MINNESOTA KEEPS THE STREAK ALIVE AT THE 9TH ANNUAL MINNESOTA GymACT INVITATIONAL WITH VICTORIES OVER IOWA & NORTHERN ILLINOIS

Hosting the 9th Annual MN GymACT Invitational took on a few twists and turns with our newest venue, The Luminare. A unique location for a gymnastics meet, The Luminare is a wedding and event center, but it was transformed into Gymnastics Central on Valentine’s Day as the team and some of the team parents and some of our alumni helped to set up the entire gym. Halfway through the evening, the Iowa Team showed up to stretch and since the floor exercise wasn’t quite set up yet, they lent a helping hand and accelerated the set-up process! Thanks to the Hawkeyes for their assistance!

Close to 200 boys competed in four sessions on Saturday and Sunday but the main attraction was the GymACT showdown on Saturday night. The energy level was matched only by the decibel level as the Minnesota Team was able to defend its new home turf and defeat both the Hawkeyes of Iowa and the Huskies of Northern Illinois. Both Minnesota & NIU were able to field a second team, much smaller than their main team, but it allowed both programs a chance to get more gymnasts competition experience. And to top it all off, Matt Manino brought his fledgling Wisconsin start-up program to town to compete against three fellow GymACT programs.

When the dust settled, the team scores looked like this:

  • Minnesota 295.80

  • Iowa 285.80

  • Northern Illinois 274.60

  • Gophers 141.30

  • NIU #2 131.30

  • Wisconsin 90.90

Minnesota started on Vault and had a very rough start. We had to scratch our top vaulter, freshman Caleb Gurman, due to an ankle injury in warmups. This meant we were only putting up 4 vaulters, with no room for error since we couldn’t throw out our lowest score. We proceeded to put three of the 4 vaults on our backsides and walked away with a team score that was about 5 points lower than our normal score. I’m pretty sure Iowa was licking their chops, thinking Minnesota had opened the door wide for their first potential victory over Minnesota in over two years.

Minnesota was having none of that nonsense and proceeded to kick it into high gear on the next 5 events, wishing they could have taken a mulligan on their first event. Things picked up significantly on the next 5 events, and we were able to ward off the surge we knew was coming at us from the Iowa team bench. Some highlights from the final results:

  • Paul Acker’s career high on PH (12.9) and an Event Title

  • David Grossman’s Event Title on Still Rings (13.2), tied for the Event Title on Parallel Bars (13.0), second-place on High Bar (12.7), and a second-place finish on PH with a career high score of 12.6!

  • Ben Letvin’s Event Title on Vault (13.2)

  • Jack Gagamov’s Event Title on High Bar (13.10)

  • Ben Letvin, Joey Pennell, & Leo Feuer finishing 2nd, 3rd, & 4th in the All-Around respectively

The experience at The Luminare was one to remember!!

MINNESOTA TO TAKE ON IOWA AGAIN IN THE 21ST ANNUAL MIGS PROGRAM INVITATIONAL ON MARCH 1ST

The regular season is nearing the end as Minnesota plays host to the Hawkeyes from Iowa again in the MIGS Program invite. The Men’s Intercollegiate Gymnastics Support Program has been operating under the watchful eye of Assistant Coach Bob Wuornos since its inception in 2003. Bob has been an unwavering force in the fight to keep college gymnastics opportunities alive and well in the USA. With the advent of the GymACT League and the increase in teams, Bob’s vision becomes more clear as more and more high school gymnasts are able to keep their dreams afloat with the opportunities the GymACT Programs afford these young guys.

This year’s meet will be held at Humboldt High School, located at 30 Baker St E, St Paul, MN 55107. Action will get underway at 1:30 pm on Saturday, March 1st!  Hoping to see a lot of Gopher Gymnastics Alumni along with all the friends of the program we’ve been so fortunate to have.

At the intermission of the meet, we’ll be recognizing and honoring all the college gymnasts in the crowd to come on down and take a bow on the Floor Exercise.

Hope to see you on Saturday at 1:30 pm at HUMBOLDT HIGH SCHOOL to watch the Gophers take on the Hawkeyes!!

Also, if anyone would like to help with our equipment setup, we’ll be getting underway at 5:30 pm on Friday, February 28th at Humboldt High School. Come to the loading dock area on the back of the building off of Humboldt Ave. Humboldt HS: 30 Baker St E, St Paul, MN 55107.

JOIN OUR 2025 STICK THE DISMOUNT FUNDRAISER FOR THE MINNESOTA MEN’S GYMNASTICS TEAM!

Be a Part of Every Victory!

This season we’re excited to share an exhilarating way to support the Minnesota Men’s Gymnastics team – our Stick the Dismount fundraiser! For each stunning dismount stick our gymnasts land at competitions, you can contribute to their success and future. (Currently we are sitting at 61 Stuck Dismounts)

How Does It Work? 3 options!

  • Pledge Per Stick: Choose an amount to donate for every successful dismount stick our athletes perform during the season.

  • Cap Your Contribution: Set a maximum limit for your total donation, ensuring you stay within your budget.

  • One-Time Donation: Prefer a fixed amount? You can also make a one-time donation to show your support.

Why Contribute? Your contributions play a pivotal role in providing our athletes with the best training, equipment, and opportunities to excel, not just in competitions but in building life skills through sportsmanship and teamwork.

Track the Impact: We’ll keep you updated on our gymnasts’ achievements and how your contributions are making a difference! As mentioned above, we currently have 61 Sticks!

Ready to Join? Visit our donation page and make your pledge today! Every landing counts, and so does your support. Together, let’s propel the Minnesota Men’s Gymnastics team to new heights!

Thank You for Your Support!