Dec. 4, 2003
THIS WEEK: The University of Iowa men’s and women’s gymnastics programs will hold its annual Black & Gold Meet, Saturday, at 2 p.m. in the North Gym of the Iowa Field House. The teams will divide into co-ed teams for the intra-squad event. Both teams will hold an autograph session following the competition and team posters will be available. Admission is free.
SCOUTING THE IOWA MEN’S PROGRAM: With 11 returning lettermen in a conference that graduated numerous seniors, the Hawkeyes are preparing for a strong season. The Hawks are coming off a year where they finished third in the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Qualifier. The team advanced to the NCAA Championships for the 35th time in school history and finished sixth. Then-sophomore Linas Gaveika received all-Big Ten honors after he won the Big Ten high bar title. Gaveika went on to win the high bar title at the NCAA Championships, becoming Iowa’s 11th NCAA Champion and first NCAA high bar champion. Gaveika was named all-American on high bar along with then-freshman Michael Reavis. The Hawkeyes are ranked sixth in the nation in the GymInfo Pre-season Coaches Poll. Iowa Head Coach Tom Dunn begins his 24th year as the leader of the men’s program, and is assisted by 11th-year coach Alex Kolyvanov and eighth-year coach Dmitri Trouch.
SCOUTING THE IOWA WOMEN’S PROGRAM: The 2004 GymHawks look to build off last season’s success in order to solidify Iowa’s role as a national powerhouse. Since last season, the GymHawks have lost three letterwinners, but return 11 athletes and boast four newcomers. The team will rely heavily on the senior leadership of Stephanie Gran, Brandy Killian, Alexis Maday and Nicole Wong. Maday received all-America honors for the second consecutive year, with first-team honors on the uneven bars and second-team accolades in the all-around. She was also crowned co-Big Ten Champion on the uneven bars. Gran and Junior Annie Rue both hope to build off last year’s success. Gran was a second-team all-Big Ten selection and was co-Big Ten champion on floor exercise. Rue received first-team all-Big Ten honors. Newcomers Beth Dilick, Danielle Legeai, Krista Lewis and Bobbie Zimmerman will be counted on to make an immediate impact. Mike Lorenzen enters his fourth season as head coach of the Hawkeyes. He is assisted by Larissa Libby and Derek May.
WHEN THE SEASON BEGINS: The men gymnasts kick off the 2004 season on January 10, when they travel to Chicago, IL, for the Windy City Invitational. The women begin their campaign on January 2, with a trip to Cancun, Mexico, for the Cancun Invitational.