Minnesota Scene: Lindsay Mable leads U gymnasts over Illinois

The Gophers beat Illinois 195.775-195.000 in Big Ten women's gymnastics at the Sports Pavilion led by Lindsay Mable. The senior from Aurora, Colo., scored a career-high 9.950 for first on the balance beam and won the all-around (39.550).

She also won uneven bars (9.875) and floor exercise (9.925) and tied for first in vault (9.800) with teammate Bailey Abernathy.

"I finally feel like this was much more "normal me," Mable said. "I think that the last two weeks, I've been thinking a lot to make everything too perfect and trying too hard to make it happen.

"I finally stepped back and realized you just have to let it happen.

"You can't try too hard because that never brings the outcome that you're hoping for."

The No. 4 Gophers men's gymnastics team earned its third consecutive victory, defeating No. 10 Air Force 438.500-424.950 in Colorado Springs.

The 438.500 was the program's highest overall score ever. The previous best was set in the 2014 season against Iowa and Nebraska (437.400).

Junior Zach Liebler took first in floor exercise (15.550), sophomore Yaroslav Pochinka won in vault (15.550), sophomore Tristan Duran won on still rings (14.650), senior Paul Montague Jr. on high bar (14.950) and freshman Justin Karstadt on parallel bars (14.600).

DePaul edged the Gophers women's tennis team 4-3 in the semifinals of the Courtside Classic at the Baseline Tennis Center. In the deciding match, Yulia Shupenia of the Blue Demons defeated Caroline Ryba of the Gophers 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 at No. 1 singles.

Winning matches for the Gophers were Julia Courter (6-2, 6-4) at No. 2 singles, Paula Rincon-Otero (6-1, 6-1) at No. 3 and Jessika Mozia at No. 5 (6-2, 0-6, 6-3).

The Gophers (4-2) will play New Mexico at noon Sunday.

Shanique Wright of the Gophers finished second in the triple jump at the Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Ind. Wright, a freshman from Mandeville, Jamaica, went 41 feet, 8¾ inches, a career best.

The Gophers' distance medley relay placed third in 11:28.26.

Matt Barnard of the Gophers broke his own school record in 3-meter diving in the Minnesota Challenge at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center. He won the event with a score of 450.95.