Although the No. 7 Gophers gymnastics team fell just short to No. 1 Michigan by a score of 198.025-197.650, Minnesota has much to be proud of from their performances in their loss Monday evening.
Defeating a number one team in the nation is never an easy task, but the Gophers (1-1) gave the Wolverines a tough matchup through phenomenal performances across each event. Minnesota’s team score of 197.650 is their third-best total in program history.
“Both teams were really great tonight. Everybody hit their routines, which was amazing. It was a great meet from start to finish,” Gophers head coach Jenny Hansen said. “I think it gives us a lot of confidence going forward. We still have room to grow. We still have room to get better. That, to me, is really exciting. We are not close to maxing out yet. It was a really fun night.”
Fifth years Lexy Ramler and Ona Loper and sophomore Mya Hooten highlighted Minnesota’s night as they put on marvelous performances across. Ramler won the all-around. Loper and Hooten achieved perfection as they recorded perfect 10s, marking the first time in program history two perfect 10s have occurred in the same home meet.
Ramler won the all-around title, along with the bars title, after totaling 39.825, the second-highest score in program history. Her all-around score is the highest earned by any gymnast so far this season. Loper totaled 39.725, a career-high, highlighted by her fourth career perfect 10 on vault to secure the vault title. Hooten closed out the meet for the Gophers on floor, tallying a perfect 10, the second of her career, to win the floor title.
“It’s been amazing because it’s been a different week for them. It’s not a normal training week. They started school last week,” Hansen said. “For them to come back and perform the way they did tonight is pretty amazing. It shows them what they are capable of, even greater things than maybe they even thought of themselves before.”
Minnesota’s vault team started the meet on a fantastic note, producing 49.575, the program’s second-highest score in the event, respectively.
Outside of Loper’s perfect 10, other strong performances came from Ramler (9.975) and redshirt junior Maddie Quarles, who tied her career-best (9.950). Hooten and sophomore Gianna Gerdes, who made her season debut, rounded things out with 9.850 and 9.800.
“Everyone was just on fire. It’s super easy to hit when everyone else is hitting. It’s kind of contagious,” Loper said. “That energy was amazing. Having all the fans back is just so much more fun. It was just a really great night.”
As their vault team got the fans going, the Gophers’ floor team gave them a reason to continue standing and applaud them even though the team would go on to lose the meet.
Minnesota’s floor team once again shined for a second-consecutive week as they tallied 49.725, a program record that shattered the previous one that stood at 49.575.
“They were on fire. Every landing was on. All the leaps were great. The presentation was amazing,” Hansen said. “We told them before they went on floor, this is where we shine, and they shined tonight. They are beautiful on that event.”
Besides Hooten’s routine that hit perfection, Ramler earned her career-high of 9.975, Loper and Koch tallied matching 9.925s (career-high for Koch), and junior Halle Remlinger capped off the historical team performance as she tied her career-best of 9.900.
“Once I hit my last pass, I was like, ‘okay, okay, cool.’ That was a memorable moment for me because the fans made it 10 times better,” said Hooten, who scored a perfect 10 last season at Maturi Pavilion when fans were not allowed to attend meets due to COVID-19.
As usual, the Gophers’ bars team showed up, producing 49.325 and bringing consistency that will help this team go a long way when the postseason arrives.
Ramler produced the meet’s highest score at 9.950. Loper (9.900) and fifth-year bars specialist Hannah Willmarth (9.875) added more strong scores for Minnesota, while Remlinger, Hooten, and junior Mallory LeNeave tallied matching 9.800s.
The meet was not all smooth sailing as Minnesota’s beam team that scored 49.025 had a few lower scores, but the floor team brought things back just as they did in the tri-meet last Monday.
“After beam, we got it together. We didn’t give up,” Hooten said. “That’s what I love about this team.”
If the Gophers can keep performing like they did tonight, a very special season will soon be in the making as the year progresses.
“There’s just so many highlights from this night from each individual on this team,” Ramler said. “I think everybody brought the energy. It was just so fun…it was just such a memorable night for all of us.”
The Gophers will travel for the first time this season as they take on Maryland (2-1) on Sunday, Jan. 30, at 11 a.m.
