March 3, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
- Big Ten Network: Programming Schedule
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
- gohawks.com
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
This Week
The 19th-ranked Iowa Hawkeye Women’s Gymnastics Team will host Iowa State in the “Pink Meet,” honoring Breast Cancer Awareness, Friday. Competition will take place at Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 7 p.m. The meet will be Iowa’s last home meet of 2008 and is part of the Hy-Vee CyHawk series.
Iowa State currently leads the fourth annual Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series, 18-5. The nine-sport series awards two points (except football, which is worth three) to the winning school in each head-to-head match-up between the two institutions. Additionally, two points are awarded to an institution if the graduation rate of its student-athletes is greater than the national average as reported each fall by the NCAA.
Last Week
Iowa hosted Minnesota Friday, winning 195.9-194.725. The Hawkeyes then traveled to Texas Woman’s University Sunday, winning 195.075-193.475. Jenifer Simbhudas earned a career-best 39.45 in the all-around against the Gophers with first-place performances on vault (9.875) and floor (9.95). She also took the vault title at T.W.U. with a 9.825 and won the all-around (38.95).
The Hawkeyes
Iowa is ranked 19th nationally and third in the Big Ten with an 8-4-1 record, while Simbhudas is third in the Big Ten all-around rankings with an average 39.064 and season-high 39.45.
The Competition
Iowa State is ranked 32nd nationally with a 193.754 average. The Cyclones’ Nikki Dilbert is ranked 26th nationally in the all-around. This will be the second time the Hawkeyes and Cyclones will face-off in 2008. Iowa State won the first meeting, 195.125-193.800 on February 22, in Ames.
Head Coach Larissa Libby
In four years as Iowa Head Coach, Larissa Libby has recorded a 28-46-1 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 compete at Southern Utah, March 14th at 7 p.m. The Big Ten Championships are next on March 29th at Ann Arbor, MI.
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