Jan. 11, 2005
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This Week
The University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team travels to Denver, CO, to compete against the University of Denver. The meet will begin at 7 p.m. CST.
The Denver Pioneers
The Pioneers are tied for 16th in the latest GymInfo poll. Denver returns six letterwinners from last season’s squad, while adding five newcomers.
Gymnasts to watch include sophomores Heather Huffaker and Casey Dobyns, and junior Cassidy Willingham.
Denver started its season last weekend against Michigan State, LSU and Ball State. The Pioneers placed second, defeating No. 8 LSU and Ball State. Huffaker finished third in the all-around.
Last Time Against the Pioneers
Last season, the GymHawks competed against the Pioneers in the NCAA North Central Regionals. Iowa beat Denver by .125, securing a bid to the NCAA Championships, while ending the Pioneers’ season.
Iowa’s Series Against Denver
The GymHawks’ record against Denver is 2-0. The first meeting between the two teams was in 1990 at an Oklahoma triangular meet. The last meeting was at Denver for the NCAA North Central Regionals last season.
In the Rankings
The Gymhawks dropped out of the national rankings this week, but remain ranked in individual events. Iowa scored a 48.550 last week on bars to place 16th.
Last Week Notes
The GymHawks competed in the Super Six Challenge last weekend, placing sixth with a score of 190.725. Freshman Ally Zipse finished 10th in the all-around with a score of 37.775. Annie Rue was the top GymHawk on vault and bars, finished tied for 21st and tied for 14th, respectively. Junior Kortny Williamson tied for ninth on beam with a score of 9.725.
Head Coach Larissa Libby
Larissa Libby begins her first season as Head Coach of the GymHawks. Last season, Libby served as Associate Head Coach after three years as an assistant. Libby has already made a lasting impact on the GymHawks as the team’s choreographer and beam coach. The top 10 school beam performances have all been under her guidance, including the school record of 49.425. Libby coached four gymnasts to score a 9.9 or higher on beam in 2004. She also guided sophomore Danielle Legeai to tie for second on beam at NCAA regionals last season.