Feb. 11, 2015
- Read the February issue of Hawk Talk Monthly
- 2015 Media Guide
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone app!
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
THIS WEEK:
The No. 9-ranked University of Iowa men’s gymnastics team competes in its final home meet of the season against No. 11 Nebraska and No. 10 Minnesota on Feb. 14 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The competition will be televised live by the Big Ten Network with play-by-play commentator Dean Linke and analyst John Rothelisberger on the call. The meet begins at 7:30 p.m. (CT).
SENIOR NIGHT:
William Albert, Lance Alberhasky, and Brandon Field will be honored for Senior Night following the completion of this weekend’s meet. Albert has competed on rings and vault for Iowa. He tied for 13th on vault at last year’s Big Ten Championships. His personal bests are: vault (15.050) and rings (15.250). Alberhasky, an Iowa City native, has competed in the all-around for the Hawkeyes in four years at Iowa. He contributed an 11th place finish at Big Ten Championships in 2013 in the all-around (80.900) and was named team captain in his final two years. Field has excelled on floor while at Iowa. He placed 17th on floor (14.700) at NCAA Championships in 2013, and set a career-high on floor (15.000) during a meet against Nebraska in 2014.
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FOLLOW ALONG:
Fans can follow the meet online through live stats at meetscoresonline.com. A live stream of the meet is also available. Links to both are located on the Iowa men’s gymnastics schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Hawkeyes traveled to Champaign, Illinois, to face the Illini on Feb. 7. Iowa came up short, falling to Illinois 440.150 to 424.500. Junior Doug Sullivan captured Iowa’s only event title of the meet on pommel horse with a 14.850 effort. Freshman Austin Hodges set a career-high on pommel horse, with a score of 14.450 and a fifth place finish, and freshman Dylan Ellsworth set a career-high, placing fifth on parallel bars with a 14.450.
BOYLE SELECTED CO-BIG TEN GYMNAST OF THE WEEK:
Junior Jack Boyle was named Co-Big Ten Gymnast of the Week following Iowa’s win over UIC on Jan. 24. Boyle contributed two event titles — rings (15.400) and floor (14.750) — and finished second on parallel bars (14.400). It is Boyle’s first weekly conference honor of his career and the first for the Hawkeyes since Matt McGrath earned the award on March 17, 2014.
NATIONALLY RANKED:
The Hawkeyes are ranked in the top 10 nationally according to the most recent national ranking list on roadtonationals.com (Feb. 9). The rankings are based on an average of the team’s top three scores. Penn State earned the top spot followed by Oklahoma, Illinois, Stanford and Michigan. California and Ohio State sit at sixth and seventh, respectively. Air Force is eighth, and Iowa and Minnesota round out the top 10.
1. Penn State
2. Oklahoma
3. Illinois
4. Stanford
5. Michigan
6. California
7. Ohio State
8. Air Force
9. Iowa
10. Minnesota
HAWKEYES LOG FIRST WIN:
The Gymhawks notched their first win of 2015 with a 428.600-398.600 victory over the UIC Flames on Jan. 24. Jack Boyle led the Hawkeyes winning rings with a score of 15.400. Doug Sullivan won pommel horse, scoring a 14.950, and Elijah Parsells placed second on the event with a career-high 14.050 effort. Freshman Austin Hodges tied for third on high bar, setting a new career-high with a score of 14.100.
SIX HAWKEYES EARN PCA HONORS:
Six gymnasts were honored by the PCA (Presidential Committee for Academic Awards) this past week. Cyrus Dobre-Mofid, Andrew Botto, Zach Wendland, Cory Paterson, and Caleb Fischle-Faulk were honored during the Iowa vs. Maryland men’s basketball game on Feb. 8. Each year the PCA honors student-athletes who have achieved a 3.0 GPA and are letterwinners. The PCA is responsible for advising the UI President and director of athletics Gary Barta on policies for the University’s intercollegiate athletics programs, and recognizes student-athletes for their accomplishments in and out of the classroom.
SULLIVAN STREAKING:
Junior Doug Sullivan continues to be a bright spot for the Hawkeyes on pommel horse. In the last three meets, the pommel specialist has averaged a 14.900 on the event, clinching event titles against UIC (14.950) and Illinois (14.850). The Aurora, Illinois., native is Iowa’s pommel horse record holder with a score of 15.250.
HAWKEYE FACILITY RENOVATION:
The men’s and women’s gymnastics teams are amidst a practice facility renovation. Located in the UI Field House, the renovation will provide the gymnasts with more space to practice, and include two new foam pits and another pommel horse. The project will help accelerate the gymnasts’ skills and improve safety at the facility. The gym is nearing completion and the teams hope to start training in it by April.
SUMMER COMPETITIONS:
Many Iowa gymnasts stayed busy over the summer by competing in national and international competitions. Sophomore Cory Paterson kicked off the summer by being named a Canadian National Champion on high bar. Paterson scored a 13.850 and finished fifth in the all-around competition with a 79.800. The Hawkeyes also had three gymnasts qualify for the P&G Championships in August. Juniors Jack Boyle and Matt Loochtan qualified for the senior division, while freshman Austin Hodges made the cut for the junior division. Loochtan scored a 14.900 on high bar, clinching ninth place in the event. His all-around score of 54.600 was good enough for 31st. Boyle’s 14.950 on rings earned him an eighth place finish on the event and an all-around score of 79.650 tied him for 26th. Head coach JD Reive believes summer competitions are a necessary part of building a championship program at Iowa.
HEAD COACH JD Reive:
Entering his fifth year as head coach of the Hawkeyes, Reive has high expectations for his team. For the first time in his career Reive has a team comprised of gymnasts he personally recruited. He is looking to take the program another step forward. In 2014, the gymnasts set seven school records and seven went on to compete individually at the NCAA Championships. The team finished seventh in the Big Ten and missed the team finals at the NCAA Championships in April. Reive led the Hawkeyes to a fifth place finish at the NCAA Championships in 2013, their best finish in a decade. Reive graduated from Nebraska in 2000 with a bachelor of journalism degree and was an assistant at Stanford from 2003-10 where he helped the team grab four top three finishes.
SEASON TICKETS:
Fans interested in attending 2015 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 $10 and general admission is $5. Youth (18 & Under) and UI students are free.
UP NEXT:
Select Hawkeye student-athletes will compete at the Winter Cup in Las Vegas, Nevada next week. The individual event takes place from Feb. 19 -21 inside the Riviera Hotel.
FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES:
TV: Big Ten Network
Web Address: hawkeyesports.com (see the men’s gymnastics schedule page for links to live stats and live streams)
Facebook: facebook.com/iowagymnastics
Twitter: twitter.com/iowagymnastics
YouTube: youtube.com/iowagymnastics
Live Stats: meetscoresonline.com
