March 8, 2005
THIS WEEK — The seventh-ranked University of Iowa men’s gymnastics team will travel to Norman, OK, Friday, to take on No. 3 Oklahoma. The meet is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the Lloyd Noble Center.
THE SOONERS — The 2004 NCAA runner-up squad is 7-1 this season, falling only to Michigan. Last weekend, the Sooners knocked off top-ranked Ohio State 222.825-222.675 and has notched wins over Nebraska, Minnesota and Air Force. Oklahoma is led by returning all-Americans Brian Trause (PB), Josh Gore (PB), David Henderson (AA & R), and Jamie Henderson (R). The Sooners are coached by Head Coach Mark Williams, Assistant Coach and 2004 U.S. Olympic Silver medalist Guard Young, and Assistant Coach Yuan Xiao.
LAST TIME OUT — Despite breaking four University of Iowa records and setting five season bests, the Hawkeyes fell to the Japan all-Stars, as well as second-ranked Illinois. Iowa set the school record with its team score of 219.025, but could not match Japan’s 226.375 or Illinois’ 223.9. Junior Michael Reavis took third in the all-around, finishing behind two Japanese all-Stars. He also tied for second on floor exercise, took third on vault, and tied for fourth on horizontal bar. Senior Linas Gaveika took fourth in the all-around with a personal season best score of 53.975. He also tied for third on pommel horse and tied for fourth on horizontal bar.
HAWKEYES HIT THE RECORD BOOKS — The Hawkeyes set four University of Iowa records against Illinois last weekend. Along with its team score of 219.025, Iowa set a school record on rings with a team score of 37.4. Senior Kenny Lin took fifth in the event, setting a record with his score of 9.7. Reavis also topped his previous record of 54.4 in the all-around, taking third with a score of 54.65.
NATIONAL RANKINGS — The Iowa men’s gymnastics team dropped into seventh place in the GymInfo national rankings. As a team, the Hawkeyes are ranked in the top ten in all six individual events. Iowa is the sixth-ranked team on both floor exercise and horizontal bar, eighth on vault, ninth on pommel horse and rings, and 10th on parallel bars.
NATIONALLY-RANKED INDIVIDUALS — Reavis leads the Hawkeyes in the rankings. He is the No. 3 competitor on floor exercise, tied for fourth on vault, fifth in the all-around and tied for sixth on horizontal bar. Gaveika is ninth on horizontal bar, 10th in the all-around and 19th on pommel horse. Michael McNamara is eighth on floor exercise, while Lin is 12th on rings and freshman Curtis Kleffman is 19th in the all-around.
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 have a weekend off to prepare for the Big Ten Championships, held March 25-26, in Ann Arbor, MI.