Nov. 13, 2003
IOWA CITY, IA – The Iowa women’s gymnastics program has signed Allyson Zipse, Katie Burke and Natalie Padilla to national letters of intent. The announcement came this afternoon from Iowa Head Coach Mike Lorenzen.
“We exceed our expectations with a group of terrifically talented young women and we are very excited about the all-around abilities and personalities they will bring to the team,” said Lorenzen.
All three gymnasts are solid all-around performers that have the ability to be instant lineup contenders in each event. Zipse, a native of Ft. Wayne, IN, has competed for the Set 10 and More Than Gymnastics club teams. Padilla is a member of Southern California Elite Gymnastics and hails from Bonita, CA.
“Allyson and Natalie are both known for their exquisite technique and flawless execution, two traits that seniors Alexis Maday and Stephanie Gran have brought to the table as all-arounders and are part of what separates the top programs in the country from the rest,” said Lorenzen.
Burke, a native of Inverness, IL, is a member of the American Academy of Artistic Gymnastics Club.
“Katie is an incredibly explosive athlete with terrific power and a great combination of unique skills and exceptional difficulty,” said Lorenzen.
“The best thing about this group is the combination of traits that they will bring in as a class. They will immediately add a total of 12 routines that should be in our starting lineup. More importantly, we feel like they are a terrific fit with their personalities, academic abilities and potential for leadership.”
Zipse, Burke and Padilla will begin competition in 2005, helping to fill the void left after Maday, Gran and fellow seniors Brandy Killian and Nicole Wong complete their GymHawk careers at the end of this season.
“This year’s senior class was my first recruiting class and is the foundation upon which the GymHawks’ rapid rise to national prominence has been built. The reloading process has been a success with today’s commitments from three fine gymnasts,” said Lorenzen.