Feb. 6, 2008
THIS WEEK
The Iowa men’s gymnastics team will travel to Las Vegas, NV this week to compete in the Winter Cup Challenge at the Sports Center Arena. Jonathan Buese and Ben Ketelsen will compete Thursday at noon (cst). The meet will consist of two individual preliminary event finals and all-around qualification sessions at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. The all-around final competition begins at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
THE WINTER CUP CHALLENGE
Eighty-four athletes will compete to fill seven spots on the 2008 U.S. Senior National Team. Based on a point system for each event, roughly half the competitors will move on to the second day of the competition, after the qualifying round. For more information, check the USA Gymnastics website at http://www.usa-gymnastics.org.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hawkeyes fell to Michigan at home (338.60 to 341.95). Iowa placed in the top three in each event. The Hawkeyes had three first place finishes, including Ben Ketelsen in the all-around and floor exercise. The other first place went to Jonathan Buese on parallel bars, scoring 14.6.
LAST YEAR AT THE WINTER CUP
Four members of the 2007 Iowa squad competed, Jonathan Buese, Curtis Kleffman, Geoff Reins, and Jacques Bouchard. On rings, Bouchard finished seventh, scoring 14.5. Buese Scored 75.95 in the all-around to finish 17th. Kleffman finished 21st on vault, scoring a 14.65.
BIG TEN ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Senior, Geoff Reins is featured on bigten.org with a profile entitled “The Persistent Competitor”. The profile details Reins’ trip to becoming a Hawkeye and his accomplishments once he donned the Black and Gold.
HEAD COACH Tom Dunn
In his 29th year at Iowa, Head Coach Tom Dunn, has recorded a 210-107-2 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 18 of the past 23 seasons. Dunn has also coached 33 individuals to earn 66 all-America honors and 21 gymnasts to 34 Big Ten titles.
QUOTING HEAD COACH Tom Dunn
“We will take a freshman and a sophomore to the US Winter Nationals with the hope they can gain the experience necessary to become members of the US National Team in the future.”
NEXT COMPETITION
The Hawkeyes return to Iowa City to compete against Oklahoma, February 16. Competition begins at 2 p.m. in the Fieldhouse.