Gophers soccer dropped their second match this season on Sunday evening after Michigan State scored a late goal to win 2-1.

“We are disappointed with today’s loss,” Gophers head coach Erin Chastain said. “I think coming out of the weekend 1-1, we’ll focus on that. We’ll also focus on a really tough Rutgers team on Thursday and get back to work on the training field.”

Early in the match, at the 10-minute mark, Michigan State’s Bella Jodzis received a wide-open cross in a high danger area just outside the six-yard box and fired a low shot toward the Gophers’ goal. However, junior goalkeeper Megan Plaschko positioned herself well and made a massive right-foot kick save to keep the match scoreless.

Just minutes before halftime, the referees awarded Michigan State a penalty kick after senior Delaney Stekr challenged MJ Andrus inside the right side of the box, causing her to be off-balance and eventually fall over near the Gophers’ goal-line.

Michigan State’s Zivana Labovic took the penalty kick and fired the ball with her right foot into the right side of the net to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead. Plaschko predicted the shot by diving to her left, but it was out of her reach.

The Spartans went into halftime with a 1-0 lead, leading the Gophers in shots at 9-7 and corners at 3-1.

In the second half, the Gophers continued to find opportunities and eventually found the back of the net with 10 minutes remaining in the match.

Senior Patricia Ward (secondary assist) played a corner kick quickly to senior McKenna Buisman (primary assist) outside the left side of the box. Then Buisman crossed the ball just outside the six-yard box to find wide-open junior Izzy Brown, who one-touched the ball into the top left corner of the goal to score her fifth goal this season and tie the match at 1-1.

“Proud that with 10 minutes left, we tied it up,” Chastain said. “It was a great goal and executed really well.”

Three minutes later, at the 83-minute mark, senior Megan Gray had a chance inside the box, but Michigan State goalkeeper Lauren Kozal wrapped the ball up to keep the game tied.

It seemed like the momentum was in the Gophers’ favor. However, less than a minute later, the Spartans came on the counter-attack.

Raegan Cox crossed the ball into the middle of the box to find Andrus, who struck the loose ball into the back of the net after a Gophers miscommunication on the defensive end to give Michigan State a 2-1 lead with just six minutes left on the clock.

Andrus’ goal would be the eventual match-winner for Michigan State as the goal came late and the Gophers could not find an answer.

The Gophers (5-2-3) will return home to take on Rutgers (7-2) at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 30, at 6 p.m.

“It’s a great group,” Chastain said on Rutgers. “This year, they have typically had really good responses, so we’ll expect the same next week.”

Gophers soccer (4-1-3) lost to the Wisconsin Badgers (6-1-2) 2-1 on Saturday night, dropping their first match this season.

“I think we saw some really good moments of soccer tonight from our team,” Gophers head coach Erin Chastain said. “I didn’t think we defended our box as well as we have…it is early in Big Ten play, and certainly we are disappointed in the loss. We will learn from it and be a better team because of it come Thursday [against Ohio State].”

The Gophers got off to a fast start, courtesy of junior Izzy Brown, who scored her third goal of the season unassisted just 10 minutes into the match.

Brown won a contested ball near midfield, sprinted down the left side of the pitch, and sent a cross into the box, which ended up being deflected into the back right corner of the net by a Badgers defender.

Just minutes later, at the 14-minute mark, the Badgers responded with a goal of their own. Emma Jaskaniec found space in the middle of the box and fired a shot off her left foot into the upper left half of the net.

Jaskaniec’s equalizer marks the first time the Gophers have conceded a goal this season and ends junior goalkeeper Megan Plaschko’s shutout streak, which she held for more than 679 minutes of action.

The match played quickly and physically for much of the remaining time in the first half, as both teams had six fouls and the Badgers led the Gophers in shots (4-1) and corner kicks (4-2).

Right out of the gate, the Gophers saw early chances in the second half. Brown had a chance just inside the top right corner of the box as she fired a left-foot shot toward the bottom left of the net (54-minute mark). Senior Megan Gray also connected on a header from a lofted crossed ball from senior McKenna Buisman at the 62-minute mark.
The Gophers continued to create opportunities in the second half as sophomore Sophia Boman fired a shot from inside the box after a pass from sophomore Maddie Baker at the 76-minute mark. However, Wisconsin’s Jordyn Bloomer continued to shut down everything that went her way.

With just under ten minutes remaining in the match, Jenna Kiraly scored the match-winning goal for the Badgers at the 81-minute mark. She controlled a pass from the right side of the pitch inside the box as she spun around and fired a shot to the upper left corner of the net to give Wisconsin the 2-1 lead.

In a match full of back and forth action, the Gophers were without star graduate student right back Makenzie Langdok. Her absence from the lineup remains undisclosed.

Senior Patricia Ward filled in for Langdok at right-back, marking the first adjustment to the Gophers’ backline this season.

“P [Patricia Ward] stepped in, did an awesome job, embraced the opportunity to play there to help the team, and that’s what we needed from her,” Chastain said. “It’s hard to do [step in] when the backline is such a unit, and they get used to how each other play, so [I’m] proud of her effort.”

The Gophers will travel to Columbus, Ohio, to take on Ohio State University for their second Big Ten matchup this season on Thursday, Sept. 23, at 6 p.m.

Gophers soccer drew 0-0 against the University of Nebraska-Omaha Thursday night, extending their undefeated shutout streak to a program-record six matches this season as they now hold a 3-0-3 record.

“We knew this match would be challenging after we watched how Nebraska struggled to break them down because of the numbers they had defending,” Gophers head coach Erin Chastain said after the win. “We are really proud of the team to post another shutout on the road. We look forward to getting back home on Sunday to end our non-conference season against North Dakota.”

Although the Gophers could not find the back of the net through extra time, they got off to another quick start and possessed the ball for much of the match. They had more shots (18-8) and shots on goal (6-3) than the Mavericks.

At the 11-minute mark, senior Patricia Ward dribbled down the right side of the field and passed the ball across to senior McKenna Buisman, catching her in stride, but she shot the ball just wide of the right post.

Arguably, the Gophers’ best scoring chance of the match came at the 19-minute mark. Buisman dribbled her way toward the outside of the box and fired a high, blazing shot at the middle-upper half of the net, but Mavericks goalkeeper Mia Reedtz Rehde Olesen blocked it just enough to deflect the ball off the top of the crossbar.

In the first overtime, the Mavericks were awarded a free kick outside of the box. Nebraska-Omaha’s Regan Zimmers sent a sizzling shot toward Plaschko, but she leaped up to deflect the ball, make the glove save, and keep her shutout streak alive.

Plaschko, who now leads the NCAA in shutouts, made three saves in the match to help the Gophers earn their sixth consecutive shutout. She is the only goalkeeper in the Big Ten not to concede a goal this season.
The Gophers will look to extend their undefeated shutout streak on the season as they take on the University of North Dakota (2-2-0) on Sunday, Sept. 12, at 1 p.m. at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium.

Gophers women’s gymnastics star Lexy Ramler won the AAI Award, the American Athletic, Inc. (AAI) announced Wednesday during the AAI Award Ceremony.

“It is such an honor to be the recipient of the AAI Award and be included in such an incredible group of athletes,” Ramler said in a press release. “There are so many talented individuals in NCAA gymnastics, so to be grouped in this category means so much to me. We have all worked so hard and have had such unique experiences. I am incredibly grateful for this honor.”

The AAI Award, voted on by NCAA women’s gymnastics head coaches, recognizes the most outstanding senior female gymnast in the country. It’s one of the top accolades given in women’s gymnastics.

Ramler, a native of St. Michael, Minnesota, earned this honor after a magnificent senior season. Most notably, she was the recipient of the Big Ten Gymnast of the Year title for the third consecutive year. She was the Big Ten Champion on the bars, beam and in the all-around.

Throughout the year, Ramler was a source of greatness for the Gophers. She won an astounding 31 individual event titles, was named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week six times, scored a perfect 10 on the beam and the vault and set a new Gophers program record in the all-around with a 39.850 along the way.

In the NCAA National Semifinals, Ramler tied for No. 5 on the beam, No. 14 on the vault, No. 17 on the bars, No. 40 on the floor and No. 11 in the all-around.

Ramler finished the 2021 season tied for No. 1 in the nation on the beam (9.975 NQS), No. 3 on the bars (9.963 NQS), tied for No. 5 on the vault (9.950 NQS), tied for No. 28 on the floor (9.925 NQS) and tied for No. 2 in the all-around (39.756 NQS).

Ramler has tallied more than 1,850 career points in her standout University of Minnesota career. She was recently named an All-American on the beam and earned second-team honors for the bars, the vault and the all-around.

The 2020 gymnastics season was cut short due to COVID-19. As a result, the NCAA has allowed all athletes the option to take on an extra year of eligibility. Ramler is currently undecided about her future.

Other finalists for the AAI Award include: Alyssa Baumann (Florida), Anastasia Webb (Oklahoma), Lynnzee Brown (Denver), Nia Dennis (UCLA) and Kyana George (California).

The No. 8 Gophers women’s gymnastics team put together back-to-back dominating performances over the weekend at the Athens Regional to advance to the NCAA National Championship for the first time since 2016.

“What a rush! We fought all the way to the end and put our hearts on the floor,” senior Lexy Ramler said on Saturday night. “We couldn’t do it without each one of us. When we found out we advanced [to nationals], it was pure joy from all our hard work from this unpredictable year. This is such a special memory in my heart. We are going to nationals!”

Led by Ramler, the Gophers dominated from the beginning of the second round on Friday evening to the end in the regional final on Saturday night. Across both days, the Gophers had a plethora of career-highs from many of their athletes. The team is currently competing at its best, and it could not be coming at a better time.

“We are so proud of the way the team fought until the very end,” Gophers head coach Jenny Hansen said after the team advanced. “We are so excited for our team and this tremendous accomplishment.

Gophers take first place in the second round on Friday evening

Scoring a team total of 197.625, the Gophers earned their second-highest score in program history to take first place in the second round and advance to the Athens Regional Final alongside Denver.

All-around performers Ramler and senior Ona Loper had magnificent evening performances, taking care of business as usual for the Gophers. They combined for a whopping score of 79.325 and collectively took home all of the competition’s event titles.

Ramler won the all-around title by scoring a total of 39.775, the second-highest score in Gophers program history. She also took home the bars and beam titles after scoring 9.950 on both events.

The biggest of moments never seem to faze the Big Ten Gymnast of the Year. Even though Ramler is consistent as ever, she thrives under pressure. She also tied her season-high score on the floor with a 9.925.

Loper is one of the nation’s best vaulters and proved this to be true Friday by earning the vault title after scoring a perfect 10. She has accomplished this feat for the second time this season and the third time in her career.

Literal

Ona Loper earned her THIRD career perfect 10 with this beautiful vault! pic.twitter.com/cmIRUhY1mQ

— Minnesota Women’s Gym (@GopherWGym) April 2, 2021

“Today was so much fun,” Loper said Friday. “Every time I compete with these girls, it reminds me why I love this sport so much. I am so proud of the fight and passion that this team brings.”

Along with earning the vault title, Loper also earned a share of the floor title after an incredible performance that scored her a 9.950, which ties her career-best.

The Gophers got off to a great start after their three seasoned veterans on the beam led the team to score a total of 49.350. Outside of Ramler’s 9.950, Loper scored 9.875 and redshirt senior beam specialist Mary Korlin-Downs scored 9.850. Freshman Emily Koch and junior Tiarre Sales rounded out the Gophers’ beam team lineup, scoring 9.850 and 9.825, respectively.

After the beam team’s impressive start, the Gophers floor team built on the early momentum and did not look back by garnering many personal high scores and scoring a team total of 49.500. Outside of Ramler and Loper, the never failing to be energetic freshman, Mya Hooten, scored 9.900.

Junior Abbie Nylin put up a career performance on the Gophers’ floor team, scoring a career-high 9.850, while sophomore Mallory LeNeave tied her career-best by scoring 9.875.

The Gophers’ vault team continued to feed off the impressive performances from the first two rotations. With the help of Loper’s perfect 10 and Ramler’s 9.950, the vault team tied the program’s second-highest score of 49.525. Hooten tied her career-high 9.900, redshirt sophomore Maddie Quarles scored 9.900 and freshman Gianna Gerdes finished out the event with 9.775.

To seal the first-place finish in the second round, the No. 5 Gophers’ bars team scored a team total of 49.250 and showed why they belong high in the nation’s ranks.

Gophers take second place in the regional final Saturday

Picking up right where they left off Friday, the Gophers scored a team total of 197.425 to finish in second place behind Florida’s 197.700 and advance to the NCAA National Championship.

“They never gave up, they never gave in,” Hansen said. “Day two is harder than day one. But they used their adrenaline and they knew that they could do this. We are just so, so proud of them.”

Ramler followed up her magnificent performances from Friday with many more by scoring a total of 39.675 to finish in second place in the all-around. Week by week, Ramler continues to make a case as to why she should win the AAI Award, which is considered the “Heisman Trophy” of women’s gymnastics.

Opposite of the second round, the Gophers opened up the regional finals with their superb bars team. They once again showed the nation why they are ranked fifth by scoring a total of 49.325 to get the team rolling early in the biggest meet of the season so far.

The seasoned veterans performed well once again for the Gophers. Ramler led the way, scoring 9.925. Senior bars specialist Hannah Willmarth did not disappoint, scoring 9.850. Loper rounded out the vets’ scores by adding 9.825.

After the bars’ team got the Gophers off to a strong start, the beam team put up a tremendous total of 49.500 to put them in the lead after two rotations. Hansen decided to keep the beam lineup the same as it was in the second round.

Ramler anchored for the beam team and scored a massive 9.950 to tie for the individual event title. Korlin-Downs and Sales matched each other’s scores at 9.925, while Koch and senior Lexi Montgomery also tied each other’s scores at 9.850.

After the momentous performance from the beam team, the floor team suffered from two mistakes that dropped the Gophers from first place into third place, heading into the final rotation of the meet even though LeNeave beat her career-high from Friday by scoring 9.925.

When two errors happen in the same event, it is challenging to win meets or make the top two cuts, especially in regionals, because each team can drop only the worst score throughout every event. Two mistakes can be the difference between advancing or not.

The Gophers were now on the outside looking in and needed a huge total from their vault team. They were trailing Denver by 0.100, which can be tough to make up in one rotation.

However, the vault team put up the best score of any Gophers lineup Friday, so Hansen decided to keep the same lineup. All the pressure was now on sophomore Kate Grotenhuis, Gerdes, Hooten, Ramler, Loper and Quarles.

The vault team needed to replicate their performances from Friday to give the Gophers a chance to keep their road to nationals dreams alive. They did just that by posting a team total of 49.450, which was enough to overcome their 0.100 deficit to Denver as the Pioneers made a few costly mistakes in their final rotation on the vault, even though senior Lynnzee Brown scored a perfect 10.

Grotenhuis and Gerdes scored matching 9.850s, which were career-highs for both of them, while Hooten scored an incredible 9.950, which was also a career-high. The young guns for the Gophers put up career performances when their team needed it the most. They shined in one of the most significant moments of their careers.

The duo of Ramler and Loper finished out the miraculous comeback for the Gophers by scoring matching 9.900s.

“We knew where we were, but we also knew what event we were finishing on and we are great on that event [vault],” Hansen said. “We had a lot of confidence and we built those girls up to really believe and go after it on vault. We were just so thrilled with how they finished the night.”

Final results from Athens Regional

First: No. 1 Florida – 197.700

Second: No. 8 Gophers – 197.425

Third: No. 9 Denver – 197.275

Fourth: No. 26 North Carolina State – 196.150

What’s up next

The No. 8 Gophers women’s gymnastics team will take on No. 1 Florida, No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 California in the first semifinal of the NCAA National Championship on Friday, April 16, at 12 p.m. on ESPN 2.

“We can compete with anybody, and I think tonight just reaffirms that,” Hansen said. “When we’re firing on all cylinders, we do think we can compete with anyone in the country.”

The No. 10 Gophers men’s gymnastics team finished in sixth place in the Big Ten Championships Saturday night after scoring 395.950 in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The No. 2 Michigan Wolverines took home the championships title with a score of 411.000, while all of the other six Big Ten teams competing finished within just 3.1 points of each other.

The No. 4 Nebraska Cornhuskers finished in second place with 398.000 points, while the No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes finished in seventh place with 394.9
00 points. Outside of the Wolverines, the meet was incredibly close.

“This was one of the closest Big Ten Championships from second to seventh place I’ve seen in a long time,” Gophers head coach Mike Burns said. “In a meet like this, you have to conserve as many tenths of a point as possible. When you finish 2.050 points out of second place and count five missed routines, you can’t expect to finish near the top. We still have two weeks of life in our program and this team will fight to the very end.”

Shane Wiskus’ superb performance

Senior Shane Wiskus dominated the competition for the Gophers. He scored an all-around total of 84.700 and was named the Big Ten Co-All-Around Champion alongside Michigan’s Cameron Bock. He is the first Gopher since John Roethlisberger in 1993 to earn the all-around conference title.

Your 2021 Big Ten Co-All-Around Champion, Shane Wiskus!

All-Around: 84.700 (T-1st)
Floor Exercise: 14.750 (1st)
Pommel Horse: 13.400 (T-9th)
Still Rings: 13.700 (T-5th)
Vault: 14.400 (T-7th)
Parallel Bars: 14.400 (1st)
High Bar: 14.050 (1st) pic.twitter.com/XKB0dl3Ck7

— Minnesota Men’s Gym (@GopherMGym) April 4, 2021

Wiskus won three other individual event titles on the floor (14.750), parallel bars (14.400) and high bar (14.050). He is the first gymnast since 2000 to win four event titles, including the all-around, at the Big Ten Championships.

Following the championships’ conclusion, Wiskus was also named the Big Ten Gymnast of the Championships and a member of the All-Big Ten first team.

“What can I say about Shane Wiskus? He finished with four Big Ten titles,” Burns said. “What a night for the kid from Spring Park, Minnesota. He’s in a class by himself. He helped this team tremendously tonight by virtue of the ice water in his veins. It’s so nice to see what a great talent the University of Minnesota will be losing at the end of this historic season.”

The total of 84.700 also marked a new career-high in the all-around for Wiskus. His previous career-high came in 2020 against Illinois when he scored 84.600.

Show us a better gymnast than Shane Wiskus.

We’ll wait. pic.twitter.com/uts8g2Zv9A

— Minnesota Men’s Gym (@GopherMGym) April 4, 2021

Moran and Bold competed in the all-around

Junior Mike Moran and sophomore Crew Bold also competed in the all-around. Moran finished in 10th place with a total score of 78.150, while Bold finished in 16th place with 74.600.

Bold had a massive performance for the Gophers on the still rings. He finished in second place with a score of 13.900, only 0.100 behind the first-place finisher Bock. Ultimately, Bold earned a spot on the All-Big Ten second team.

The vault team shined

In a meet where the Gophers suffered from some missed routines and missed opportunities, the vault team posted the best team score out of any lineup with a total of 70.000.

Three Gophers gymnasts scored over 14.000 points. Wiskus led the way with 14.400, while Moran and junior Ben Eyles scored 14.300 and 14.250. Senior Colton Dee and junior Garrett Kasiski rounded out the Gophers’ vault team, scoring 13.900 and 13.150.

What’s up next

The Gophers are heading back home to Minneapolis for the final time as a program to host the 2021 NCAA National Championships on April 16-17 at Maturi Pavilion.

Minnesota junior Matt Sullivan made his return to the pommel horse lineup for the Gophers men’s gymnastics team to compete over the past two meets after having surgeries on both of his elbows over this past winter.

In October 2020, during practice, Sullivan began to have severe pain in his hands and fingers. He knew the nerve issues he was experiencing needed to be looked at by a doctor.

“My hands got really, really cold,” Sullivan said. “It felt like I put my hands in snow. It was just really weird symptoms.”

While experiencing sharp nerve and elbow pain, Sullivan also suffered from weakness in his hands, a significant loss of grip strength and a tingling, numb sensation from his elbow to his fingers.

Sullivan quickly got referred to hand therapy, where they created a brace for his elbow after a couple of visits. However, the nerve issues he was still experiencing remained unsolved.

In early November 2020, the Gophers gymnastics team had to quarantine due to a couple of positive COVID-19 cases. The quarantine process delayed Sullivan’s ability to seek more help as his elbow issues continued to linger.

After finishing quarantine, Sullivan sought out the help he needed by visiting the team’s doctor before Thanksgiving. This visit is where he heard devastating news from the team doctor: His Gopher gymnastics career would be over.

“The team doctor basically said I would be done for the season,” Sullivan said. “She was going to refer me to specialists and that I would need surgery.”

Hearing these words was when Sullivan began to realize that his Gopher career was coming to an even quicker end after the University decided to cut the men’s gymnastics program following the 2020-21 season last fall.

A mighty decision

Following the crushing news from the team doctor, Sullivan had a decision to make: One of the team’s protocols was if an athlete chose to go home for Thanksgiving break, they could not participate with the team until the end of Christmas break.

However, the decision came quickly; it was a no-brainer for Sullivan to return to his hometown of Aurora, Illinois, to have his elbow surgery.

Sullivan wanted to spend time with his family, and he would not be practicing with the team anyways. He would need time after his surgery to recover, and his parents were also recovering from COVID-19 at the time.

The road to recovery

On Dec. 12, 2020, Sullivan had surgery on his left elbow after his surgeon agreed with the specialists that it was necessary to fix his nerve issues. Sullivan would undergo an anterior ulnar nerve transposition, which moves the nerve in front of his elbow so it is no longer irritated.

The transposition surgery was a success and Sullivan left the hospital later that day. It would take six weeks for him to make a full recovery, which is a lot quicker than what the team doctor had expected.

A week after the surgery, Sullivan got his stitches removed, and his recovery was still going smoothly. However, he started to use his right arm a lot more to compensate for his left, which was in a sling, and it soon began to experience similar nerve issues.

“I started to compensate and use my right arm more,” Sullivan said. “It worsened the symptoms of my [right] elbow to the point where I needed to get it looked at and it basically needed the same procedure [as the first surgery].”

On Jan. 12, 2021, exactly a month after his first surgery, Sullivan underwent his second elbow surgery.

The second surgery went just as smoothly as the first one did, as Sullivan saw the same surgeon as he did for his left elbow surgery. It would be another six weeks of recovery, and then he would be cleared to return to team activities — another good sign that would allow him the chance to compete for the Gophers again.

The return to Minneapolis

Sullivan returned to Dinkytown three to four weeks post-surgery, where he slowly built his way back through rehabilitation training for the remaining weeks of his recovery.

During his path toward recovery, Sullivan focused on rebuilding his strength and range of motion, in hopes of returning to competition for the Gophers for their last few meets of the regular season.

“When I first started getting back, I was really excited,” Sullivan said. “I worked hard, kept my head down. I worked on a lot of endurance and strength stuff. I was slowly building strength back up while trying to get back into shape.”

The Gophers were without senior star Shane Wiskus and juniors Mike Moran and David Pochinka, while head coach Mike Burns also decided to give some players rest against Michigan on March 14. There were a couple of open spots on the team’s pommel horse lineup, so Burns inserted Sullivan into the lineup, and he earned the opportunity to compete.

“I was happy to be there,” Sullivan said. “It just felt really good to be back out there. It was mainly pure joy because I was out there with my teammates and family and just going out there and competing.”

Sullivan scored 12.250 on the pommel horse against Michigan. His teammates could not be happier for him as this was his first time competing for the Gophers since Feb. 29, 2020.

“They were all thrilled, probably more than me,” Sullivan said. “They were just really proud and just happy I had the chance to do it again. I wanted to be able to compete with them, especially in our final year [as a program].”

Throughout the recovery process, Sullivan’s parents supported him from start to finish. They got another opportunity to see their son compete in-person before his final season comes to a close.

“They knew if I didn’t compete again that they were still going to be proud of me and that everything would be OK,” Sullivan said. “They were really supportive throughout the whole process. I’m just glad I was able to do it [compete] for them. They were just as happy as me to see me back out there.”

The following week against Illinois, Sullivan earned another opportunity to compete for the Gophers on the pommel horse, scoring 10.900.

What’s next for Sullivan after gymnastics

Sullivan is on track to graduate this December with an undergraduate degree in economics and is interested in taking his degree into the world of sales.

“I believe that’s kind of the route I want to go,” Sullivan said. “I’ll finish up next semester, look for jobs and see where it takes me.”

The No. 10 Gophers men’s gymnastics team fell just short of a second-half comeback against No. 7 Illinois, losing their final meet of the season at home Monday evening by a score of 393.800-392.800 to finish the regular season with a 1-5 record.

“[It was a] great battle right to the very end,” Gophers head coach Mike Burns said. “It looks like Illinois was just one point better than us on the scoresheet, and that was just a little bit of a tough pill to swallow. We dug ourselves into a hole early on, and I was really proud of how the guys just kept fighting throughout the last four events and pulled it back from a pretty big deficit.”

Many Gophers’ athletes, such as senior Henry Meeker and sophomore Crew Bold, are playing through pain or injuries as their final season as a program is coming to a finish.

“We put up a good fight for sure,” Bold said. “A lot of us are in pain, especially this time of the season. We put on a good show. It’s tough that we lost shy of a point. We got Big Tens and NCAA to come back.”

The Gophers struggled on the pommel horse as four out of their five competitors fell. This proved to be the downfall as the team fell short against the Fighting Illini.

“We had a lot of spirit out there,” Burns said. “I was really happy with the way they finished. Nobody packed their bags up; they just fought until the end. That’s the thing that really excites me about this group of guys.”

Burns also implemented new competitors across the events to give his athletes more experience, such as Bold and sophomore Donte McKinney, who competed on the vault to prepare for the Big Ten championships and NCAA championships.

“I don’t want to put them in [the championships] not having competed all year long,” Burns said. “It’s just not a good place to start somebody out like that.”

There was a lot of hesitation from Burns on allowing Bold to compete on the vault because of his back issues. However, Bold wanted to compete, and after much discussion among his coaches, he got his shot on the vault.
“I said, ‘We’ll let you do it, but you got to promise me that you will do it the way you’ve been doing it in practice,’” Burns said. “He did exactly what I asked him to do, and he did a great job as it was a really big step for him personally.”

East coast Kasiski brings the electric spirit

Junior Garrett Kasiski’s season-high score of 14.400 led the vault team to a total of 70.200, the Gophers’ best team score across all events.

After earning his season-high score, the all-electric Kasiski was fired up and ensured everyone in the Maturi Pavilion noticed.

Garrett Kasiski’s reaction after posting a new season high of 14.400 on the vault is a #mood. pic.twitter.com/ZuMqiQ7JxD

— Minnesota Men’s Gym (@GopherMGym) March 22, 2021

“I love that,” Burns said of Kasiski’s reaction after his vault performance. “He’s so East Coast. I love his work ethic, and he’s super fiery. He’s just a firecracker all the way around.”

Burns believes Kasiski’s vault performance Monday evening was his best since posting his career-high 14.900 his freshman season against the Air Force.

“I think tonight’s vault was probably the second-best vault of his career,” Burns said. “It was awesome; it was really fun to see it. Just to see all his hard work culminate in a successful moment like that was really cool.”

Bold shines through injuries

Bold was a highlight for the Gophers while competing through back problems and just coming off a foot injury as well. He competed in his second-career all-around, scoring a new career high of 77.700.

“It is tough,” Bold said. “It’s definitely a whole new level going from three or four events to six events. You feel that fatigue toward the end. It feels good to know that I can still do it. I’m happy to be back on all six of the events and to compete. My team and my family are just filled with energy, and it’s always fun to compete, win or lose. It’s just a fun time.”

Bold also earned two individual event titles on the parallel bars and the high bar after scoring 13.750 and 13.400.

What a finale to the #Gophers P Bars rotation!

Crew Bold posts a 13.750! pic.twitter.com/QSGVIDkmhk

— Minnesota Men’s Gym (@GopherMGym) March 22, 2021

“It feels great. You can’t describe it,” Bold said. “All the work that I put in the gym … it wasn’t luck. Feels good to bring it out on the competition floor and give a good show.”

An evening of career highs

Junior Mike Moran earned two career highs and scored 78.650 in all-around for the Gophers. His first career high of the night came on the still rings, where he scored 13.500, while the second came on the high bar when he scored 12.700.

Sophomore Victor Perez earned a career high on the parallel bars, scoring 13.650, and tied his high bar career best by scoring 13.300.

While competing on the still rings with a leg injury, Meeker scored a career-high 13.550 after sticking a perfect landing.

Limelight in the struggling pommel horse lineup for the Gophers was freshman Noah Duran. He tied his career-high score of 13.600.

Noah Duran ties his career high 13.600 with this routine!

We’d be pretty hype too! pic.twitter.com/psLPKBulth

— Minnesota Men’s Gym (@GopherMGym) March 22, 2021

What’s up next

The Gophers have a bye next weekend before they head on the road to Lincoln, Nebraska, to compete in the Big Ten championships on April 3.

“We haven’t had the entire Golden Gopher team on the competition floor at one time. I believe the first time we’re going to have it is at the Big Ten championship,” Burns said. “It’s exciting to realize that we haven’t really scratched the surface of our potential yet. Having that in our back pocket to hopefully count on and rely upon a little more strength in the lineup as we go into the championship portion of our season, it really gives me a good, comforting feeling.”

The No. 3 Gophers men’s hockey team had its four-game win streak snapped in a 5-2 loss against Michigan Friday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci. The team moves to 19-6 on the season.

“We’ve got to play a full 60,” junior forward Sampo Ranta said. “That’s the thing if you want to win a hockey game, you have to be good the entire game. No matter what, we have to come back tomorrow and win. We have to answer the bell here and play a good game.”

Friday night’s loss is the first time the Gophers have lost to Michigan when both teams are ranked in the top-10 nationally since the 2000-2001 season, marking the end of a 12-game win streak.

Although it has been two weeks since the Gophers last played, they came out in the first period flying, leaving any concerns of rust out of the picture by outshooting Michigan 16-5.

The Gophers had two early looks on the power-play, but struggled on the advantage and did not convert.

Back-to-back penalties quickly after their power-play chances from junior defenseman Ben Brinkman gave Michigan some light. The Wolverines converted their second power-play of the night to open up the score just 4:32 into the game to make it 1-0.

Fighting for the puck in front of the Gophers’ goal, the puck found its way on the back door after taking a bounce off of sophomore forward Jaxon Nelson’s skate to Michigan freshman forward Thomas Bordeleau, who buried it.

“I thought we had a very good first period,” Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. “A puck bounces off of Nelly’s skate and boom, we are down 1-0. We couldn’t have had a better first period.”

As the game progressed into the second period, frustration started to settle in for the Gophers. They did not record a shot on goal until a power play at the 7:31 mark of the period.

“The second period, we couldn’t have been more off of how we wanted to play,” Motzko said. “We had frustration on the bench. This is one of the things we got to learn when we get tough, tight games like this. We got to stick to it.”

On the power play, the Gophers were finally getting shots on the net. A nifty feed highlighted their third power-play from junior forward Blake McLaughlin to senior Scott Reedy, but Michigan junior goaltender Strauss Mann once again stood tall to keep the game at 1-0.

Quickly after the power-play expired at the halfway point of the second, there was a battle in front of Michigan’s net and sophomore forward Bryce Brodzinski found the loose change to equal the score at 1-1. Sophomore defenseman Ryan Johnson and sophomore forward Ben Meyers had the assists.
“The puck just ended up by my feet and I noticed a little bit of open space in-between the hash marks,” Brododzinski said. “I kicked it up to my stick, found open ice and shot it into a spot that I thought might be open considering there was a lot of chaos and the goalie was down. Luckily, it found a spot.”

Just a few minutes after the Gophers found the equalizer, Michigan came right back with a goal from freshman forward Kent Johnson to regain the lead at 2-1. A shot from the blue line found its way toward senior goaltender Jack LaFontaine. The Gophers could not find the loose puck before Johnson eventually buried it five-hole.

With 4:24 remaining in the second period, LaFontaine made a huge save on a cross-ice one-timer from Michigan freshman forward Matty Beniers to keep the game at 2-1.

Mann decided to match LaFontaine’s big save with one of his own, robbing Nelson on a cross-crease pass from senior forward Cullen Munson.

Michigan extended its lead to 3-1 with just 58 seconds remaining in the second period. Junior defenseman Jack Summers received a cross-ice pass from Beniers at the faceoff circle, where he made no mistake one-timing it into the back of the net.

In the third period, the Gophers looked much like the Gophers from the first period. They were pressing and finding chances.

After a shift of unrelenting pressure by the Gophers third line in Munson, Meyers and Nelson, they were able to make a line change, keep possession in the offensive zone and play against a tired line of Michigan skaters. With persistence, Ranta dazzled his way to the faceoff dot, stopped and fired a quick shot to beat Mann to cut Michigan’s lead in half at 3-2. Freshman defenseman Brock Faber and Reedy had the assists.

“The line before us had a great shift down low,” Ranta said. “They worked their defenseman and they had a good line change. We got fresh bodies out there and Faber made a great play cross-ice right to my tape and I got the shot off.”

But yet again, with five minutes left in the game, just minutes after the Gophers scored, Michigan had an answer to the Gophers’ goal. Sophomore forward Nick Granowicz found a rebound after a shot from Beniers hit the goal post and buried it to extend Michigan’s lead to 4-2.

Every time the Gophers found the back of the net last night, Michigan seemed always to have an answer.
“Michigan had a bunch of players tonight that were the best on the ice,” Motzko said.

In desperation time, the Gophers pulled LaFontaine with 1:50 left in the game for an extra attacker. However, Beniers found a loose puck in the defensive zone and shot the puck down the ice to find the empty net and extend Michigan’s lead to 5-2.

The Gophers outshot Michigan 30-19, but they could not recover after a frustrating second period where they suffered two goals.

“We cannot let that frustration ever mount us at any point with us,” Motzko said. “That’s what we were disappointed with. We had a handful of guys that did not have good games today. People are going to punch back on us and we can’t ever get frustrated. We’ve to stick tight and stick together.”

Freshman Mya Hooten has quickly become a point of consistency for the Gophers women’s gymnastics team — and she’s just getting started.

Hooten has been competing in three out of four events for Minnesota — bars, vault and floor — and, in the month of February, Hooten garnered back-to-back Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards, an Event Specialist award and earned career-highs in the vault (9.875) and bars (9.875) while winning the bar title.

“I was actually shocked that I got it two times in a row because that’s what every freshman works for,” Hooten said. “It’s just crazy that I won it two times.”

For Hooten, gymnastics has always played a significant role in her life. She was introduced to gymnastics at the age of 3 and started her competitive career at 7 years old.

“I learned that I actually had potential when I got offered in 10th grade,” said Hooten, a Woodbury, Minnesota native.

And who offered? Gophers women’s gymnastics head coach Jenny Hansen offered her a chance to play for her home state and a Big Ten university. As soon as Hansen was allowed to have contact with Hooten, she jumped on the opportunity immediately.

“I’ve been following her for quite a while,” Hansen said. “She’s just an incredibly talented young woman. We could see a lot of potential way back then.”

Hansen enjoys recruiting hometown gymnasts and understands the importance of them representing their home state.

“We love having Minnesota kids on our team,” Hansen said. “To be able to keep someone of her caliber in the state of Minnesota and be part of our program was really important for us.”

Hooten grew up competing for her hometown. However, toward the end of her high school career, things at her club in Woodbury were not going as well as she hoped. So, she decided to transfer to another club in Chanhassen, Minnesota, but the daily 45-minute commutes and time commitment with gymnastics took a toll on her academic performance.

As a result, Hooten’s coach offered her an opportunity to live with one of her teammates in Chanhassen for the remainder of her senior year. She accepted the invitation and did not look back; it allowed for a shorter commute and more time and focus for both academics and gymnastics.

Transition to campus

Although Hooten arrived on campus later than in a typical season due to the pandemic, she immediately impressed her fellow Gophers teammates with her abilities.

“As soon as she stepped foot on campus and started working with the girls, our team was like, ‘Wow,’” Hansen said. “That’s pretty awesome for them to see that. They see a lot of good gymnasts, but they were pretty happy she joined our team.”

Hooten has quickly learned what it takes to transfer her abilities from competing in club to the collegiate level. Senior leaders on the team always remind her to trust herself.

“The seniors always give me a pep talk,” Hooten said. “It reminds me that I just need to trust myself and know that I can do it.”

Seniors Lexy Ramler and Ona Loper have played critical roles in impacting Hooten ever since she joined the team.

“I look up to [Ramler and Loper], their work ethic and how hard they work,” Hooten said. “They are so consistent in practice and I realize what I do in practice will help me do better at the meet.”

Being a freshman, sometimes Hooten gets too excited when she’s ready to compete at meets. Hansen and the coaching staff have been working with her to help her control her energy in a way that positively impacts her routines. To help her stay calm and in the moment, Hooten says the best way for her to remain calm is by breathing and reminding herself that she knows how to do her routines.

The energy and enthusiasm in college meets are higher than what they were at the club level. As Hooten gains more experience, Hansen is confident that she will recognize the control she carries over her emotions and knows the importance of this to be able to perform at a high level.

“I think a lot of athletes go into meets thinking they have to do more, be more, be better,” Hansen said. “If they just do what they do every day, they don’t have to do anything more special, bigger, harder, just do it the same way. And I think she’s been taking that to competition and it’s been serving her really well.”

Hansen has had and continues to have high praise for Hooten, who the team has consistently counted on for the bars, the vault and the floor throughout her freshman season.

“She’s got some incredible natural gifts,” Hansen said. “She’s very powerful and she’s got what we call ‘air awareness.’ She knows where her body is at all times when it’s flipping and in the air. She’s been wonderful to have on the team.”

Although Hooten competes in many events for the Gophers each meet, her favorite event is the floor event. She believes that this is her strongest event, and Hansen thinks so as well.

“I think floor is definitely her stand-out event,” Hansen said. “She’s got incredible tumbling and amplitude when she does that. She has a lot of personality. She cannot wait to get out there. She loves to compete.”

.@MyaHooten1 on floor is a mood. pic.twitter.com/QNiheD2uQ0

— Minnesota Women’s Gym (@GopherWGym) February 23, 2021

Hooten’s passion and energetic personality can be seen through interactions with her teammates, judges and coaches on a meet-to-meet basis. The life she brings to events is something that Hansen enjoys watching every meet, mostly because she does not see so much animation, mainly out of freshman competitors.

“She brings a lot of energy to what she does,” Hansen said. “She’s a great, bubbly personality. She’s very fun to be around in the gym. I think when she competes, you just feed off of that.”

A big part of why Hooten has so much energy throughout the meets, besides her personality, is that her Gophers teammates also bring a lot of energy to the meets. This energy is her favorite thing about being a part of the team.

“I just love their support and having them trust me in the lineups and stuff is really nice,” Hooten said. “It’s just so, so much fun. It’s the best after my routines when my team comes hugging me. It’s the best feeling.”

The future

While Hooten has been competing in three of the four events during meets, she is working on the balance beam in practice in hopes of competing all-around in the near future of her young Gophers career. If she can become consistent at the balance beam, she will help fill the gaps when the Gophers lose their all-around seniors in Ramler and Loper next season.

This QUEEN is tied for No. 8 in the nation on floor!@MyaHooten1 pic.twitter.com/oR9Kwk7Sl3

— Minnesota Women’s Gym (@GopherWGym) March 1, 2021

For the remainder of the season, Hooten hopes to continue how she started the season: strong and consistent. Hansen knows Hooten has yet to hit her full potential, but she has very high hopes for her.

“She’s got the capability of scoring a 10 on floor,” Hansen said. “I think she’s that good. I think she can fight for championships. Her floor team could win the Big Ten championships. She could be an All-American. I really think those are things she can shoot for. … She’s done a phenomenal job. This is a strange year for everybody. But she’s adjusted really well and I think she’s making the state of Minnesota really proud.”