March 8, 2004
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This Week: The 16th-ranked Iowa women’s gymnastics squad will travel to Ames Friday to battle intrastate rival Iowa State. Competition will take place at Hilton Coliseum at 7 p.m.
The Cyclones: The Cyclones are ranked ninth nationally with an 8-1 record. Iowa State had an earlier victory this season over the Hawkeyes, narrowly winning 196.95-196.725. The Cyclones have also recorded victories over No. 12 Oklahoma, No. 13 Nebraska, No. 17 Missouri, No. 20 Denver, Illinois and Minnesota (twice). Iowa State’s lone loss came last weekend against No. 2 Georgia. The Cyclones are nationally ranked fifth on floor, sixth on beam, 11th on vault and 13th on bars. Top gymnasts for the Cyclones include Janet Anson and Erin Dethloff.
Cyclones Lead Series: The Cyclones and Hawkeyes have met 56 times. Iowa State leads the series, 36-20.
Last Weekend Notes: Iowa finished third against Utah, Washington and Illinois-Chicago. The GymHawks’ team score of 196.9 is the third-highest score in school history. Alexis Maday tied for first on floor, scoring a 9.95. Maday also tied for third on vault and bars. She finished sixth in the all-around with a 39.45. Stephanie Gran tied for fifth on vault and floor, and placed fifth in the all-around. On bars, senior Nicole Wong tied for eighth with a career-tying 9.9. Liz Grajewski tied for ninth on beam as the GymHawks’ top scorer in the event.
In The Rankings: Iowa is 16th in the latest GymInfo Poll. The GymHawks are ranked on all four individual events. Iowa is tied for 11th on floor, 12th on bars, 13th on vault and 21st on beam.
Maday Second in Nation on Bars: Senior Alexis Maday is second on bars in the national rankings. Maday has a regional qualifying score of 9.950 with a high score of 9.975. Maday is also ranked sixth in the all-around, tied for seventh on floor, tied for ninth on vault and tied for 25th on beam.
Individuals Nationally Ranked: The GymHawks also have Stephanie Gran and Kortny Williamson nationally ranked. Gran is tied for 15th on vault and floor, and 16th in the all-around. Williamson is ranked 21st on vault.
Big Ten Rankings: Iowa is ranked first in the Big Ten Conference. The GymHawks are also ranked first on vault, bars and floor and third on beam. On vault, Iowa has the top three individuals, with Alexis Maday ranked first, Stephanie Gran second and Kortny Williamson third. Maday is also ranked first on bars, floor and the all-around.
Six Records Broken This Season: The GymHawks have broken six school records this year. All team records except for bars have been bested. Individual records that have been broken include the all-around and bars, while the floor record has been tied twice this season.
Senior Leadership: Seniors Alexis Maday and Stephanie Gran hold all the individual season bests for the GymHawks. On vault and floor, Maday and Gran are tied with scores of 9.975. On bars, Maday leads the team with a 9.975. Maday also has the highest score on beam with a 9.95 and leads in the all-around with a 39.75.
Quoting Coach Lorenzen: “Our rivalry with Iowa State may be the most competitive in-state situation in the country right now. It’s pretty amazing that our state is fielding two highly-ranked teams. We’re fortunate to have two chances per season to compete against such a high caliber program. Iowa State generally has a greater home court advantage, but I’m hopeful this will be as exciting and close a contest as our meet in Iowa City back in January.”