Feb. 2, 2004
This Week: The eighth-ranked Iowa women’s gymnastics squad will travel to Salt Lake City to take on #4 Utah Friday, February 6. Competition is set to begin at 8 p.m. in the Huntsman Center.
The Utes: The Utes are 4-0 with wins over #3 UCLA, #9 Nebraska, BYU and Minnesota. In the rankings, Utah is first on vault with a season average of 49.431 and a high score of 49.625. Additionally, three Utes are ranked in the vault. Annabeth Eberle leads Utah in third place, with Rachel Tidd and Nicolle Ford also in the top 25. The Utes have five individuals in the event rankings.
Iowa Against Utah: The Hawkeyes are 0-2 against the Utes. The last meeting between the two teams was in 1992 when Utah won, 197.0-188.1.
Hawks on the Road: The Hawkeyes are starting a three weekend road trip. Iowa will start in Utah, go to Maryland the following weekend, then travel to Illinois State. Iowa will host Minnesota February 27.
All-Around Record All Tied Up: Stephanie Gran tied the school all-around record against NC State, scoring a 39.65. This is the third time this season the record has been tied. Alexis Maday tied the record at the Cancun Invitational and against Iowa State.
Hawkeyes Close In on Team Record: Iowa has recorded the second-best team total in school history two weekends in a row. Against Michigan, the Hawkeyes scored a 196.75. The GymHawks improved the record against NC State, finishing with a 196.775. The school record is 196.8, which was accomplished last season at Illinois.
Noteworthy Against NC State: Stephanie Gran led the GymHawks with wins on bars, floor, all-around, and a tie for first on beam. Gran also placed second on vault. Kortny Williamson won vault with a career-high 9.925. Alexis Maday tied for first on beam and tied for second on vault and bars. Freshman Beth Dilick tied for second on bars and tied for fourth on vault.
In The Rankings: Iowa remains steady at eighth in the GymInfo Poll. The GymHawks are also ranked on all four individual events. Iowa is fourth on floor, ninth on bars, 12th on vault and 15th on beam.
Three Individuals Ranked: The GymHawks have three individuals ranked in the latest GymInfo poll. Senior Alexis Maday is ranked on three events and the all-around. Maday is tied for fourth on bars, sixth in the all-around, tied for 21st on vault and 15th on beam. Senior Stephanie Gran is ranked second on floor, fifth in the all-around and 11th on vault. Sophomore Liz Grajewski is tied for 24th on floor.
Quoting Coach Lorenzen: “We’re thrilled to be competing at Utah. [Coaches] Greg and Megan Marsden have done more for collegiate women’s gymnastics than any other coaches in the country. It will be a great test for our team to go head to head with the original gymnastics dynasty in front of what will be one of the biggest crowds we’ll see this season.”