March 10, 2014
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THIS WEEK:
Iowa will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich. Saturday to compete in the first annual Big Ten Quad Meet. The Hawkeyes will face Michigan, Minnesota, and Penn State. The competition is set to begin at 12:30 p.m. (CT) inside Crisler Center. The meet is a new addition to the schedule. Each Big Ten team will compete at one of two meets — Michigan State will host Illinois, Nebraska and Ohio State in the other meet.
The Big Ten Quad will be shown live on Big Ten Network. It can also be seen online at www.btn2go.com and on mobile devices with the BTN2Go app. Lisa Byington (play-by-play) and former U.S. Olympian Shawn Johnson (analyst) will call the action.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION:
The No. 7-ranked Michigan women’s gymnastics team posted its second-highest score in program history (197.825) in a tri-meet win over No. 6 Utah (197.350) and No. 8 UCLA (197.475) on Senior Night on Friday (March 7) inside Crisler Center. The Wolverines currently hold a record of 14-2 for the season.
No. 12 Minnesota scored a 196.275 to take second of four teams in a quad meet at Kitty Magee Arena in Denton, Texas on Sunday. The Gophers fell to third-ranked Oklahoma (198.150) and defeated host Texas (194.775) and fellow Big Ten foe Michigan State (194.350).
No. 19 Penn State (18-2, 3-1 Big Ten) won the New Hampshire Quad Meet on Saturday night. The Lions topped host New Hampshire (196.675), George Washington (195.150) and Bridgeport (193.400) in the meet. The score (197.200) marked the third highest team score in program history, and during the meet Penn State also notched the program’s fourth highest score on the balance beam and sixth highest score on the vault.
LAST MEETINGS:
During the last meeting between Iowa and Michigan (Feb. 2), the Hawkeyes earned their second highest score of the season last year but could not overcome No. 3 Michigan. The GymHawks lost the dual meet 196.675-195.200 on the road.
Last season, the GymHawks upset the No. 12 Golden Gophers (195.725-195.550) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes hit 24 for 24 routines during the contest and finished with a 49.225 floor performance to clinch the win. Minnesota was undefeated before falling to Iowa.
The Hawkeyes posted a season-high 195.325 for second place in a quad meet with Penn State (195.500), Pittsburgh (193.575) and Rutgers (193.225) during the 2013 season. Iowa’s Emma Willis earned a career high 39.200 all-around score, placing second behind Penn State’s senior standout Sharaya Musser (39.575). Freshman Alie Glover scored a career high 38.825 for fifth.
HAWKEYES POST SEASON BEST AT BOISE STATE:
The University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team posted a season best for the third straight week at Boise State on Feb. 28, falling to the Broncos 196.975-195.350.The final score surpassed their previous season-best against UIC on Feb. 23 (195.125). Iowa posted season bests on both beam and vault, tallying 48.975 and 49.025, respectively. Both previous season bests,48.900 on bars and 48.925 on vault, came against Ohio State on Feb. 14. Freshman Jordyn Doherty recorded a team high on vault with a 9.875.
METCALF CAPTURES THIRD ALL-AROUND TITLE:
Freshman Angel Metcalf captured her third all-around title of the season against No. 20 Ohio State on Feb. 14 in Iowa’s annual Pink Meet. Metcalf improved her all-around score to 39.325. She previously posted a season-best at Georgia (39.100). Metcalf finished ahead of two Buckeyes and two fellow teammates in the contest.
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 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.
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. Doherty currently holds the team high-score on vault posting a 9.850 against Ohio State and Metcalf is tied for best on beam (9.825) and holds the team high all-around score of 39.325.
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. 8 Michigan and No. 9 Nebraska) are ranked in the top 10 nationally, while three others (No. 13 Minnesota, No. 14 Illinois, and No. 15 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 sixth with a team-high of 49.475 with Minnesota at No. 9 with a total of 49.450. Michigan is the only Big Ten team ranked in the top-10 on the uneven bars, sitting at eighth with a high score of 49.475. Nebraska has posted a high score on the beam, tallying a 49.400 which places them at eighth. Lastly on the floor, Michigan and Minnesota sit at fifth and sixth with scores of 49.650 and 49.450.
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:
Iowa will travel to University Park, Pa. to compete at the Big Ten Championships on March 22. There will be two sessions, with four teams competing in each session based on regional qualifying score (RQS). The teams with the four lowest RQS will compete at 11 a.m. (CT), while the four teams with the highest RQS will compete at 4 p.m. (CT).
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