March 14, 2012
THIS WEEK: The No. 12 University of Iowa men’s gymnastics team will host No. 3 Illinois on Saturday inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The meet will begin at 7 p.m. (CT).
SENIOR DAY: Iowa will be honoring seniors Zach Cazabon and Adam Wilson. Cazabon, from Brentwood, Mo., competed all four years at Iowa and twice made it to the second day of the NCAA Championships. Cazabon has competed in all six meets this season with action on pommel horse, vault and parallel bars. Cazabon will be graduating in May with a degree in Theatre Arts. Wilson, a native of Racine, Wis., competed all four years at Iowa. Wilson has competed on pommel horse at all six meets this season. Wilson will be graduating in May with an Accounting Degree.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: Iowa will host Illinois for the second time this season as the Fighting Illini earned a 352.300-326.200 victory against Iowa on Jan. 21. Illinois is coming off a tri-meet victory against Minnesota and Nebraska where the Fighting Illini scored over 350 points for the second straight meet.
LAST TIME OUT: Iowa set a new season high team score and placed second in a tri-meet against Minnesota and Brockport. The Hawkeyes scored a 338.200 and had five top-three individual event titles. Junior Matt McGrath and junior Anton Gryshayev tied for first place on rings (14.700). Junior Javier Balboa placed third on pommel horse (14.100), while sophomore Jack McClay placed fourth on parallel bars (14.200).
SHEMANSKY STEPPING UP: Junior Broderick Shemasnky won his second all-around title of the season against Minnesota and Brockport, topping the field with a career best mark of 84.200.
IN THE RANKINGS: Iowa remained at No. 12 in the most recent rankings. Two Hawkeye gymnasts are nationally ranked. Balboa is ranked eighth on parallel bars and 11th on all-around. . Shemansky is ranked 19th on all-around.
BIG TEN NETWORK: The Hawkeyes had two televised meets this season by the Big Ten Network, and both days of the Big Ten Championships, hosted by Iowa April 6-7, will be televised live at 7 p.m. (CT).
HEAD COACH JD Reive: JD Reive is in his second season at the helm of the program after a record-setting season his first year at Iowa. Six gymnasts punched their ticket to the NCAA Championships under Reive’s guidance. Iowa also broke four team records and five individual records. Reive came to Iowa after serving as an assistant coach at Stanford from 2003-10, where he helped coach 44 All-Americans.
UP NEXT: Iowa will meet No. 10 Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb., on March 24 at 7 p.m. (CT).