year on the event just last week with a score of 13.200. He was the recipient of the meet's Cooke Award for his outstanding performance.
Sophomore Shane Wiskus continues to impress each week and earned the event titles on parallel bars and high bar with new career-high scores of 14.900 and 14.400, respectively. It is the third consecutive week in which he's set a new career best on high bar.
Freshman Eric Nakamura claimed the second floor title of his career with a score of 14.250, while senior captain Vitali Kan split the gold on pommel horse with a score of 13.750. Kan also took third on floor (13.750). The Gophers swept the podium on vault as well as parallel bars, with Wiskus, freshman David Pochinka (14.200) and junior Timmy Kutyla (13.800) all placing. Senior Michael Harris and sophomore Henry Meeker rounded out Minnesota's podium finishes on the day with a pair of bronzes on high bar (13.100) and pommel horse (13.200).
The win was huge for the team as it heads into the last week of the regular season looking for two Big Ten victories against No. 5 Penn State and No. 8 Iowa.
"We did have a few mistakes," Burns said. "As a coach, you're always kind of looking at the things you have to fix, but we're on spring break this week ... heading into our final home meet next week, it's going to be a great end of the season battle with two great programs."
Floor
The Gophers began the day on floor and scored a 68.300. Nakamura again proved to be a valuable asset in the floor lineup and led Minnesota with a score of 14.250 for the event title. Kan was the Gophers' second-best finisher with a score of 13.750, good for third place.
Pommel Horse
Minnesota had a much better outing on pommel horse Sunday after a tough go last weekend. Kan split the event title with Air Force's Ethan Esval, both scoring 13.750. Meeker scored a career-best 13.200 on the event to take third place, and Wiskus was just behind in fourth with a 13.150. The Gophers earned a 65.050 on horse to lead the dual.
Rings
In just his second-ever outing on the event, Kasiski led the Gophers on rings with a third-place score of 13.200. Pochinka tied for fifth with a 13.000, and Minnesota finished rings with a final score of 63.150.
Vault
The Falcons were up on the Gophers halfway through the meet, but Minnesota made up some serious ground in the vault rotation. The freshman trio of Kasiski (14.900), Moran (14.400) and Eyles (14.350) shined in the first three lineup spots, and claimed the gold, silver and bronze. Wiskus was the Gophers' next-best finisher in fifth with a score of 14.150. Minnesota scored a 71.350 on vault.
Parallel Bars
The Gophers saved their best for last on parallel bars as Wiskus delivered a career-best routine of 14.900 in the No. 5 spot. Minnesota went on to sweep the podium on the event with Pochinka in second (14.200) and Kutyla in third (13.800). The Gophers recorded a final score of 68.450, 8.05 points ahead of the Falcons.
High Bar
Wiskus was again last up on high bar, and again posted a career-high set of 14.400 for the event title. Harris came in third with a score of 13.100, and Kutyla posted a 13.000 for fourth place. Minnesota earned a 65.750 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. Along with the Gophers facing off against Penn State and Iowa, it's also Club Day and Senior Day at the Pav. Youth gymnasts who pre-register receive free entry to the meet. Minnesota will also honor each of its six seniors for their last career home meet. For tickets, visit MyGopherSports.com. The meet is set to begin at 2 p.m.
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