Feb. 25, 2015
- Read the February issue of Hawk Talk Monthly
- 2015 Media Guide
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- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
THIS WEEK:
The No. 6-ranked University of Iowa men’s gymnastics team travels to University Park, Pennsylvania, for a dual meet against Penn State this Friday, Feb. 27. The competition begins at 6 p.m. (CT).
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.
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LAST TIME OUT:
The Hawkeyes (435.500) completed a come-from-behind victory in their final home meet of the regular season inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena against Minnesota (433.600) and Nebraska (420.250). Iowa set six career highs and set a new season high team score. Parallel bars saw three of those career highs. Matt Loochtan (14.800), Dylan Ellsworth (14.500), and Cory Paterson (14.400) all set career bests on the event. Andrew Botto set a new career high on rings with a score of 14.050, Elijah Parsells posted a career high on pommel horse (14.750), and Pateson set another career best on high bar (14.900).
LOOCHTAN, BOYLE COMPETE AT WINTER CUP:
The University of Iowa men’s gymnastics team sent juniors Jack Boyle and Matt Loochtan to represent the Hawkeyes at the Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas, Nevada. Boyle finished 33rd with an overall score of 79.250, but failed to qualify for finals. Loochtan qualified for finals following a 15.010 on vault, finishing fourth overall. In finals, he scored a 14.9 clinching fourth overall on vault with a combined score of 30.010. Loochtan’s other events included a 14.6 on floor, claiming eighth place, 13.65 on rings, and 13.25 on parallel bars.
NATIONALLY RANKED:
The Hawkeyes are ranked in the top 10 nationally according to the most recent national ranking list on roadtonationals.com (Feb. 23). The rankings are based on an average of the team’s top three scores. Oklahoma remains in the top spot over Penn State followed by Illinois, Stanford and Michigan. Iowa is sixth. California and Minnesota are seventh and eighth, respectively. Ohio State sits at ninth and Air Force rounds out the top 10.
1. Oklahoma
2. Penn State
3. Illinois
4. Stanford
5. Michigan
6. Iowa
7. California
8. Minnesota
9. Ohio State
10. Air Force
SOARING HAWKS:
Three Iowa gymnasts sit top ten in the country according to roadtonationals.com. Junior Jack Boyle is eighth in the country on rings with an average top three scores of 15.3. Junior Doug Sullivan sits fifth in the country on pommel horse. Sullivan’s three score average is 15.033 with a high score of 15.150 from the Feb. 14 meet against Minnesota and Nebraska. Sophomore Cory Paterson is tied for 10th on high bar. Paterson has an average of 14.800 and a high score of 15.1.
SULLIVAN STREAKING:
Junior Doug Sullivan is fifth in the country on pommel horse. In the last four 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.
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.
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.
UP NEXT:
The Hawkeyes head to the Twin-Cities to take on Minnesota for the second time this season on March 7. The meet begins at 7 p.m. (CT).
FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES:
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
Live Stream: http://m.ustream.tv/channel/iowamensgymnastics
