May 4, 2021

Senior All-Americans Lexy Ramler and Ona Loper have informed the Gophers women's gymnastics team that they will return next season, the school announced Tuesday. The news came with the Gophers coming off their first Big Ten championship since 2006. The NCAA has granted athletes an extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic. Ramler is the three time reigning Big Ten gymnast of the year and finished fifth on the beam at the NCAA Championships last month. She was one of the favorites in the all-around entering that meet but finished 11th. "While there was a lot of time taken into deciding to return for another year, it ultimately came down to not being ready to say goodbye to the sport of gymnastics," Ramler said in the news release. Loper was the Gophers' top performer at the NCAA meet, finishing third in the vault and fourth in the all-around competition. "I am beyond excited and thankful for the opportunity to take a fifth year and represent Minnesota for one more season," Loper said in the news release. Joe Christensen, a Star Tribune’s sports team leader, graduated from the University of Minnesota and spent 15 years covering Major League Baseball, including stops at the Riverside Press-Enterprise and Baltimore Sun. He joined the Star Tribune in 2005 and spent four years covering Gophers football.