Feb. 13, 2013
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THIS WEEK:
The University of Iowa men’s gymnastics team travels to Champaign, Illi. to take on the Fighting Illini on Saturday. The event is set to begin at 4 p.m. at Huff Hall.
LAST TIME OUT:
No. 8 Hawkeyes tied its season-high score to upset No. 6 Minnesota (422.750-419.450), winning their first dual victory of 2013. Freshman Eric Lofstrom won an event title on pommel horse, senior Anton Gryshayev won rings and senior Javier Balboa claimed the title on parallel bars and all-around. Freshmen Jack Boyle and Matt Loochtan represented the Hawkeyes at the Winter Cup Challenge. Together they earned three top-20 finishes in the preliminary sessions. Boyle scored a 13.700 on parallel bars, tying for 17th place. He finished 19th on the high bar, posting a score of 13.450. Loochtan scored a 14.450 on vault, earning 20th place.
REFLECTING ON THE WINTER CUP:
“It’s been several years since Iowa had athletes competing at the Winter Cup,” said head coach JD Rieve. “This meet is the nation’s best gymnasts, and we were there with two freshmen. This was a great representation of where the program is headed and puts us back on the map in many ways.”
A LOOK AT THE FIGHTING ILLINI:
The University of Illinois is home to the men’s gymnastics reigning national champions. The Fighting Illini are currently ranked No. 7, claiming the slot right before the No. 8 Hawkeyes. Illinois is 6-3 to start its 2013 campaign. Freshman Joey Peters leads the Illini with three all-around titles and a win on parallel bars. Peters was named Freshman of the Week on Jan. 28 after his all-around victory at the Metroplex Challenge. He is also rated third in the nation in the all-around. As a team, Illinois currently secures the No. 2 spot on rings and the No. 5 spot on pommel horse in national rankings.
GRYSHAYEV RANKED NO. 1:
Senior Anton Gryshayev remains at the No. 1 spot on still rings for the second consecutive week. He has claimed the event title in three straight meets including the Metroplex Challenge (15.800), Iowa’s dual against Oklahoma (15.400), and Iowa’s dual against Minnesota (15.100). Gryshayev’s 15.800 is the top rings score in school history and was the highest of any at the Metroplex Challenge.
BIG TEN IN THE RANKINGS:
The Hawkeyes are currently ranked eighth by GymInfo. All seven Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 10. Penn State leads the way at No. 1, followed by Oklahoma (No. 2) and Michigan (No. 3). Ohio State sits at fifth, while Minnesota (No. 6), Illinois (No. 7), and Nebraska (No. 9) join the Hawkeyes in the top 10.
HAWKEYES IN THE RANKINGS:
Iowa has three gymnasts ranked in the top ten nationally for individual events. Senior Anton Gryshayev locked in the No. 1 spot on still rings with an average of 15.450. Fellow classmate Javier Balboa is ranked No. 6 on parallel bars, averaging 14.783. Sophomore Lance Alberhasky is rated fourth on the all-around with an average of 82.683. As a team, the Hawkeyes are ranked fourth on still rings (73.500), fifth on parallel bars (71.267), eighth on floor exercise (71.500) and vault (71.917), and nineth on high bar (68.800).
UP NEXT:
The Hawkeyes host No. 9 Nebraska on Feb. 23. Action is set to begin at 5:00 p.m. inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.