On Thursday morning, the happiest — and loudest — place in Dinkytown was nestled in the University of Minnesota's Athletes Village.

Watched by a cadre of staff and supporters, grinning Gophers gymnasts could barely contain their excitement as coach Jenny Hansen cut the ribbon to officially open their program's new home — a $15.5 million gymnastics facility.

"It's like Christmas morning," said Gophers fifth-year senior Mya Hooten with a smile.

Construction on the new facility was completed earlier this month, finishing a process that broke ground last March. Paid for mainly by athletic department revenue, the Gymnastics Performance Center is a step up from the program's former home in Peik Gymnasium, which Hansen said "lacked a lot." Foam pits and more extensive equipment are a couple of the upgrades from their old gym, along with areas for gymnasts to recover and study. Gophers meets will continue to be held at Maturi Pavilion.

"I feel like we've got all the pieces to the puzzle now," Hansen said. "This is the last thing we needed to really elevate this program."

The No. 21 Gophers, led by Hansen for the past 10 years, have been on their way up for a while. After snagging the Big Ten championship title in 2021, the squad made the semifinals of the NCAA tournament in 2022 and have become a reliably strong presence nationally.

Standout Hooten has been a rising force in her own right, snagging Big Ten titles on uneven bars, vault and floor last season.

"[The new facility] will 100% make us better," Hooten said. "This is a great add to this great program."

The Gophers are hopeful the new space will continue to attract stars to Dinkytown for the foreseeable future. They walked recruits through the space during its "beams and hard hats" phase last summer, to give them a taste of what was to come.

"I can't imagine a recruit that doesn't want to train here," Hansen said. "Any athlete that wants to continue to get better and train at a high level is going to see this space and say, 'I can do that here.'"