When I first received the assignment of covering men's and women's gymnastics for the Daily, I was both excited and a bit hesitant. I knew only a couple minor details about Gophers gymnastics. One, I...

Two weeks ago at the Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Champaign, Ill., senior thrower Dani Parkos stepped up and claimed her second career Big Ten title. With a personal best throw of...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- When senior thrower Jason Schlueter wrapped up his second consecutive discus title at the Big Ten championships in Champaign, Ill., Saturday, he had just one question for throws coach...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Gophers head men's track and field coach Phil Lundin became a little nervous on Friday morning when part of his team did not arrive in Champaign, Ill., for the Big Ten championships...

Two years ago, the future looked promising for sophomore sprinter Kim Heath. She set a school record in the 100-meter dash, she was part of the 4x100 relay that placed third in the Big Ten championships...

Looking back on his career at Minnesota, senior discus thrower Jason Schlueter said he can only recall one time when his throw got a little out of control. At the Minnesota Last Chance Meet held last...

The Gophers' last regular season track meet, called the Minnesota Last Chance Meet, should have been titled the "Minnesota Last Chance Meet for all teams except the Gophers." "It was a hell of a day if...

When junior hurdler Niles Deneen was born, his mother gave him the middle name Running. Ironically, the name Running had nothing to do with track at all. "My mother had an art professor in college named...

At 1 p.m. Saturday during the Minnesota Maroon and Gold Open at the Bierman Track and Field Stadium, a few extra spectators stopped by to witness two of the most talented 1,500-meter runners in the United...

Gophers women's track coach Gary Wilson stood against the fence near the side of the track at Bierman Track and Field Stadium on Saturday with a slightly concerned look on his face. "I hate to lose,"...

Gophers freshman high jumper Staffan Strand has been jumping since he was 8 years old, but recently his teammates have been teaching him a new kind of jump -- dunking a basketball. Although Strand is...

Last weekend senior thrower Dani Parkos was in Walnut, Calif., with the rest of the Gopher women's track and field team competing in the Mt. SAC Relays. Even though Parkos was at the meet physically,...

The Gophers women's gymnastics team has managed throughout the course of the season to break just about every record it has ever set. This weekend, it continued to make history. For the first time ever...

The Gophers women's gymnastics team entered in to the NCAA championships last night in Gainesville, Fla., with one purpose in mind. They wanted to have fun and just enjoy the thrill and experience of...

The Gophers men's gymnastics practice room did not look quite the same last week. The strip of the floor exercise, usually covered with gymnasts doing tumbling passes, was being replaced. Across the gym,...

Peik Gymnasium, the practice home of the Gophers women's gymnastics team, looks a little different these days. Take for example the "Congratulations Gopher Gymnasts" sign that hangs on the wall of the...

Two weeks ago, the Gophers women's gymnastics team qualified for the NCAA championships for the first time in the history of the program. Minnesota will get its chance to perform this weekend in Gainesville,...

A great deal of excitement surrounded the No. 7 Gophers men's gymnastics team's chances to qualify for the NCAA championships, but the heightened feeling ended in a huge letdown. The team said it felt...

When the Gophers women's gymnastics team sat down for dinner Saturday night after competing in the Central Regional Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich., they decided to order dessert, something they do...

Women's gymnastics coach Jim Stephenson walked up to senior Kristen Vandersall while she stretched during Wednesday afternoon's practice. He smiled at her with encouragement and said, "Come on Vanny,...

Last year at this time, junior Bob Hubbard entered the Cooke Hall Gym for practice in preparation for the men's gymnastics NCAA East Regionals meet. But instead of warming up to work out, he was told...

For a mere 30 seconds on March 23, Iowa men's gymnastics coach Tom Dunn thought his team had pulled out an upset and won the Big Ten championship at the Sports Pavilion. Heavily favored Ohio State had...

It was inevitable. The No. 3 Michigan women's gymnastics team entered the Sports Pavilion, confident it would take home its sixth consecutive Big Ten championship. In the end, the Wolverines were victorious...

When junior Mindy Knaeble finished her nearly flawless balance beam routine at the Big Ten championships, she was met by Gophers assistant coach Meg Stephenson, who embraced her in a hug. It had been...

When senior co-captain Jonda Hammons stepped to the middle of the floor Friday night to be honored before her last regular season meet in the Sports Pavilion, she was met with a huge surprise. Hammons'...

The name Roethlisberger and Minnesota gymnastics are synonymous. Some Minnesotans can remember when former Gophers gymnast Marie Roethlisberger competed in the 1984 Olympics. Even more can recall last...

On Mar. 1, the No. 10 Gophers men's gymnastics team almost accomplished the impossible. They nearly handed No. 1 Ohio State its first loss in two years but fell short losing 228.725 to 228.500. One small...

Six years ago, the Minnesota women's gymnastics team won the Big Ten championship. But Michigan, which has won the last five titles, has dominated the conference since then. This year the No. 3 Wolverines...

Senior gymnasts Jonda Hammons and Kristen Vandersall have been inseparable since the first day they met during their recruiting trip to Minnesota. Since then, they have experienced everything together. Tonight,...

Gophers assistant women's gymnastics coach Meg Stephenson said last week she needed someone to explain the problems Minnesota has been having in the balance beam because she had run out of answers. "It's...

Unless it is plausible to read his mind, it is merely impossible to tell what Gophers gymnast Heath Wall is thinking. The senior co-captain is expressionless. He hardly ever cheers. In fact, he rarely...

Gophers gymnast Cathy Keyser knows a lot about balance. Nearly everyday she gets up on the balance beam, which is only 4 inches wide, and manages to hold her center of gravity. This year, Keyser is attempting...

A number of times this season the No. 15 Gophers women's gymnastics team has found itself in a close meet, at home, entering the final rotation. Time after time, there have been few worries since Minnesota's...

Upon conclusion of the No. 13 Gophers men's gymnastics team's dual meet with No. 1 Ohio State Saturday, Minnesota coach Fred Roethlisberger approached the scoring officials table frantically looking for...

It all happens within a matter of seconds. A gymnast stands at the back of the runway facing the horse, with eyes entrenched on the spring board. She takes off, accelerating as fast as possible before...

The No. 15 Gophers women's gymnastics team took a small step backwards Saturday night in Springfield, Mass., where it finished with a 193.650 in a meet with No. 16 UMass, Vermont, and Massachusetts Institute...

Constantly reminding him of his glory days as a Gopher, men's assistant gymnastics coach Brian Yee watches practice from the sidelines, vicariously re-living his memories through his gymnasts. Yee, a...

The Gophers women's gymnastics team set several goals before the start of the season -- setting a school-record team score was a major one. Minnesota did that last weekend, scoring 195 against No. 3 Utah. Their...

She has lived in Minnesota for just two months and competed in only six Gophers women's gymnastics meets. But freshman Judith Cavazos has already landed a spot in the Minnesota history books. Cavazos...

He may only be 5 feet tall, but lately sophomore gymnast Dan Boots has earned the title, "Teeny Little Super Guy." "Teeny Little Super Guy," is a cartoon figure from a Sesame Street skit who anonymously...

In 12 previous meetings, the Gophers women's gymnastics team never beat perennial powerhouse Utah. On Saturday night, No. 16 Minnesota will get another opportunity to break that streak when it faces the...

The Gophers women's gymnastics team continues to get better with every performance this season. That trend continued Saturday as Minnesota defeated Iowa State 193.7 to 191.9 at the Hilton Coliseum in...

With only two home meets scheduled this season, the Gophers men's gymnastics team was counting on a victory Saturday in their home gym. The No. 10 Gophers did just that by defeating No. 4 Michigan State...

He doesn't look like a typical gymnast, in fact he doesn't even seem like a typical college student. He is just too giddy. But the smile on sophomore Jason Krob's face is unlikely to be erased anytime...

No women's gymnast in Minnesota history has come close to reaching the status former Gopher Marie Roethlisberger established seven years ago. Maybe no one will. But junior Mindy Knaeble is definitely...

Although the No. 17-ranked Gophers men's gymnastics team didn't walk away from a meet at No. 8 Iowa with a victory, it at least went home improved. Minnesota increased its team score by more than 12 points...

Minnesota's women's gymnastics team left The Spectrum in Logan, Utah, Friday night a little bewildered after its season-best performance on the balance beam was clouded by inconsistent judging. But so...

Undoubtedly the most exciting event to watch in women's gymnastics is the floor exercise. The combination of individual music and artistic expression on the floor provides unmatched entertainment. The...

The Gophers men's gymnastics team practice was interrupted Tuesday afternoon when junior Bob Hubbard and the horizontal bar went flying towards the wall. Hubbard was working on his horizontal bar routine...

The Gophers women's gymnastics team left the Sports Pavillion Saturday shocked at the results of its meet. Despite being shaky and timid, No. 19 Minnesota knocked off No. 12 Arizona, recording its first...