Jan. 25, 2005
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This Week
The University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team travels to Iowa State Friday. Competition will take place at Hilton Coliseum beginning at 7 p.m.
The Iowa State Cyclones
The No. 10 Cyclones return 13 letterwinners from last season, including all-Americans Erin Dethoff and Janet Anson.
Iowa State is ranked eighth in the nation on beam, 11th on floor and 14th on vault. Additionally, Anson is ranked eighth in the all-around.
The Cyclones are 2-1 this season. They beat Missouri and Minnesota, outscoring both teams in every event. Iowa State’s loss came against Alabama. Even in the loss, the Cyclones took the top three places on beam.
Last Season Against the Cyclones
Last season, the GymHawks competed against the Cyclones twice. Iowa lost both contests.
Iowa’s Series Against Iowa State
The GymHawks’ record against Iowa State is 20-28. The last time Iowa beat the Cyclones was in 2003. The last time Iowa State beat the GymHawks was in 2004.
The Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series
Hy-Vee, Inc., in conjunction with Hawkeye Sports Properties, a division of Learfield Communications and Cyclone Sports Marketing, a division of Clear Channel and ESPN Regional, has reached an agreement with Iowa State University and the University of Iowa to serve as the title sponsor for the schools’ Cy-Hawk Series – the name given to the collection of regular-season, head-to-head intercollegiate athletic events featuring Cyclone and Hawkeye teams.
A point system is tracking each institution’s performance and will culminate in one institution winning the annual trophy for the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series. Intercollegiate athletic teams from Iowa and Iowa State will square off in head-to-head competition nine different times during the 2004-05 academic year. The competition this year is in football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, wrestling, women’s gymnastics, soccer, softball and women’s swimming and diving. Additional points will are available for each school based on successful performance in the classroom by student-athletes.
An institution will be awarded two points if the student-athlete graduation rate for all student-athletes is greater than the national average for all student-athletes.
Noteworthy Against Illinois-Chicago
The GymHawks broke two team event bests for the season. On beam, Iowa had a season-high 47.75, while posting a 48.475 on floor. Iowa also scored an individual season-high on floor with Liz Grajewski’s 9.8, while Danielle Legeai tied the beam season-high score of 9.725.
Grajewski won floor, took second in the all-around (38.25) and third on bars (9.625). Legeai placed first on beam in her first meet of the season. Kortny Williamson scored a 9.75 on vault to finish second, while Katie Burke tied for third on beam with a 9.65.
Head Coach Larissa Libby
Larissa Libby is in 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.