Gophers women gymnasts want Big Ten title, but also grateful meet being held

Lexy Ramler couldn't love gymnastics any more than she already did. That's what the Gophers senior thought, anyway, until the pandemic altered her point of view.

Ramler was ranked No. 1 in the nation on beam and No. 8 in the all-around a year ago, with the Big Ten championships and NCAA regionals on the horizon. Suddenly, the postseason tournaments were called off and Peik Gym was closed. Cut off completely from her sport, Ramler recognized it meant more to her than she realized.

"When it's taken away, you take a step back," she said. "I fell in love with it even more. This year, the biggest thing for me has been just being grateful for every single day we get to be in the gym and together as a team."

Gratitude has been a theme all season for the No. 7 Gophers, who host the Big Ten championships Saturday at Maturi Pavilion. The joy of being back in the gym has powered Ramler to top-four national rankings in multiple events — including No. 2 in the all-around — and a pair of perfect-10 scores. Freshman Mya Hooten made a social media splash with a floor exercise routine ranked No. 3 in the nation, while the Gophers climbed as high as No. 4 in the team rankings, tying a program best.

The team didn't get back into Peik Gym until late August. Not everyone had equal access to facilities and equipment during the long break, leaving some athletes a bit behind. The Gophers weren't sure they would even compete until a schedule was released on Jan. 4.

Coach Jenny Hansen said her gymnasts lifted each other up from the start. Like Ramler, the rest of the Gophers found that time away from the sport made them love it all the more, establishing the tone for a record-setting season.

"Everyone was just so grateful to be together again, to do gymnastics and train," Hansen said. "When it was taken away, it was so hard for them. And they just felt so lucky when it came back. They've really rallied around one another."

A deep Gophers roster will be chasing the program's first Big Ten tournament title since 2006. Seven gymnasts — the most of any league team — were named first- or second-team all-Big Ten last week. Ramler has earned perfect-10 scores on balance beam and vault this season, and Hooten got the program's first-ever perfect 10 on floor.

In the national rankings, Ramler is at or near the top in beam (tied for first), uneven bars (second) and vault (tied for fourth). The Gophers also set a program record for highest total score on bars (49.575) and tied the highest score on floor exercise (49.575).

Entering the season, Hansen wasn't sure what to expect. Her athletes were out of the gym for two or three months — an eternity for a gymnast — during the early part of the pandemic. When they resumed summer training, some got 20 hours per week, while some got as few as six hours.

The long layoff created worries about losing skills or muscle memory. When the team returned to campus, some gymnasts could do only half a routine.

"Nobody had dealt with anything like this before," said Ramler, who was able to train at her former club gym with Gophers teammate Halle Remlinger. "People were coming back at very different points. Some were just getting their skills back.

"We had a lot of work to do, but we thought, 'Let's just see how far we can go. Nothing is impossible.' Everyone really supported each other, and the team really became one."

As the Gophers helped one another get back up to speed, Hansen said the challenge created lasting bonds. She also saw a change in Ramler, who seemed to be putting less pressure on herself.

Ramler said she has narrowed her focus to the moment at hand, making sure she is taking nothing for granted. That has added a little extra sparkle to her performances, landing her on the all-Big Ten first team for the fourth year in a row. Ramler also broke her program record for highest all-around score (39.850).

Hansen believes the Gophers could win the Big Ten championship if they perform to their abilities. That's the goal, she said, though the Gophers are thinking about it in a slightly different way.

"We get to host a Big Ten championship, and we're all just so grateful," Hansen said. "We appreciate that in a different way than we ever have before."