Gymnastics

Gophers gymnasts Lindsay Mable and Hanna Nordquist capped impressive freshman seasons with top-five finishes in the event finals at the NCAA championships Sunday in Los Angeles.

Mable tied for fourth place on floor exercise and tied for fifth place on vault. Nordquist tied for second place on balance beam. Both earned All-America honors.

“It was unbelievable. It was awesome,” Nordquist said of the competition.

Gophers sophomore gymnast Ellis Mannon finished second in the pommel horse finals Sunday at the NCAA championships in University Park, Pa.

Mannon scored 14.9 on the apparatus to take the lead, but Ohio State’s Michael Newburger stepped up next and won the title with a score of 15.45.

Jim and Meg Stephenson sat between the stacked tumbling mats and the spring-loaded floor apparatus in Peik Gymnasium on campus Saturday afternoon.

Gymnastics practice had just ended, and the excited cheers and laughter from the women on the team had fallen silent. Only the sound of the air vents surrounded the coaches.

The gymnasts were preparing for their first trip to the NCAA championships this weekend in Los Angeles. Meg and Jim were preparing for their third trip in 21 years at Minnesota.

The goal is the same every week for the Gophers men’s gymnastics team: hit all 30 routines.

Minnesota accomplished its goal for the first time this season Friday night in front of an energetic crowd at the Sports Pavilion.

The Gophers rallied late to finish third out of seven teams at the Big Ten championships.

Coach Mike Burns said it’s only the second time in his coaching career he’s been a part of perfection.

“This should give our guys [an] amazing confidence boost going into the NCAA championships,” he said.

The Gophers women’s gymnastics team is going back to the NCAA championships.

Minnesota finished second at its NCAA regional in Gainesville, Fla., on Saturday night to advance to its first championship meet since 2002.

Trailing Auburn entering the final rotation, the Gophers scored a season-high 49.525 on vault to secure second place, which they needed to keep their season alive.

The season is on the line for the Gophers women’s gymnastics team this weekend in Florida.

Minnesota will compete against five teams in its NCAA regional Saturday in Gainesville, Fla. The Gophers will need to finish in the top two to advance to their first NCAA championships in more than a decade.

Gophers coach Meg Stephenson said the team will have to hit all 24 routines to advance.

The Gophers women’s gymnastics team finished third at the Big Ten championships Saturday night in East Lansing, Mich.

A week after Minnesota and Michigan shared the first-ever Big Ten regular season title, Nebraska took home the postseason title. Michigan also finished ahead of Minnesota. Illinois and Ohio State rounded out the top five.

Gophers head coach Meg Stephenson said her team hit all 24 routines but that the two teams atop the standings hit them slightly better.

Minnesota put together a solid score despite a few minor mistakes.