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- 2015 Media Guide
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- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
THIS WEEK:
The No. 8-ranked University of Iowa men’s gymnastics team heads to Lincoln, Nebraska, for its regular season finale on March 15 against Nebraska, Penn State and Minnesota. The meet begins at 1 p.m. (CT).
FOLLOW ALONG:
Fans can follow the meet online through live stats. 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 headed to Minneapolis for a dual meet against the No. 9-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers on March 7. Junior Jack Boyle had Iowa’s only event title on rings, posting a score of 14.900. Junior Doug Sullivan placed second on pommel horse with a 14.650, and redshirt junior Cyrus Dobre-Mofid followed up a career-high on parallel bars last weekend with a score of 14.300, finishing third on the event.
FAMILIAR FACES:
The Hawkeyes will be facing familiar opponents this weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska, as the team has already competed against all three this season. Nebraska and Minnesota visited Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Feb. 14. The Hawkeyes won the meet with a 435.400 team score, and six Hawkeyes set career-highs. Iowa saw Penn State on Feb. 27. Despite a season-high team score, the Nittany Lions defeated the Hawkeyes 435.750-440.800. Iowa will see Minnesota for the second straight week and third time this season, the most of any team. The Hawkeyes lost last weekend 436.250-421.700, splitting the season series 1-1.
NATIONALLY RANKED:
The Hawkeyes are ranked in the top 10 nationally according to the most recent national ranking list on roadtonationals.com (March 9). The rankings are based on an average of the team’s top three scores. Oklahoma remains in the top spot. Penn State is sitting in second followed by Stanford. Illinois and Michigan are fourth and fifth, respectively. Minnesota moves up to sixth, California remains in seventh. Iowa falls to eighth, while Ohio State and Air Force round out the top 10.
1. Oklahoma
2. Penn State
3. Stanford
4. Illinois
5. Michigan
6. Minnesota
7. California
8. Iowa
9. Ohio State
10. Air Force
SULLIVAN STREAKING:
Junior Doug Sullivan is ranked seventh in the country on pommel horse. Sullivan has a four score average of 14.917 . He has won two event titles this season (UIC, Illinois). The Aurora, Illinois, native is Iowa’s pommel horse record holder with a score of 15.250.
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, on Feb. 20-22. 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 14.900 clinching fourth overall on vault with a combined score of 30.010. Loochtan’s other events included a 14.600 on floor, claiming eighth place, 13.650 on rings, and 13.250 on parallel bars.
SIX HAWKEYES EARN PCA HONORS:
Six gymnasts were honored by the PCA (Presidential Committee for Academic Awards) earlier this past year. 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 gear up for postseason competition, which begins with the Big Ten Championships held at Penn State on March 27-28. The meet will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.
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: huskers.com/fls/100/15MGym/index.html
Live Stream:m.ustream.tv/channel/iowamensgymnastics
