Feb. 3, 2014
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THIS WEEK:
The University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team will travel to East Lansing, Mich., to face Michigan State on Friday. The meet is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. (CT) inside Jenison Field House.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE:
Michigan State (1-3, 0-2) took on rival Michigan on Jan. 31, posting its best team scores on both the bars (48.675) and the beam (48.700) during the contest, but ultimately fell to the Wolverines 196.800- 193.900. Junior Alina Cartwright came in second in the all-around competition, tallying a 39.275.
LAST MEETING:
The 2013 meeting between the Hawkeyes and the Spartans resulted in a then season-high score for the GymHawks (195.875), defeating both Michigan State (194.850) and Illinois-Chicago (193.225) for the win. Alie Glover, then a freshman, captured the all-around title posting a 39.050.
HAWKEYES POST SEASON BEST AT ILLINOIS:
The University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team posted a season best score of 195.050 at 17th ranked Illinois on Jan. 31, improving on its previous team best at Georgia (194.675). Iowa posted season-highs on vault (48.725) and beam (48.675). Freshmen Jordyn Doherty and Mollie Drenth tallied season-bests at the contest. Doherty put up a 9.800 on the vault and Drenth posted a 9.850 on the floor. Sophomore Alie Glover posted season highs on beam (9.825) and in the all-around competition with a 39.125.
HAWKEYES DRAW SEASON-HIGH ATTENDANCE:
On Jan. 24, the GymHawks drew a season-high home crowd of 1,641 as they hosted No. 9 Nebraska inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa posted its third-best team score of the season with a 193.250 in its conference opener. Freshman Mollie Drenth was the only Hawkeye to compete in the all-around, posting a 38.325.
GYMHAWKS TO MAKE 3 BTN APPEARANCES:
The GymHawks will make three appearances on the Big Ten Network during the 2014 season. The three appearances equal the most of any of the eight league teams. The Hawkeyes made their season debut on BTN when they traveled to Illinois on Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. (CT). The dual was televised as a tape delay on Feb. 1 at 9 a.m. (CT). Iowa can be seen live on BTN when it faces Michigan, Minnesota, and Penn State in the B1G Quad Meet in Ann Arbor, Mich., on March 15 at 12:30 p.m. (CT). The meet is a new addition to the schedule. The Big Ten Championships, slated for March 22 in University Park, Pa., can also be seen live on the network.
SEASON TICKETS:
Fans interested in attending 2014 home meets at Carver-Hawkeye Arena should visit hawkeyesports.com or contact the UI Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800 IA-HAWKS. The 2014 regular season includes four home competitions, two of which are against Big Ten foes Nebraska and Ohio State. Season tickets are currently on sale for $15 for adults. The season ticket package includes premium seating options and one Iowa women’s gymnastics t-shirt. All youth, 18 and younger, and UI students are admitted free to home matches.
HEAD COACH Larissa Libby:
Entering her 10th year as head coach of the Hawkeyes, Libby has her eyes set on a seventh-consecutive NCAA postseason appearance, the eighth in her tenure. During the 2013 regular season, Iowa clinched the Cy-Hawk Series, defeating Iowa State with a season-best, 196.375-194.575. Iowa was the only Big Ten team to down Minnesota, the regular season Big Ten Co-Champions. The Hawkeyes beat the Gophers, 195.725-195.550. Iowa found success off the floor as well, as four GymHawks — Sydney Hoerr, Emma Stevenson, Kaitlynn Urano and Emma Willis — received Academic All-Big Ten honors. In 2012, the Hawkeyes finished the season ranked 26th nationally, the team’s highest finish since 2004.
HAWKEYE NEWCOMERS:
The Hawkeyes welcome seven newcomers to the 2014 squad: Jordyn Doherty, Mollie Drenth, Ashleigh Edlin, Amanda Kowalski, Caroline McCrady, Angel Metcalf, and Lexi Mura. At Georgia, the vault line-up featured all freshmen. In total, 17 of the 24 routines were completed by freshmen.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN:
The majority of GymHawks are underclassmen, with seven freshmen, four sophomores and three juniors. There are no seniors on the roster.
2 NAMED TO BIG TEN WATCH LIST:
Two University of Iowa women’s gymnasts — Alie Glover and Sydney Hoerr — appear on the 2014 Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch List. Glover — one of three league sophomores named to the list — was the only GymHawk to compete in the all-around in all 12 meets in 2013 as a freshman. The Destin, Fla., native was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Feb. 8 last season after posting a career-high 39.050 for the all-around title against Michigan State and Illinois-Chicago. Glover scored 9.700 or better on bars 11-of-12 times, posting a career-high 9.825 at Southern Utah. Hoerr, an Academic All-Big Ten honoree, is a junior from Bloomington, Ill. She competed in the all-around in 10 meets last season. Hoerr won the bars title at Southern Utah with a career-best and team season-high 9.925, and won the all-around against Iowa State with a career-best and team season-high 39.400.
IN THE RANKINGS:
Two Big Ten women’s gymnastics teams (No. 6 Michigan and No. 8 Nebraska) are ranked in the top 10 nationally, while four others (No. 14 Illinois, No. 15 Minnesota, No. 21 Ohio State and No. 23 Penn State) sit in the top 25.
The Big Ten additionally has a presence in the top 10 rankings on individual events. On vault, Michigan is ranked seventh with a team-high of 49.281 with Nebraska sitting at No.8 with a total of 49.256. Michigan is the only Big Ten team ranked in the top 10 at fourth on the uneven bars posting a season-high of 49.269. Nebraska (sixth), Michigan (seventh), and Illinois (10th) all have posted high numbers on the beam, tallying 49.081, 49.050, and 48.988 respectively. Lastly on the floor, Minnesota and Michigan sit at sixth and seventh with scores of 49.285 and 49.263.
A LOOK BACK AT 2013:
In 2013, the GymHawks were selected to compete in NCAA Regional competition for the sixth-straight year under head coach Larissa Libby. The GymHawks were one of just 36 teams to receive an invitation to regional competition at one of six different sites. Iowa scored 194.475 for sixth place, while No. 2 Oklahoma won the meet, totaling 197.375. No. 11 Stanford earned second (196.800) followed by No. 22 Washington (195.925), No. 14 Penn State (195.875) and Southern Utah (194.850).
IOWA SELECTED TO HOST 2016 NCAA REGIONAL:
The University of Iowa and Carver-Hawkeye Arena have been selected to host a 2016 NCAA Regional (April 2, 2016) in women’s gymnastics. Iowa last hosted an NCAA Regional in 2009.
UP NEXT:
The GymHawks will return home to take on No. 21 Ohio State on Feb 14. The meet is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. (CT) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES:
Web Address: hawkeyesports.com (check the schedule page for live stats and live streams)
Facebook: facebook.com/iowagymnastics
Twitter: twitter.com/iowagymnastics
YouTube: youtube.com/iowagymnastics