Gophers freshman gymnast Ellis Mannon qualified during Thursday’s preliminaries to compete in the finals of the Winter Cup this Saturday. He is now just one round away from making the U.S. national team.
Mannon and his senior teammate DJ Repp both represented the Gophers at the 2012 Winter Cup. Repp ranked 28th in the all-around competition with 79.5 points compared to Mannon’s 34th place finish with 77.85. However, Repp could not manage to place in the top 20 on any events, whereas Mannon placed third on pommel horse and gained 18 national team points – enough for him to survive the 49 gymnast cut.
Mannon injured his right leg on his dismount from the high bar during the preliminary round. The injury is not considered serious, but as a precaution Mannon will most likely not compete on floor exercise or vault in the finals, head coach Mike Burns said.
Even without competing on two apparatuses, Mannon’s chances of making the national team will not be ruined as long as he can score more National Team Points on the pommel horse or impress some members of the National Team Committee, said Burns.
