Feb. 15, 2005
THIS WEEK — The sixth-ranked University of Iowa men’s gymnastics team will take on the ninth-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers Saturday, February 19. The meet is co-ed as the Hawkeye women will take on in-state rival Iowa State and will be held at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
THE COMPETITION — The Gophers are ranked ninth nationally in the GymInfo national rankings. They opened the season with a fifth-place finish at the Windy City Invitational, one spot behind the Hawkeyes. Minnesota has since fallen to top-ranked Illinois and No.2 Ohio State, but has defeated No. 4 Michigan and No. 15 Illinois-Chicago. The Gophers are led by senior all-arounder Guillermo Alvarez, who is ranked first on floor exercise, third on vault, fourth in the all-around and fifth on pommel horse.
LAST TIME OUT — Iowa dominated then-No. 14 Illinois-Chicago last weekend, topping the Flames in every event. A Hawkeye also took first in all six individual events. The Hawkeyes swept the all-around competition, with senior Linas Gaveika taking top honors, freshman Curtis Kleffman placing second and junior Michael McNamara finishing third. Senior Shawn Stone was first on floor exercise, while Kleffman took top honors on pommel horse and junior Jacques Maurice Bouchard won the rings competitioin. Sophomore Reid Vancelette was first on vault, Matt Beiler and McNamara tied for first on parallel bars, and Gaveika took top honors on horizontal bar.
NATIONAL RANKINGS — The Iowa men’s gymnastics team is ranked sixth in the GymInfo national rankings. As a team, the Hawkeyes are ranked in the top ten in all six individual events. Iowa is the fourth-ranked team on floor exercise, fifth on horizontal bar, sixth on vault, eighth on pommel horse and rings and ninth on parallel bars.
NATIONALLY-RANKED INDIVIDUALS — Reavis leads the Hawkeyes in the rankings. He is second on floor exercise, third on horizontal bar, ninth on vault and 10th in the all-around. Gaveika is sixth on horizontal bar and 11th in the all-around, while Kleffman is ninth on pommel horse and 20th in the all-around. Other ranked Hawkeyes are Stone on floor (third), McNamara on floor (18th), freshman Jacob Becker on pommel horse (second), and senior Kenny Lin on rings (16th).
HEAD COACH Tom Dunn — Head Coach Tom Dunn is in his 25th year at Iowa. He has compiled a 187-79-2 record. In 1998, Dunn was named Big Ten Coach of the Year and CGA Central Region Coach of the Year. He has led the Hawkeyes to 18 top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships. Iowa has competed at the NCAA meet 18 of the past 21 seasons. Dunn has also coached 29 individuals to 58 all-America honors and 19 gymnasts to 31 Big Ten titles.
NEXT COMPETITION — The Hawkeyes will remain at home and host No. 11 Nebraska and Wisconsin, February 26. The meet is slated to begin at 7 p.m. at the UI Field House.