March 26, 2007
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THIS WEEK — The Iowa men’s gymnastics team travels to Minneapolis, MN, to compete in the six-team Big Ten Championships, March 30-31. Competition is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the Sports Pavilion on Saturday.
LAST TIME OUT — At Oklahoma, Iowa scored 209.8 to the Sooner’s 220.5. On floor exercise, Geoff Reins tied for first place, matching his season best score, a 9.5. Curtis Kleffman placed first on pommel horse, scoring a 9.15.
LAST YEAR AT THE BIG TENS — As hosts of the 2006 Big Ten Championships, Iowa finished third, scoring 213.75, behind Ohio State and Illinois. Iowa’s third place finish let the team advance to the NCAA Qualifier. Two Hawkeyes posted season bests. Michael Reavis tallied a 9.7875 on floor exercise and Jacques Bouchard scored a 9.5 on rings. Reavis’ score on floor made him the event champion.
THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS — Last year, Ohio State claimed its second consecutive Big Ten Men’s Gymnastics title and its 11th in school history. Five different teams held leads throughout the night, but it was the Buckeyes who found themselves in first place with a score of 215.625 when it mattered. Illinois finished second with a score of 214.8, while Iowa (213.75) and Michigan (210.775) followed in third and fourth place, respectively. Penn State (210.25) finished fifth place and Minnesota posted a sixth-place finish with a score of 205.4.
Jacques Bouchard — Bouchard set a school record on still rings this season, besting a record he set last year (9.5) at the Big Ten Championships. His score of 9.55, which he attained twice this season (against Illinois and Stanford/Penn State) etched his name in the Iowa record book. Bouchard was one of four Hawkeyes to compete in the Winter Cup Challenge and has been selected one of eight finalists for the Nissen-Emery Award, the Heisman Trophy of gymnastics.
IOWA’S RECORD — Iowa has a 3-11 record this season and is ranked ninth according to the GymInfo National rankings.
HEAD COACH Tom Dunn — In his 28th year at Iowa, Head Coach Tom Dunn, has recorded a 213-101-2 record at Iowa. In 1998 and 2006, Dunn was named Big Ten Coach of the Year and College Gymnastics Association Central Region Coach of the Year. He has led the Hawkeyes to 17 top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships. Iowa has competed at the NCAA meet 17 of the past 22 seasons. Dunn has also coached 32 individuals to 64 all-America honors and 20 gymnasts to 32 Big Ten titles.
NEXT COMPETITION — The Hawkeyes travel to State College, PA, to compete at the NCAA Championships, April 12-14.
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