Four Gophers gymnasts earn All-America honors

Shane Wiskus received three regular-season All-America honors from the College Gymnastics Association, and Gophers teammates Mike Moran, Timmy Kutyla and David Pochinka also were named All-Americas, the outlet announced Saturday.

All-America awards are usually given to the top eight finishers on each event and in the all-around at the NCAA championships. With the rest of the season canceled, the CGA chose All-Americas for the first time, based on the top eight standings on each event and in the all-around as of March 9.

Junior captain Wiskus was selected for the all-around, parallel bars and rings. He finished his junior campaign as the No. 1 all-arounder in the country, with a qualifying average score of 83.467. He also came in at No. 2 on parallel bars and No. 5 on rings. He is now a nine-time All-America and has earned the distinction in four of six events, and all three years all-around.

Moran, a sophomore, earned his first All-America honor after finishing No. 6 nationally in the floor exercise (14.300). He won two floor titles during the regular season and placed seventh at the USA Gymnastics Winter Cup Challenge in February.

Pochinka joined Wiskus as a parallel bars All-America. The sophomore was the No. 8-ranked gymnast in the event (13.967).

Kutyla, the Gophers' only senior and a two-year captain, was No. 4 in the country on the high bar (13.833).

Three of the Gophers volleyball team's four signed recruits for the fall were listed on VolleyballMag.com's Fab 50 list of high school seniors released Friday, with Taylor Landfair selected the nation's top recruit.

A panel of Division I college coaches did the voting. Prep Volleyball, another website, named Landfair — a 6-4 outside hitter from Plainfield (Ill.) — the nation's No. 1 overall recruit last fall.

The Gophers also had two other recruits among the top 10 in voting. Jenna Wenaas, a 6-1 outside hitter from Frisco, Texas, was fifth in voting, and Melani Shaffmaster, a 6-4 setter from New Castle, Ind., was sixth. No other college team had more than one player in the top 10.

The only Minnesota prep player on the list was Maddie Whittington, a 6-3 right side hitter/middle blocker for Stillwater. She has signed with Illinois.

VolleyballMag.com also released its list of 25 underclassmen to watch. The one Minnesotan on that list was Kennedi Orr, a 6-0 junior setter for Eagan. She has verbally committed to Nebraska.

ROMAN AUGUSTOVIZ