Gophers Head to Utah for Top-10 Showdown

The No. 9 University of Minnesota gymnastics is on the road this week when it travels to No. 4 Utah for a marquee nonconference showdown at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 4.

Last Time Out
Lexy Ramler scored a perfect 10 beam and Mya Hooten scored a perfect 10 on floor as Minnesota recorded a program-best 198.025 to beat border rival Iowa last Friday at Maturi Pavilion. Minnesota's previous best team score was a 197.750 set last season at the Big Ten Championships, which the Gophers won.

Minnesota's team depth was on display, as the Gophers posted a program-best score of 198.025 without setting any program records in a single event.

Lexy Ramler's perfect 10 on the beam was the fourth of her career and her first this year. She was also perfect at Illinois in 2021 and in 2020 against Illinois and in a 2020 quad-meet against Rutgers, Bowling Green and Ursinus. Ramler now has five perfect 10s in her career, as she also recorded a 10 on vault at the Big Five Meet in 2021.

Mya Hooten's perfect 10 on the floor was the third of her career and second this year. She also scored a perfect 10 against Michigan this year and a perfect 10 at home against Nebraska in 2021. Hooten also set a career high on the vault with a 9.975 and tied her career high on the bars with a 9.875.

Minnesota won all four events and was dominant is doing so. The Gophers lowest score of the night was a 49.400 on vault. Minnesota had the top six scores on the bars and the top four marks on the floor.

In addition to Ramler and Hooten scoring perfect 10s, the Gophers also received standout performances from Gianna Gerdes and Halle Remlinger. Gerdes set a career high on vault with a 9.875, while Remlinger had a career high 9.875 on bars and tied her career high on floor with a 9.925.

Gophers In the Rankings
Minnesota comes in at No. 9 overall in the national rankings. The Gophers are ranked third in the nation on floor, seventh on vault, 11th on bars and 33rd on beam.

Ramler is ranked the No. 2 ranked gymnast in the all-around and is also ranked tied for fifth on bars and beam. She is tied for 42nd on vault and is tied for 52nd on floor.

Loper is tied for 12th in the all-around and is ranked tied for 18th on floor and tied for 28th on bars.

Hooten, who is one of the most dynamic gymnasts on the floor and has two perfect 10s this year on the apparatus, was previously ranked No. 5 in the nation. However, she fell out of the rankings as she has not competed the minimum amount of times on the floor to be ranked by NQS.

B1G Weekly Honors
Senior Lexy Ramler and sophomore Mya Hooten were honored by the Big Ten this week after their strong performances last Friday at home against Iowa. Ramler was named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week, while Hooten was honored as the Big Ten Specialist of the Week.

Both Ramler and Hooten helped lead Minnesota to a program best 198.025 score against Iowa, which was also the first time that the Gophers ever broke 198.

This is the 21st time (third time this year) that Ramler has earned the award in her career, extending her own conference record in that category. This is the second time this year and the third time in her career that Hooten has been named Specialist of the Week.

Ramler, who is from St. Michael, Minn., placed first in the all-around against Iowa with a score of 39.775 (tied for third highest score in school history). She scored a perfect 10 on the beam, which was her first of the season, and the fourth of her career. It was her fifth career perfect 10 as she has a 10 on the vault in 2021.

Ramler recorded a 9.950 on both the bars and floor and she received a 10 from one judge on the floor. She scored a 9.875 on the vault.

Hooten is a Woodbury, Minn., native and earned Big Ten Specialist of the Week honors after a career meet against the Hawkeyes. She posted a perfect 10 on the floor, which was her second of the year and the third of her career. She also set a career high on the vault with a 9.975 and tied her career high on the bars with a 9.875.

This is the third straight week that a Gopher has been named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week, as Ramler was recognized last week and Ona Loper was honored two weeks ago.

2022 B1G Weekly Awards
Lexy Ramler: B1G Gymnast of the Week - (3/1/22)
Mya Hooten: B1G Specialist of the Week - (3/1/22)
Lexy Ramler: B1G Gymnast of the Week - (2/22/22)
Ona Loper: B1G Gymnast of the Week - (2/15/22)
Mya Hooten: B1G Specialist of the Week - (1/25/22)
Ona Loper: B1G Gymnast of the Week - (1/25/22)
Lexy Ramler: B1G Gymnast of the Week - (1/18/22)

Scouting Utah
No. 4 Utah is one of the deepest and most consistent teams in the country. Utah is ranked No. 2 on the beam and floor, No. 4 on vault and No. 5 on the bars and is led by 2020 U.S. Olympic Team member Grace McCallum. The freshman helped Team USA earn a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics and is having a terrific start to her collegiate career. She is ranked No. 4 in the all-around and is ranked fourth on the floor, tied for 13th on the vault, tied for 13th on the beam and 16th on the bars.

Lucy Stanhope is tied for No. 6 in the nation on the vault, while Jaedyn Rucker checks in at No. 13. Five different Utah gymnasts are ranked in the top 40 in the nation on the floor and led by Sydney Soloski who is No. 3 in the nation. Malie O'Keefe paces Utah on the beam and is ranked second in the nation.

Up Next
Minnesota will celebrate senior night with a quad meet at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 12 when it hosts Utah State, Temple and LIU.

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Players Mentioned

Gianna Gerdes

Mya Hooten

Ona Loper

Lexy Ramler

Halle Remlinger