This Week: On the Road The Gophers will compete at No. 13 Iowa State on Friday before heading to Iowa for a Sunday afternoon competition. Follow the action on Iowa State’s website at cyclones.com and Iowa’s website at hawkeyesports.com.
Gold Zone will have access to live video coverage of Friday night's meet at Iowa State, right here on gophersports.com.
National Rankings
Minnesota is listed at No. 33 in the GymInfo National Rankings this week. The Gophers are listed among the top 25 on the uneven bars, coming in at No. 25 this week (48.540 average).
Elm Steps Up
Kendra Elm had her best all around score in last weekend’s meet against Illinois, scoring a 39.175 to place third. Elm tied her personal-best bars score (9.85) and set a personal best on beam (9.85).
Ennis Makes All Around Debut
Sophomore Lucy Ennis competed in the all around against Illinois, marking the first time in her collegiate career she has been an all around competitor. Ennis has been a regular in the line up on vault, bars and floor throughout her career, but made her first appearance on beam last weekend. Ennis earned an all around score of 39.050, and had her personal-best vault score with a 9.825.
The last time a Gopher gymnast surpassed 39 in her first all around performance was when Annie Laatsch earned a 39.10 in her all around debut in 2003.
Russell Consistent on Bars
Senior Alexis Russell has earned six scores of 9.825 or better this season. Her top score was a 9.875 in the season opener against Denver. Russell currently ranks No. 24 nationally and No. 5 in the Big Ten on bars.
Beam Improvement
Minnesota’s balance beam score at last weekend’s meet was 49.05, the best team score on any event this season. Minnesota’s top score came just a week after scoring a season low 46.10 on beam at Michigan (Feb. 13).
Home Sweet Home
Minnesota has fared much better in home competitions than away meets this season. In home meets, the Gophers average 194.750, while the average score when competing on the road is just 191.700.
Attendance Soars
Fans have been attending Minnesota gymnastics meets in droves this season. The average home attendance through the first four home meets in the 2010 season is 1,984. The average attendance at the same point in the 2009 season was 1,426, meaning the attendance average is up nearly 40% this season.
A crowd of 3,472 attended the Best of Minnesota meet on Feb. 6, a mark that ranks third on Minnesota’s all-time top attendance list. The meet was the highest-attended regular season meet in program history, as the top two attendance marks were set at NCAA Regional Championships.
Last Meet Recap: vs. Illinois
The Gophers scored a 195.325 against No. 20 Illinois last Saturday. The Illini won the meet with 196.325.
The Gophers competed on vault in the first rotation and earned a 48.425. Lucy Ennis was the top scorer for Minnesota, placing second overall with a 9.825, the best vault score of her career. Alexis Russell tied for third place with a 9.775.
Minnesota performed on bars in rotation two, and earned a 49.025 to tie the team’s best bars score of the season. Kendra Elm was the top scorer for the Gophers, earning a 9.85 to tie her personal best score on bars. Alexis Russell tallied a 9.825 on bars, marking the sixth time in seven meets that she has earned a 9.825 or better on bars. Janell Campbell earned a 9.775 on bars, her career-high score. Kristin Furukawa’s mark of 9.80 was her best of the 2010 season.
Kristin Furukawa was the event champion on beam, earning a 9.90. Furukawa’s score is the best beam score by a Gopher this season, and is a personal-best score. Kendra Elm placed third with a 9.85, her career-high beam score. Lucy Ennis competed on beam for the first time in her collegiate career and earned a 9.675. As a team, the Gophers scored 49.050, the best event score of the evening for Minnesota.
The Gophers wrapped up the meet on floor exercise, where they earned a team total of 48.825. Janell Campbell was the top performer for Minnesota, earning a 9.825 to tie for third place. Amber Hammerschmidt and Lucy Ennis each scored 9.775, both personal-best scores.
Minnesota had three all around performers for the first time this season, and all three earned scores above 39. Kendra Elm was the top all around performer for the team with a 39.175. Elm’s total is the best all around score of her career, and was good for third place tonight. Alexis Russell earned a 39.10 while Lucy Ennis tallied a 39.05.
Academic Success
Eleven gymnast were among 553 Minnesota student-athletes honored at the 21st Annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Ceremony at the McNamara Alumni Center on Feb. 15.
Freshman Jenny Weber was recognized for having a perfect 4.0 GPA for fall semester.
Five gymnasts were named Maroon Scholar Athletes for having term GPAs of 3.0 or better: Jasmine Brown, Jenny Weber, Janell Campbell, Kristin Furukawa, and Shannon Golich.
Six gymnasts were given Gold Scholar Athlete Awards for having a cumulative GPA above 3.0, and at least two semesters as a student-athlete: Ana Balboa, Lucy Ennis, Briana Jones, Kylie Smith, Jamie Bullock, and Kendra Elm.
Bullock Out for Season
Jamie Bullock, a junior, underwent wrist surgery Feb. 12 to repair a cartilage/ligament complex and shorten her ulna bone. She will not return to competition.
Coming Up Next Week: Arkansas
The Gophers return home to host Arkansas in a dual meet on March 6. The meet will start at 6 p.m. at the Sports Pavilion.
Minnesota on the Big Ten Network
Minnesota will appear on the Big Ten Network three times this season. The home meet against Michigan State on Jan. 23 and the meet at Penn State on Jan. 30 were telecast on a tape-delay basis. The Big Ten Championship will once again be televised live, the competition will take place on March 27.
