Gophers Finish Second at 2024 Big Ten Championships

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The No. 15 University of Minnesota women's gymnastics team took second at the 2024 Big Ten Championships with a score of 197.500.

No. 9 Michigan State took home their second straight Big Ten title with a score of 197.600 while No. Michigan (197.225) finished third and Ohio State (197.050) rounded out the top four. Michigan State was the last team competing and they finished out the Big Ten title on balance beam.

"The team was amazing today, really from start to finish," Hansen said. "That was our best bars day of the season, we stuck every landing and it just continued. Every event was so good. It's heartbreaking when you lose by such a small margin, but we are leaving this building better than we walked in. We're so proud of the girls today."

Mya Hooten tied for Big Ten titles on vault (9.975, second of her career), floor (9.950, third of her career) and uneven bars (9.925, first of her career) In total, Hooten is a three-time Big Ten floor champion (2022-24), two-time vault champion (2023-24) and now an uneven bars champion.

"I'm so proud of my team," Hooten said. "I wouldn't be anything without them, they push me to be my best every day. I'm just so happy and so blessed."

Sophomore Sarah Moraw won her first Big Ten title with a 9.925 on balance beam in front of her friends and family in her home state of Michigan.

"Honestly, I was awestruck," Moraw said. "It's an amazing experience. I couldn't have done it without my teammates and coaches. We talk so much about 'being history' and the people that came before us paved the way. To do this in front of all my friends and family too was just amazing."

The Gophers started the evening by posting their best bars score (49.375) of the season, topping the 49.325 it posted at Alabama and Penn State. They continued their day with a 49.475 on beam and floor before finishing with a 49.225 on vault.

A program-record six Gophers made the Big Ten All-Championships team, including Gianna Gerdes, Mya Hooten, Katie Horak, Sarah Moraw, Lauren Pearl and Ella Sirjord. 

EVENT BREAKDOWN:

BARS
Minnesota posted a 49.375 on bars, a season-best. Mya Hooten anchored the group with a 9.925, tying her second-best score of her career to tie for the Big Ten title. Gianna Gerdes earned a 9.900 on the event to place second while Seria Johnson, Ella Sirjord and Jordyn Lyden earned 9.850s to round out the top five.

BEAM
The Gophers posted their third-highest beam score of the season with a 49.475. Sarah Moraw just missed her career-high, going 9.925 to lead her team on the event. Her score, of course, was good enough to tie for the Big Ten title. Lauren Pearl, Katie Horak and Ella Sirjord were terrific as well, tallying 9.900s. Emily Koch and Gianna Gerdes each earned 9.800s to round out the group. Pearl posted her second straight 9.900-or-better while Horak went 9.900 for the second time this season. After two rotations, Minnesota (98.800) was in second place behind only Michigan State (98.950).

FLOOR
Minnesota followed up in the third rotation with a 49.475 on the floor. Mya Hooten won her third straight Big Ten floor title with a 9.950 on the floor in another sensational performance. Gianna Gerdes earned a 9.925, tying her career-high to finish second for the Gophers. Leah Gonsiorowski and Lauren Pearl (9.875) tied for third while Emily Koch and Seria Johnson (9.850) rounded out the fifth spot. 

VAULT
The 'U' finished the meet with a 49.225 on vault. Mya Hooten clinched a tie for her second straight Big Ten vault championship with a 9.975 as Minnesota's anchor. Sarah Moraw was up next, completing an excellent meet with a 9.875. Marissa Jencks and Gianna Gerdes (9.800) were up next while Sophia Nguyen (9.775) rounded out the top five.

B1G NOTES
-Michigan State's Skyla Schulte took home the 2024 Big Ten all-around title with a 39.600, the program's first all-around champion. Schulte added an 9.950 on floor exercise to tie for first place with Minnesota's Mya Hooten and the Michigan duo of Sierra Brooks and Gabby Wilson.
-It was a three-way tie for first on balance beam between Minnesota's Sarah Moraw, Ohio State's Tory Vetter and Michigan State's Baleigh Garcia – who all scored a 9.925.
 -Brooks and Hooten shared a first-place finish on vault with a score of 9.975. The duo repeated by claiming the top spot on uneven bars with a total of 9.925, before winning floor exercise with a 9.950. The pair were joined by Wilson and Schulte in first place on floor exercise.
 -By finishing atop the podium three times, Brooks and Hooten marked the 18th and 19th times, respectively, in Big Ten Championship history an individual has won three event titles in a single meet.
 -A total of 39 gymnasts earned a place on the Big Ten All-Championships Team by virtue of their performances at Saturday's meet.

B1G ALL-CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM:
Sierra Brooks, MICH
Mya Hooten, MINN
Sage Kellerman, MSU
Csenge Bácskay, NEB
Arielle Ward, ILL
Gianna Gerdes, MINN
Gabby Wilson, MICH
Carly Bauman, MICH
Skyla Schulte, MICH
Olivia Zsarmani, MSU
Nikki Smith, MSU
Payton Harris, OSU
Nicole Riccardi, OSU
Emma Spence, NEB
Alexa Rothenbuescher, MD
Rhea LeBlanc, MD
Tory Vetter, OSU
Sarah Moraw, MINN
Baleigh Garcia, MSU
Lauren Pearl, MINN
Katie Horak, MINN
Ella Sirjord, MINN
Jenna Mulligan, MICH
Carly Bauman, MICH
Madeline Komoroski, MD
Mia Takekawa, ILL
Elle Beaufait, MSU
MaKayla Tucker, MSU
Gabrielle Stephen, MSU
Savannah Gonzalez, OSU
Ella Hodges, OSU
Bailey Libby, IOWA
Kadyn Fitzgibbon, ILL
Mia Townes, ILL
Gabrielle Dildy, RUT
Amani Herring, PSU
Isabella Salcedo, PSU
Martina Comin, NEB
Sophia McClelland, NEB

UP NEXT
Minnesota will await its NCAA Regionals designation. The selection show is set for Monday, March 25 at 11 a.m. CT on NCAA.com.