University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
NCAA Championships - Finals
Players Mentioned
Gophers Finish Fifth at NCAAs, Wiskus Captures Two National Titles
4/18/2021 12:13:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
The Gopher men's gymnastics team finished as the fifth best team in the country with a team season-high score of 406.291 in the NCAA Championships at Maturi Pavilion. Senior Shane Wiskus was also able to capture a pair of NCAA event titles on still rings and parallel bars.
A total of three Gophers were named as NCAA All-Americans on the night, with scores inside of the top eight giving them the accolade. Shane Wiskus earned All-American honors on floor exercise (No. 2), pommel horse (No. 8), still rings (No. 1), parallel bars (No. 1), high bar (No. 2), and in the all-around competition (No. 2).
Other Gophers that were named as All-Americans include Mike Moran on vault (T-No. 5) and Donte McKinney on high bar (No. 5).
Notable
Shane Wiskus became the first Gopher since Clay Strother in 2002 to win multiple NCAA individual event titles at the same NCAA Championship. Wiskus also is the first Minnesota gymnast to win the still rings title since 1941.
Quotable
"There were a few moments tonight where the eyes were misting up, there was the excitement of this weekend mixed with the disappointment of tonight's result and not getting into the top four, and that's just what sports provides," head coach Mike Burns said. "It provides entertainment, it provides drama, it provides excitement, it provides disappointment, it provides so many things, and that's just what's so cool about sports. I've been very blessed in my life to be a part of something pretty special here through sports."
All-Around
Two Gophers competed in the all-around competition on Saturday night. Shane Wiskus finished second overall with a score of 84.866, while Mike Moran finished in 13th with a score of 78.798.
High Bar
The Maroon & Gold started things off on high bar, where Shane Wiskus' score of 14.033 had him finish No. 2 overall in the event. Donte McKinney also found himself in an All-American spot with a fifth place finish (13.733) in the event.
UMN: 66.732
Floor Exercise
Minnesota then traveled to floor exercise, where Shane Wiskus had yet another second place event finish with his score of 15.100, which ties his career high from yesterday's qualifiers. Colton Dee found himself with a score of 14.033, while Mike Moran and Garrett Kasiski tied with scores of 13.900. The team finished with their highest score in the event on the year.
UMN: 70.599
Pommel Horse
On pommel horse, the Gophers saw Shane Wiskus sneak into the final event All-American spot with a score of 13.400, while David Pochinka added to the team's total with his 13.266. Henry Meeker then rounded out the team's scores with his 12.966 to cap off the event.
UMN: 63.798
Still Rings
Shane Wiskus secured his first event title of the night by posting a new season-high 14.400 score in the event, while Colton Dee (13.633) and Crew Bold (13.600) capped off a solid rotation for the Maroon & Gold. Wiskus is the first Gopher rings champion since 1941.
UMN: 67.632
Vault
The team saw its best performance of the night on vault, where Mike Moran's stuck landing earned him All-American honors with a score of 14.666. Ben Eyles (14.600) and Donte McKinney (14.466) saw themselves just fall short of being named All-Americans in the event, but their plus-14 scores added a huge boost to the team's overall score.
UMN: 70.698
Parallel Bars
In the Gophers' last event of the night, Shane Wiskus was able to capture his second straight parallel bars title by scoring a 14.433 in his last routine with the team. Donte McKinney's score of 13.733 marked a new career high for the sophomore in the event, while Crew Bold (13.133) and David Pochinka (13.066) both put up respectable scores to cap off Minnesota's evening.
UMN: 66.832