At the end of their 2020-2021 season, the University of Minnesota discontinued the men’s gymnastics team as a Division I team due to a lack of budget. But that does not mean the team has not seen success. 

Since they lost their DI status, the team joined the Gymnastics Association of College Teams, or GymACT. This season, the Gophers made it to the 2025 GymACT Eastern Conference championship in Florida.

Not only were they invited, but they ended up winning the conference and becoming the Eastern Conference champions. It was their fourth consecutive Eastern Conference win.

At the end of their 2023-2024 season, the team was moved out of their home gym in the university’s Cooke Hall, only a month after winning a national title.

Due to their lack of a home gym, the team traveled to multiple gyms around the Minneapolis area for the 2024-25 season. 

Owen Frank, a junior on the men’s gymnastics team, said the gyms are around 20-30 minutes away from campus, and having to go to these different gyms is a commute. 

“In the wintertime, it is difficult with the weather,” Frank said. “But we manage.”

The team saw a lot of outside financial support from fans and alumni. This led them to have enough money to begin the process of negotiating for a lease. 

They plan to build their own gym using the equipment they have gathered over the years by the end of the summer. This would allow the whole team to be able to practice together again. 

Sophomore gymnast Paul Acker said that even with everything going on, they know they have each other. 

“We look out for each other,” Acker said. “It’s really when we are together, like when we are traveling, that is when the ambience is. It definitely helps.” 

Head coach Mike Burns has been with the Gophers men’s gymnastics team for 20 years. He was with the team when they were still considered DI and stayed with them after they lost DI status. 

Burns said seeing the success of his team gives him faith in humanity. 

“Adversity is a daily dose of what you are going to get,” Burns said. 

Burns added that as a coach, he likes to make sure his players are able to add skills to their toolbox. He said he wants his gymnasts to have a versatile skill set. 

Many of the players are thankful to have Burns help them throughout their seasons. 

“He has been our rock,” Frank said. “Making sure that everyone is doing what they need to be doing. It doesn’t seem like he ever sleeps because he is just constantly working.”

This story has been updated for clarity.