Black and Gold Intrasquad Set for Sunday

Nov. 28, 2012

THIS WEEK:
The University of Iowa men’s and women’s gymnastics teams will host the annual Black and Gold Intrasquad on Sunday. The co-ed event will begin on the main deck of the UI Field House at 2 p.m. Admission is free.

LAST TIME OUT–MEN’S:
The Iowa men’s team concluded its 2012 season at the NCAA Championships in Norman, Okla. The Hawkeyes had three junior gymnasts competing in the individual event semifinals. Javier Balboa placed 14th on all-around. Broderick Shemansky also competed on all-around, finishing 19th. Anton Gryshayev competed on rings, earning 17th place. All three return to lead the Hawkeyes this season.

LAST TIME OUT–WOMEN’S:
In 2012, the GymHawks made their fifth-consecutive NCAA postseason appearance, placing fifth in the Seattle Regional. Iowa faced four nationally ranked teams, including Alabama, the 2012 national champions. The GymHawks finished the season ranked 26th nationally, the highest finish since 2004.

SEASON TICKETS:
Fans interested in attending 2013 home meets at Carver-Hawkeye Arena should visit hawkeyesports.com or contact the UI Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800 IA-HAWKS. Season tickets are currently on sale for $15 for adults. The season ticket package includes premium seating options and one Iowa gymnastics t-shirt. All youth, 18 and younger, and UI students are admitted free to all home meets. Fans can purchase season tickets Sunday at the Intrasquad.

LIVE BLOG:
A member of the Iowa gymnastics staff will offer interactive content live from every event throughout the season via the Official Iowa Gymnastics Blog. This feature gives diehard Hawkeye fans the opportunity to voice their opinion by submitting questions and comments, while receiving up-to-the-minute play-by-play, notes and stats about the meet and Hawkeyes. The live blog will begin approximately 15 minutes before each competition and run throughout the meet.

MEN’S HEAD COACH JD Reive:
JD Reive is in his third season as head coach of the University of Iowa men’s gymnastics team. In just his first season at the helm of the Iowa program, the Hawkeyes broke four team records and five individual records under Reive’s guidance. Iowa broke the total team score record with a 351.800 on March 24th, 2011. Six gymnasts punched their tickets to compete individually at the NCAA Championships in Reive’s first season. Reive coached his first Hawkeye to All-America honors with Matt McGrath in 2011. In 2012, he coached three Hawkeyes (Javier Balboa, Broderick Shemansky, Anton Gryshayev) to the individual event semifinals at the NCAA Championships. Reive, who is the seventh head coach in the program’s 82-year history, came to Iowa City after serving as an assistant coach at men’s gymnastics powerhouse Stanford from 2003-10.

WOMEN’S HEAD COACH Larissa Libby:
Entering her ninth year as head coach of the Hawkeyes, Libby has her eyes set on a sixth-consecutive NCAA postseason appearance, the seventh in her tenure. In 2012, the Hawkeyes finished the season ranked 26th nationally, the highest finish since 2004. Libby coached Tesla Cox to second team All-Big Ten honors and Emma Stevenson to the Big Ten All-Championship Team. The Hawkeyes hosted the Big Ten Championships, drawing a season-high attendance figure of 1,661. Stevenson scored a 9.875 on the floor exercise, and Iowa finished seventh as a team. Libby led the Hawkeyes to a fifth-consecutive NCAA postseason appearance. Iowa posted 194.600 and finished fifth at the Seattle Regional.

UP NEXT:
The men’s team will head to Chicago for the Windy City Invite on Jan. 19. The meet will take place at the UIC Physical Education Building. Start time is set for 7:30 p.m. (CT). The women’s team will open the 2013 campaign against Ball State on Friday, Jan. 11 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Competition time is set for 7 p.m.