University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Wiskus Takes Fourth in American Cup Debut
3/7/2020 8:05:00 PM | Men's Gymnastics
While the Gophers have a bye weekend, junior captain Shane Wiskus competed among the world's best on Saturday and made a strong statement.
Wiskus participated in the USA Gymnastics American Cup at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis. on Saturday afternoon and came away with a fourth place finish. It was his first-ever appearance at the American Cup and the newcomer managed a score of 82.797 and top five finishes on four events.
The event is the first in a series of four International Gymnastics Federation World Cup meets leading up to the 2020 Olympics. Athletes from 10 other countries participated in the meet, with qualification points for Tokyo berths on the line.
While Wiskus wasn't able to earn any points as the United States' wildcard entry, two-time Olympian and Michigan alum Sam Mikulak won his second American Cup title to give the USA a boost. Oleg Verniaiev of Ukraine came in second and Great Britain's James Hall took third.
A Senior National Team member, the meet was the first international assignment for Wiskus since the 2019 World Championships in October, where the United States took fourth. He retains his spot on the Senior National Team until his next big event, the U.S. Championships, which will be held June 4-7 in Fort Worth, Texas.
His schedule with the Gophers includes two more regular season meets and the Big Ten and NCAA Championships in April.
Floor
Wiskus got off to a hot start in his first event of the day, floor. He put up a mark of 14.033, which would go on to be the second-best score of the competition and his best event finish. The United States went No. 1 and No. 2 on the event and Mikulak scored 14.333 for the gold.
Pommel Horse
Shane moved to pommel horse in rotation two and scored a 13.433. It would hold up throughout the course of the meet to stick in the top of the rankings for fifth place.
Rings
Currently ranked No. 5 in the NCAA on rings, Wiskus tallied a 13.866 in his third rotation for another fifth place finish on the day.
Vault
The reigning USA Gymnastics vault national champion didn't disappoint in his American Cup performance. Wiskus scored 14.366 to round out his pair of top three event finishes on the day and claimed bronze. He was only bested by Verniaiev (14.800) and Mikulak (14.400).
Parallel Bars
Currently ranked the No. 1 parallel bars worker in the NCAA and the 2019 national champion, Shane tallied a score of 13.366 in his fifth rotation and took 10th place.
High Bar
Wiskus was not only the last competitor on high bar, but also the last competitor of the entire meet as he headed to his final rotation. He showed confidence under pressure and earned a mark of 13.733 for sixth place, and good enough to cement him in fourth all-around.