Hawkeyes Host Illinois Saturday

Hawkeyes Host Illinois Saturday

Feb. 27, 2008

IOWA CITY-

THIS WEEK
The Iowa men’s gymnastics team will host Illinois Saturday March 1, at the UI Field House. Competition begins at 2 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The Hawkeyes placed first at the Pacific Coast Classic in Oakland, CA, with a final score of 336.700. Curtis Kleffman broke two season records at the meet. Kleffman won the all-around competiton with a final score of 84.65, and placed second on pommel horse, scoring a 14.40. Ben Ketelsen placed second in the all-around, breaking the previous season high with a 83.20.

LAST YEAR AGAINST ILLINOIS
The Hawkeyes fell to Illinois, 209.500-214.950. Iowa won three events, including Jacob Becker on pommel horse (9.15), Geoff Reins on vault (9.35), and Jonathan Buese in the all- around (50.95). Reins also placed second in floor exercise (9.4), and Dustin Cranmer tied for fourth on floor (9.2).

SERIES RESULTS AGAINST ILLINOIS
The Hawkeyes are 34-40 all-time against Illinois.

IOWA RANKING
The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 11 in the latest Gyminfo poll. Stanford currently holds the No.1 spot, with Big Ten opponent Penn State at No.2.

LIVE STATS
Live stats will be available this weekend online at hawkeyesports.com.

HEAD COACH Tom Dunn
In his 29th year at Iowa, Head Coach Tom Dunn has recorded a 213-115-2 record. 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
“Illinois is very good and worthy of their No. 5 national ranking, but the Hawkeyes continue to improve each week. I anticipate that our seniors will lead us to our best performance of the year in their final Field House competition. It will be a great Big Ten battle and an excellent finale to our 2008 home season.”

NEXT COMPETITION
The Hawkeyes travel to Lincoln, NE, Friday March 14 to compete against Nebraska. Competition is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

Complete Release in PDF Format

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