Iowa Rally Falls Short At Minnesota

http://stats.hawkeyesports.com/sports/w-gym/2008-2009/livestats.html

March 14, 2009

Complete Results

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – The 25th-ranked University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team scored its second-highest team point total of the season but fell to rival Minnesota Saturday night in the final dual meet of the season, 196.750 – 195.125, in Minneapolis.

The loss drops Iowa to 10-5 on the season, including a 2-2 mark in the Big Ten Conference. The GymHawks are now 7-3 against ranked opponents this season. Reigning Big Ten Gymnast of the Week Jenifer Simbhudas finished third in the all-around, leading Iowa on uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.

Despite the loss, Iowa head coach Larissa Libby was upbeat and pleased with her team’s performances.

“We had a great meet,” Libby said. “We had some very strong performances and I’m really proud of them with what they have been doing not only tonight but all season. We’ve still got a lot of work to do in a short amount of time and we’ve got details we need to focus on.”

Iowa started the dual meet on bars, posting a 48.7 team score. J. Simbhudas led the way with a solid mark of 9.8 while her sister, sophomore Rebecca Simbhudas, was close behind with a 9.775. Senior Brandi Loffer, who scored a career-high 9.9 last week against Kentucky, came in with a solid 9.725.

The GymHawks dominated vault for the third week in a row, outscoring the Golden Gophers 49.000 – 48.925. All six gymnasts in the lineup scored higher than a 9.7, led by sophomore Arielle Sucich, who scored a career-high 9.850 and took home a share of first place. Gebeshian, J. Simbhudas and R. Simbhudas received matching scores of 9.8, while freshmen Annie Szatkowski and Rachel Corcoran scored 9.75 and 9.7, respectively.

Iowa moved to floor during the third rotation, scoring a 48.8 as a team. J. Simbhudas scored a 9.875 to lead the way for Iowa, while Gebeshian came in with a 9.825. Sucich and freshman Jessa Hansen both scored 9.725. R. Simbhudas and junior Jenny Donar rounded out Iowa’s floor exercise lineup with identical scores of 9.650.

The GymHawks comeback attempt fell short on balance beam despite great performances from J. Simbhudas (9.850) and Gebeshian (9.8). Gebeshian finished behind Simbhudas at fourth place in the all-around, scoring a 39.150. In addition, R. Simbhudas finished sixth in the all-around (38.775).

Despite injuries that have affected Iowa’s depth all season, Libby acknowledges her team has made great strides this season and hopes those performances culminate next weekend at the Big Ten Championships.

“We need to remain focused entirely on us,” Libby said. “We are trying not to approach it any differently, but we need to remember it’s just another meet. If we can walk away knowing that we put it all out there, knowing we gave it our best shot, we will walk away satisfied. It’s going to take 100 percent mental focus for us to be the best and I think they are capable.”

The Big Ten Championships kick off next Saturday (March 21) from Huff Hall in Champaign, IL, on the campus of the University of Illinois. Meet time is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.

Team Results

Place   Team        Vault       Bars        Beam        Floor   Total1.  Minnesota       48.925      49.225      49.300      49.300  196.7502.   Iowa        49.000      48.700      48.625      48.800  195.125

Individual Results (Winner plus Iowa)

VaultT1. Carmelina Carabajal (MINN)      9.850T1.  Arielle Sucich (IOWA)     9.850T5. Houry Gebeshian (IOWA)       9.800T5. Jenifer Simbhudas (IOWA)       9.800T5. Rebecca Simbhudas (IOWA)       9.8008.  Annie Szatkowski (IOWA)     9.75010. Rachel Corcoran (IOWA)       9.700="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>
Uneven Bars1. Kristin Furukawa (MINN) 9.925T4. Jenifer Simbhudas (IOWA) 9.8007. Rebecca Simbhudas (IOWA) 9.775T8. Houry Gebeshian (IOWA) 9.725T8. Brandi Loffer (IOWA) 9.72511. Arielle Sucich (IOWA) 9.67512. Jessa Hansen (IOWA) 9.550="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>
Balance BeamT1. Kristin Furukawa (MINN) 9.875T4. Jenifer Simbhudas (IOWA) 9.8507. Houry Gebeshian (IOWA) 9.8008. Brandi Loffer (IOWA) 9.7259. Jessa Hansen (IOWA) 9.70011. Rebecca Simbhudas (IOWA) 9.55012. Andrea Hurlburt (IOWA) 9.075="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>
Floor ExerciseT1. Carmelina Carabajal (MINN) 9.9503. Jenifer Simbhudas (IOWA) 9.8755. Houry Gebeshian (IOWA) 9.825T8. Jessa Hansen (IOWA) 9.725T8. Arielle Sucich (IOWA) 9.725T10. Jenny Donar (IOWA) 9.650T10. Rebecca Simbhudas (IOWA) 9.650="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>
All-AroundT1. Carmelina Carabajal (MINN) 39.3753. Jenifer Simbhudas (IOWA) 39.3254. Houry Gebeshian (IOWA) 39.1506. Rebecca Simbhudas (IOWA) 38.775="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/strong%3E%3C/pre%3E%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3E%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%3C/p%3E%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%3Cp%3E%3Cimg%20src="/images/2016/6/1//thhh.jpg" width="180" height="62" class="imported">