Feb. 4, 2008
This Week
The 28th-ranked University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team will host Ohio State, Saturday. Competition will take place at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and is set to begin at 7 p.m. Admission is $3, $2 for groups of 15 or more, and there is no admission fee for UI students or people under the age of 18.
The Buckeyes are ranked 22nd nationally and Rebecca Best is second in the Big Ten all-around standings. Iowa has a 7-26 all-time record against Ohio State. Iowa’s last dual meet against Ohio State was in 2002. The Hawkeyes were defeated by the Buckeyes, 195.900-195.550
Iowa Vs. Ohio State On The Tube
The Big Ten Network is airing the meet, for replay on February 14th at 6 p.m. The announcers for the meet will be Jim Kelly and Mary Lee Tracy.
Last Competition
Iowa upset Southeast Missouri State, 194.550-193.650, which is a season-best score for the Hawkeyes. Jenifer Simbhudas won on bars (9.75), while Kara Pinjuv won on beam with a season-high 9.8. Katie Burke won the all-around, scoring 38.925, also a season best.
Other top Hawkeye performances included Simbhudas’ second-place performance on vault (9.825), and freshman Houry Gebeshian placing second on bars with a 9.725. Rebecca Simbhudas, in her second competition as a Hawkeye, placed second on beam (9.775), while Pinjuv earned a 9.8 to finish second on floor. Brandi Loffer placed second to Burke in the all-around with a 38.750.
The Hawkeyes
Iowa is ranked 28th nationally with a 4-3 record, while Simbhudas is ranked sixth in the Big Ten all-around with an average 38.9. Iowa’s best score in 2008 is 194.550.
Head Coach Larissa Libby
In four years as Iowa Head Coach, Larissa Libby has recorded a 24-45 record. Before becoming head coach, Libby was Iowa’s associate head coach for one year and an assistant coach the previous three seasons. While associate head coach, Libby helped lead the GymHawks to a school record 49.425 beam performance in 2004. In addition to the record breaking performance, the 2004 GymHawks recorded a 49.0 or higher seven times on beam under Libby’s guidance.
Next Competition
The Hawkeyes will have a week off before returning to competition at Iowa State, February 22nd.
Complete Release in PDF Format
Click HERE for the Big Ten Network home page.