April 2, 2008
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IOWA CITY-
THIS WEEK
The Univeristy of Iowa men’s gymnastics team will travel to University Park, PA to compete in the 2008 Big Ten Championships. Competition for team and all-around event finals is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Friday. Individual event finals begin at 7 p.m. Saturday.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hawkeyes fell to Illinois and Minnesota, with a final score of 343.75. Big Ten rival Illinois placed first, scoring 353.95, while Minnesota finished second, scoring 351.50. Hawkeye senior Curtis Kleffman competed in all six events, placing third in the all-around competition, with a final score of 85.60. Kleffman earned a fifth place finish on horizontal bar, with a score of 14.30. On pommel horse, Jacob Becker placed second, scoring 14.70. Reid Urbain scored 14.55 on rings, posting a third place finish.
LAST YEAR AT BIG TENS
The ninth-ranked Hawkeyes placed sixth with a final score of 210.00. Graduate Jacques Bouchard placed first on rings, with a score of 9.65, breaking the Iowa record in the event. Jacob Becker placed third on pommel horse, scoring an 8.85.
THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Last year, Ohio State claimed its third consecutive Big Ten title, and its 12th in school history. The victory came after a thrilling come-from-behind race, in which the Buckeyes moved up from last place to clinch the title. Ohio State had a final score of 217.75, with Penn State (217.65) coming in a close second. Minnesota (215.25) was third, followed by Michigan (214.35), Illinois (211.9) and Iowa (210.00).
IOWA’S RECORD
Iowa has a 4-12 record this season. The Hawkeyes are currently ranked No. 10 in the GymInfo poll.
HEAD COACH Tom Dunn
In his 29th year at Iowa, Head Coach Tom Dunn has recorded a 213-117-2 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
“We are not quite 100%, but we are significantly better than we were when we opened the season January 12th. I expect to see our best performance of the year this weekend. I hope that also means our best score of the season and a finish higher than our sixth place seed.”
NEXT COMPETITION
The Hawkeyes travel to Stanford, CA to compete in the 2008 NCAA Championships, April 17-19.
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