Jan. 24, 2015
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa men’s gymnastics team defeated UIC, 428.600 to 398.600, in its first home meet of the season inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday night. It is the second victory of the season for the Hawkeyes over the Flames.
“I am pleased with how they performed tonight,” head coach JD Reive said. “It is a little bit more indicative of how they have practiced. We still have a lot of work to do, but it is very early in the season. The improvement from only a week ago is big.”
The Hawkeyes began the night on floor. Junior Jack Boyle won the event with a 14.750 effort, junior Cyrus Dobre-Mofid placed second with a 14.550, and senior Brandon Field finished third with a score of 14.500. Sophomore David Spanier posted a 13.700, marking a new career best on the event.
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In the second rotation, Iowa recorded first and second place results on pommel horse. Junior Doug Sullivan won the event with an effort of 14.950, followed by runner-up freshman Elijah Parsells, who scored a career best 14.050 in his first event of the competition.
Boyle led the Hawkeyes on rings, clinching the event title with a score of 15.400. Junior Matt Loochtan followed in third place with a 14.800 effort, bringing Iowa’s advantage to 214.150 to 199.250 after three rotations.
The Hawkeyes continued their strong performance on vault. Freshman Dylan Ellsworth led the team on the event, placing second with a career high 14.800. Senior William Albert followed with a 14.700 for third place. Field and Dobre-Mofid both posted scores of 14.500, tying for fourth.
Iowa dominated the fifth rotation, earning the top three spots on parallel bars to extend its advantage to 358.4000 to 311.150. Loochtan won the event with a 14.600, followed by Boyle (14.400) and Dobre-Mofid (14.250) who finished second and third, respectively.
Iowa continued to excel in the final event of the competition. Alberhasky placed first on horizontal bar (14.400), Dobre-Mofid finished runner-up (14.200), and freshman Austin Hodges and junior Del Vecchio-Orozco tied for third with 14.100 scores. It marked a career best for Hodges in the event.
The Hawkeyes continue their season at home with a tri-meet against Oklahoma and Ohio State on Feb. 1 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The 12 p.m. (CT) meet is Student Day. The first 50 students through the doors will receive free pizza and pop, and all students in attendance will have the opportunity to win a $50 gift card to Hy-Vee.
