No. 15 Gophers Set for 2024 Big Ten Championships

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The No. 15 Minnesota women's gymnastics team is getting set for the 2024 Big Ten Championships in East Lansing, Mich. Minnesota is in the night session, which begins at 5:30 ET/4:30 p.m. CT and BTN will televise. Also in Minnesota's session are No. 9 Michigan State, No. 10 Michigan and No. 16 Ohio State. The bottom six teams in the Big Ten standings will compete in the early session, which begins at noon ET/11 a.m. CT. The Gophers will be looking to win their seventh Big Ten title all-time and first since 2021.

MEET INFORMATION
No. 15 Minnesota vs. No. 9 Michigan State, No. 10 Michigan, No. 16 Ohio State
2024 Big Ten Championships
Saturday, March 23, 2024
5:40 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT
Jenison Fieldhouse
East Lansing, Mich.
TV/Stream: BTN
Stats: GopherSports.com.

EVENT ROTATION ORDER
Minnesota: Bars-Beam-Floor-Vault
Michigan State: Floor-Vault-Bars-Beam
Michigan: Vault-Bars-Beam-Floor
Ohio State: Beam-Floor-Vault-Bars

SCOUTING MINNESOTA

The No. 15 Minnesota women's gymnastics team capped off their regular season with a 16-6 (6-3 B1G) record, their most wins since the 2019 season and the second-most all-time in the 10 years of Jenny Hansen's tenure (18-4 in 2019).
The Gophers finished fourth in the B1G regular season standings with a 6-3 league record. Minnesota will compete in the night session (5:30 p.m. ET) this weekend at the Big Ten Championships in East Lansing, Mich. They'll look to win their seventh Big Ten title all time and first since 2021.
Nine different Gophers have won event titles at some point this season. Hooten (15) and Gerdes (12) lead the way.
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 five times (11 times in her career), and has won 15 event titles (eight floor, five 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.
The Gophers best performance of the season came this weekend in their senior day quad with a dazzling 197.725. They've gone over 197 four times in 2024, including Feb. 3 at Penn State (197.525), March 8 at Alabama (197.400) and Feb. 10 against Michigan (197.175).
The 'U' holds wins over Oregon State, BYU, Southern Utah, Eastern Michigan, Iowa, Maryland, Penn State, Illinois (2x), Nebraska, Rutgers, Talladega College, UC Davis, Air Force, Northern Illinois and West Va. this year.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE

The No. 9 Michigan State Spartans (18-3, 9-0 B1G) are having a banner year under head coach Mike Rowe. MSU's 5-0 start matched its best start to conference action since 1996. MSU captured its second-straight Big Ten regular season title at the Big Five Meet.
A program-record seven Spartans were named to the All-Big Ten teams this week, including four first team selections.
In their final regular season home meet two weeks back, MSU totaled a season-high 198.150 score, which was the second-best tally in school history. The Spartans will be looking to repeat as Big Ten champions this weekend. They finished 10th in Rowe's first year in 2018 and have steadily improved, finishing eighth in 2019, fourth in 2020, 3rd in 2022 and then first last year.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN

No. 10 Michigan (10-6, 8-1 B1G) is led by 34th-year head coach Bev Plocki. She's led them to 26 B1G titles, which is the most by any coach, in any sport, in B1G history. The 11-time B1G Coach of the Year led the team to the 2021 national title, the program's first. Michigan will be looking to win the Big Ten championship for the seventh time in eight years this weekend in East Lansing.
The Wolverines entered the 2024 season as the No. 6 ranked team in the WCGA Preseason Poll and was picked to win the Big Ten Championship after capturing its 27th title in 2023. Graduate seniors Sierra Brooks and Gabby Wilson made their returns for a fifth year. Brooks was the 2023 AAI Award winner and a seven-time WCGA First Team All-America honoree, while Wilson is a four-time WCGA All-American.
Michigan finished second at Big Five's behind only Michigan State. The Wolverines had four All-Big Ten selections in 2024, including three first team honorees in Carly Bauman, Sierra Brooks and Gabby Wilson. Brooks and Wilson have now earned five First Team All-Big Ten honors.

SCOUTING OHIO STATE

The No. 16 Ohio State Buckeyes (9-3, 7-2 B1G) have their sights set on their highest finish at the Big Ten Championships since 2012 this weekend. They've finished no better than fourth in any of the last 11 seasons.
They're led by eighth-year head coach Meredith Paulicivic, who became the fifth coach in the program's history in 2017. Last year, Ohio State earned a program-record 197.750 at the NCAA Regional Final.
Ohio State had four student-athletes represented on the All-Big Ten teams this year. Payton Harris and Tory Vetter were First Team All-Big Ten and Ella Hodges and Nicole Riccardi earn Second Team All-Big Ten honors.

WEEK 11 STANDOUTS; LAST TIME OUT

The No. 16 University of Minnesota women's gymnastics team (16-6, 6-3 B1G) finished their regular season by going 3-0 in their senior day quad meet. The Gophers posted a season-best score of 197.725, a number that tied for the sixth-highest score ever at the 'U'.
On individual events, Minnesota posted its best beam score (49.625) and floor score (49.675) of the season, including their third best all-time in beam and fifth best in floor.
Sarah Moraw took home the vault event title with a score of 9.900 while Jordyn Lyden won on bars (9.925). Emily Koch and Lauren Pearl (9.950) tied for the beam title while Mya Hooten posted her ninth career perfect 10 to win the floor title, her 47th career event title.
Koch posted career-highs on both beam and floor (9.950) while Pearl earned another career-best on beam (9.950). Lyden posted her second score on bars over 9.900 this season.

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 TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Minnesota has won six Big Ten Championships in program history (1988, 1989, 1991, 1998, 2006, 2021). Minnesota's last Big Ten title came at home inside Maturi Pavilion. In 2006, the Gophers won the title in East Lansing, Mich.
In coach Hansen's 10 years in charge of the program, the Gophers have finished in the top five at Big Ten's five times. Minnesota took home its first Big Ten title in 15 years in 2021 (197.750). Last year they took third and in 2022 they placed fourth.
Senior Mya Hooten has won two Big Ten floor titles (2022, 2023) and a Big Ten vault title (2023). Former Gopher Lindsay Mable (2013-16) holds the Minnesota record for most Big Ten titles with eight while Lexy Ramler (2018-22) holds seven.

HOOTEN AND LYDEN EARN BIG TEN WEEKLY AWARDS

Minnesota senior Mya Hooten was named Big Ten Co-Event Specialist of the Week while rookie Jordyn Lyden was named Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week on Tuesday. It's Hooten's fifth time this season (11 times in her career) and Lyden's third time this season being selected.
On senior day at Maturi Pavilion, Mya Hooten delivered an all-time performance, capturing her ninth career perfect 10 on the floor. She also went 9.875 on vault and 9.850 on bars.
Jordyn Lyden took home an event title on bars Sunday in Minnesota's quad meet with a score of 9.925. It was her second event title this season and second-highest bars score (9.975 on Feb. 3).

FOUR GOPHERS EARN ALL-BIG TEN ACCOLADES

Gopher gymnasts Gianna Gerdes, Mya Hooten, Lauren Pearl and Ella Sirjord were named to the All-Big Ten teams, the conference announced. Hooten and Gerdes made the first team while Pearl and Sirjord were named to the second team.
Gerdes, a Delaware, Ohio native, takes home her second consecutive First Team All-Big Ten honor. Gerdes holds 11 event titles this season, including six in the all-around. Her 39.452 all-around average puts her at No. 4 in the Big Ten and No. 23 nationally. She earned a career-high 39.575 in the all-around on March 1 at Boise State, topping her previous career-best of 39.525.
Mya Hooten has earned her fourth consecutive All-Big Ten honor, including her third first team accolade. Hooten currently ranks as the No. 2 floor gymnast in the country with a 9.945 average. She's tallied three perfect 10's this season and has gone 9.95-or-better on the event seven times in 11 meets. Hooten has collected 15 event titles in 2024, including eight on floor, five on vault and two on the uneven bars.
Milford, Mass., native Lauren Pearl took home Second Team All-Big Ten honors after a banner junior season that saw her post averages of 9.889 on floor, 9.823 on beam and 9.793 on vault. She has earned career-highs in each event this year, including two 9.950s on floor, a 9.950 on beam (March 17) and two 9.875s on vault. Pearl was named Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week on March 12.
A senior out of Andover, Minn., Ella Sirjord has had a wonderful final season in the Maroon and Gold, capped with Second Team All-Big Ten honors. Sirjord had battled through injury throughout her career and had not competed in non-exhibitions before 2024. She has been a mainstay on both the uneven bars and balance beam for Minnesota, winning three beam event titles and has gone 9.900-or-better four different times.

WCGA AND ROAD TO NATIONALS RANKINGS

Entering this weekend's meet, the Golden Gophers went up one spot to No. 15 in the Road to Nationals rankings. The 'U' ranks 9th in the nation on beam, 11th on the floor, 20th in vault and 22nd on bars.
Minnesota's Gianna Gerdes ranks 23rd in the nation in all-around. Mya Hooten ranks 2nd in floor and 17th 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.

NEW FACILITY BREAKS GROUND THIS WEEK

At its June 2023 meeting, the University of Minnesota Board of Regents approved for Athletics to proceed with the construction of a new gymnastics performance center. Construction on the $15.5 million project started this week and will be completed by January 2025.
The Minnesota gymnasts and coaches headed out to the construction site for the unofficial groundbreaking on Tuesday.

UP NEXT
The NCAA Regionals Selection Show is set for Monday, March 25 at 11 a.m. CT on NCAA.com. The Gophers will be placed in one of four regions, which are set to begin the first weekend of April.

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Players Mentioned

Gianna Gerdes

Mya Hooten

Emily Koch

Jordyn Lyden

Sarah Moraw

Lauren Pearl

Brooklyn Rowray

Ella Sirjord