Gophers to Compete in Quad Meet at Boise State

BOISE, Idaho -- The No. 16 Minnesota women's gymnastics team (10-3, 6-3 B1G) gets back to non-conference competition this weekend with a quad meet at Boise State. UC Davis and Washington will also compete in the meet. Minnesota looks to continue its development as a team to begin a month of March that will see them partake in three straight non-league meets before the Big Ten Championships on Saturday, March 23.

MEET INFORMATION
No. 18 Minnesota at Boise State, vs. UC Davis, vs. Washington
Friday, March 1
8 p.m. CT
ExtraMile Arena
Boise, Idaho
TV/Stream: Mountain West Digital Network
Stats: GopherSports.com.

SCOUTING MINNESOTA

The No. 16 Minnesota women's gymnastics team capped off their Big Ten regular season slate with a 10-3 (6-3 B1G) record after the Big Five meet. They'll finish up their regular season the next three weeks against non-conference competition. That will start this Friday at Boise St., against the Broncos, UC Davis and Washington.
The Gophers roster 19 student-athletes in the 2024 season, led by five-time WCGA All-American and 2023 Big Ten Champion Mya Hooten and First Team All-Big Ten selection Gianna Gerdes. Of those 19, 13 have competed in at least one event this season.
The Gophers added eight newcomers to the fray this season, including seven freshmen and a transfer.
A senior from Woodbury, Minn., Hooten was a 2021/2022 NCAA All-American in floor (first team, 9.500) and vault (second team, 9.9000) and 2023 WCGA Regular Season All-American in floor (first team) and vault (second team). She earned her first NCAA All-America honors in 2021 in floor (first team, 9.950) and vault (second team, 9.8750).
In 2024, Hooten has posted two perfect 10's on floor (vs. EMU, Jan. 13; vs. Michigan, Feb. 10). She's done so eight times in her career. Also this season, she's earned Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week three times (nine times in her career), and has won 11 event titles (five floor, four vault, two uneven bars). She made SportCenter's top-10 plays for her floor performance on Jan. 13 vs. Eastern Michigan. She ranks first in the Big Ten and third in the country on floor this season.
Minnesota earned its road-opening season-best score in program history when it tallied a 196.850 on Jan. 6 at the Mean Girls Super 16 in Las Vegas, Nev. Its best performance of the season came on Feb. 3 at Penn State, with a dazzling score of 197.525.
The Gophers started their season 3-0 with wins in the Super 16 against Oregon State, BYU and Southern Utah. They also hold wins over Eastern Michigan, Iowa, Maryland, Penn State, Illinois, Nebraska and Rutgers.

SCOUTING BOISE ST.

The Boise State Broncos (11-3, 3-0 Mountain West) was picked as the preseason favorite in the Mountain West poll released in December. BSU is led by 14th-year head coach Tina Bird. She's spent the last 30-plus years on the coaching staff, winning nine league championships.
Key returners for Boise State included All-American duo Courtney Blackson and Emily Lopez. Blackson was crowned the national runner-up on vault, posting a 9.925, while Lopez finished 18th on the bars with a score of 9.900. Lopez ranks No. 8 in the country on bars and has received Bars Specialist of the Week honors five times this season.
Boise State holds ranked wins over No. 19 Iowa State (two-times) and No. 16 Nebraska. They fell to No. 4 Utah on Jan. 5.

SCOUTING UC DAVIS

UC Davis (6-3, 3-0 MPSF) is led by second-year head coach Tanya Ho. In her first season at the helm, Ho led the Aggies to their first conference championship since 2015. For her effort, Ho earned MPSF Head Coach of the Year honors.
In 2023, UC Davis earned 18 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation All-Conference honors, most notably Amelia Moneymaker's Freshman of the Year award. The team had 10 first team all-conference selections and eight second team choices.
UC Davis scored their highest score of the season so far with a 196.275 against San Jose State on Feb. 9. They hold wins this year against Sacramento State, Alaska Anchorage (twice), Gustavus Adolphus, Air Force and Centenary.

SCOUTING WASHINGTON

Washington is led by third-year head coach Jen Llewellyn. During the 2023 season, she led the GymDawgs to their first NCAA Regional Final since 2018. The team earned a 196.775, their second highest team score of the year, in the second round of the L.A. Regionals to advance to the Regional Final for the first time in five years. Llewellyn joined UW after nine years leading Lindenwood to multiple Division II national championships.
The Huskies are paced by senior Skylar Killough-Wilhelm. The 2022 First Team All-Pac-12 selection is the No. 21 all-around gymnast in the country entering this week. She ranks No. 17 in beam and wass named the Pac-12 Coaches Choice of the Week on Feb. 13 after helping the Huskies to a new season-high team score and earning three 9.9+ scores.
So far in 2024, Washington is 1-11 (0-5 Pac-12). They defeated San Jose State at the Super 16 in Las Vegas, but have been defeated in each of their other 11 matchups. UW's season-high score is 196.500, which it hit twice. Most recently, the Huskies had a score of 196.500 at Arizona State.d.

WEEK SEVEN STANDOUTS; LAST TIME OUT

The No. 15 University of Minnesota women's gymnastics team (10-3, 6-3 B1G) finished in third place on Friday evening at the Big Five meet inside Rec Hall on the campus of Penn State University. No. 8 Michigan State (197.275) took first while No. 14 Ohio State (197.000) placed second. Minnesota (196.900) preceded No. 23 Nebraska (195.725), who was fourth, and Rutgers (195.275) placed fifth.
Minnesota's floor score led the way with a 49.450. The Gophers tallied a 49.250 on the uneven bars, 49.175 on beam and a 49.025 on vault. The Gophers won the best bars and beam team scores and finished third on floor.
Mya Hooten took home another event title on the floor with a 9.975, her sixth of the year on the event. She holds 12 total event titles in 2024.
Ella Sirjord and Mya Hooten paced the Gophers with 9.900s on bars while freshman Jordyn Lyden was right on their heels with a 9.875. On beam, the Gophers finished off with a 49.175, paced by Katie Horak and Ella Sirjord (9.875.
On floor, Gianna Gerdes nailed a 9.900. Emily Koch totaled a 9.875 while Seria Johnson and Lauren Pearl tallied 9.850s.

LAST SEASON

The 'U' is coming off a 2023 season that saw it post a 10-6-1 (4-4-1 Big Ten) meet record, finishing fifth in the regular season standings. The Gophers went on to finish third at the Big Ten Championships (197.250) and fifth at the NCAA Regionals (197.200). They will be looking to qualify for nationals for the third time in the last four seasons in 2024.

GOPHERS HISTORY AT BIG FIVE

In the 10 years since the Big Ten has been using Big Five's as the Big Ten Championships qualifier, Minnesota has finished first twice, second twice, third four times and fourth twice. Their best ever score was 197.425 in 2016, clinching their third ever Big Ten regular season title.
2024: 3rd (196.900): Mya Hooten won the floor event title with a 9.975. Minnesota finished third behind MSU (197.200) and OSU (197.000). Minnesota clinched a fourth place finish in the Big Ten regular season standings with its performance last weekend.
2023: 4th (195.800): Senior Maddie Quarles received a perfect 10 on vault, the first of her career and 6th Gopher to record a 10 on vault.
2022: 3rd (196.500): Lexy Ramler won the all-around (39.575) and T-1st on beam (9.950). Mya Hooten claimed the top spot on the floor (9.975).
2021: 1st (197.375): Lexy Ramler broke her own Gophers all-around record with a 39.850. Her previous record was 39.725. The new program-best score was highlighted by her first career perfect 10 on vault. Shhe scored a 9.925 or higher on each event and won every event title.
2020: 2nd (196.650): Lexy Ramler took home the balance beam title for Minnesota.
2019: 2nd (196.700): Lexy Ramler took third in the all-around competition with her score of 39.450.
2018: 3rd (195.150): Ramler won a share of the all-around title with a 39.450. Ivy Lu won the bars title and Williams won a share of the floor title.
2017: 4th (194.825): Bailey Holst earned gold in the all-around competition, posting a 39.425. The score marked a personal record as well.
2016: 1st (197.425): Senior Hanna Nordquist notched a perfect 10.00 on the balance beam to earn the event title. Fellow senior Lindsay Mable tied for first for the floor exercise and finished second in the all-around with a final tally of 39.500.

SENIOR STARS LEADING MAROON AND GOLD

Minnesota's class of five seniors has been leading the way for the team's success so far this season. The Gophers group of Gianna Gerdes (all-around), Mya Hooten (vault, beam, floor), Katie Horak (beam), Emily Koch (beam, floor) and Ella Sirjord (bars, beam) have combined for 24 event titles in 2024. Hooten leads the way with 12 while Gerdes has tallied nine (five all-around titles).
Seniors Katie Horak and Ella Sirjord, who have both battled through injuries in their careers, have been healthy and extremely effective in their fourth seasons as Gophers. Horak and Sirjord both tallied career-best 9.950 scores on beam at Penn State in the Gophers meet win.
Emily Koch earned an event title on floor Jan. 27 against Maryland. She's gone 9.900-or-better on floor in three of the past four meets.

WCGA AND ROAD TO NATIONALS RANKINGS

Entering March, the Golden Gophers fell one spot to No. 16 in the Road to Nationals rankings. The 'U' ranks 10th in the nation in floor, 13th in beam, 21st in vault and 22nd in bars.
Minnesota's Gianna Gerdes ranks 17th in the nation in all-around. Mya Hooten ranks 2nd in floor and 18th in vault. Brooklyn Rowray was ranked No. 1 in the country on beam after posting a 9.975 on Jan. 6. She hasn't competed since then after suffering an achilles injury on Jan. 13.
Minnesota began the 2024 season ranked No. 18 in the WCGA Preseason poll. The 'U' is coming off a 2023 season that saw it go 10-6-1 (4-4-1 Big Ten), finishing fifth in the conference standings. The 'U' finished third at the Big Ten Championships (197.250) and fifth at the NCAA Regionals (197.200). They will be looking to qualify for nationals for the third time in the last four seasons in 2024.
The Gophers ended 2023 ranked No. 18 in the nation, including a No. 12 rank in floor, 14th in vault, 19th in bars and 40th on beam.

LYDEN LOOKING LIKE A FUTURE STAR

True freshman Jordyn Lyden has been outstanding in her rookie year in the Maroon and Gold. The Stillwater, Minn., native competes on both bars and beam. Her 9.863 bars average leads the team.
Lyden has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice this season, including on Feb. 6 after tallying a career-best 9.975 on bars at Penn State. Her score tied a program-record. No Minnesota Golden Gopher has ever earned a perfect 10 on bars.
She has not been a mainstay on beam for the team, but stepped in last week and delivered a career-best 9.875 outing Feb. 18 at Illinois.

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UP NEXT
Minnesota heads to No. 8 Alabama for a quad meet on Friday, March 8 at 7 p.m. CT. Also competing will be Illinois and Talladega College. The Gophers will celebrate Senior Night on Sunday, March 17 when Air Force, Northern Illinois and West Virginia come to town for a quad meet.

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Players Mentioned

Gianna Gerdes

Mya Hooten

Katie Horak

Seria Johnson

Emily Koch

Jordyn Lyden

Lauren Pearl

Maddie Quarles

Brooklyn Rowray

Ella Sirjord