Jan. 28, 2016
- Read the January issue of Hawk Talk Monthly
- 2016 Media Guide
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone app!
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
THIS WEEK:
The No. 6-ranked University of Iowa men’s gymnastics team hits the road this weekend to Norman, Oklahoma, it’s first tri-meet of the season against top-ranked Oklahoma and No. 8-ranked California. The competition begins at 5 p.m. (CT).
FOLLOW ALONG:
Fans can follow both meets through live stats and a live stream through the Periscope app. A link to live stats will be available on the Iowa men’s gymnastics schedule page at hawkeyesports.com. The meet will also be televised live on Fox Sports Oklahoma.
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LAST TIME OUT:
The Hawkeyes competed in back-to-back meets last weekend against Illinois and UIC. On Saturday, Iowa fell to Illinois by less than a point, 431.150 – 430.850. Iowa won three event titles including two from senior Jack Boyle on rings and high bar. He also won the all-around competition with an 85.950.
On Sunday, the Hawkeyes traveled to Chicago for a dual meet with UIC. The team handled business, sweeping event titles and setting four career highs, including a new school record on pommel horse by senior Doug Sullivan (15.400). for the 431.800 – 388.100 win.
BOYLE RANKED 3RD IN THE COUNTY:
Senior Jack Boyle is in the national conversation following his recent performances on high bar. The Naperville, Illinois, native is ranked third in the country on high bar with an average score of 14.967 through three meets with his high score of 15.300 coming against Illinois. As a team, the Hawkeyes rank fourth nationally on high bar with an average score of 71.833.
SCOUTING THE FIELD:
• Oklahoma enters the meet as the reigning NCAA Champion and is atop the national rankings with a six point lead.
• Individually, the Sooners hold the top gymnasts in the country on vault (Hunter Justus, 15.450) and parallel bars (Yul Moldauer, 15.800).
• Oklahoma head coach Mark Williams is in his 16th year.
• California enters the meet ranked eighth nationally by roadtonationals.com with an average score of 425.383 through three competitions.
• Senior Kevin Wolting currently holds the 10th spot nationally on floor exercise with an average of 15.200.
• Head coach Brett McClure is in his second season.
HIGH SCORING HAWKS:
The Hawkeyes jumped four spots in the latest roadtonationals.com poll in large part to their performance against Illinois and UIC in back-to-back meets last week. Iowa has never scored above a 430.000 team score in January, but in 2016, the team has already done it twice.
BIG TEN SHOWS POWER:
The Big Ten Conference has been dominant so far this season. Of the top ten teams listed on roadtonationals.com, six are from the Big Ten, including: no. 4 Illinois, no. 3 Ohio State, no.10 Penn State, no. 5 Minnesota, no. 7 Nebraska, and no. 6 Iowa.
HAWKEYES SIGN 3 FOR 2016-17:
The Iowa men’s gymnastics team signed three standout gymnasts for the 2016-17 season. Andrew Herrador (Sunnyvale, California), Nicholas Merryman (Brookline, New Hampshire) and Mitch Mandozzi (Harvard, Massachusetts) signed National Letters of Intent to continue their gymnastics career at Iowa. The recruiting class has combined for nine state championships and five national championships.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN:
The 2016 men’s gymnastics team breaks down in to four freshmen, three sophomores, five juniors and six seniors.
HAWKEYE NEWCOMERS:
• The Hawkeyes welcomed four freshmen to the team for 2016: Todd Beyer II, Jake Brodarzon, Kevin Johnson, and Rogelio Vazquez.
• Beyer, a 2015 Iowa state champion in all-around, also competed at JO nationals in 2015, placing first on high bar, second on floor, and third on vault.
• Brodarzon is a 2014 national champion on vault and was also crowned the 2015 state champion on floor, rings, vault, high bar, all-around in his home state of New Jersey.
• Johnson competed at the 2015 Michigan state championships placing first on pommel horse and second on rings. He also competed at JO Nationals this past year.
• Vazquez, a back-to-back state Florida champion on rings and all-around, is a six-time JO National Championship qualifier (2009-15). He is also a regional champion on rings, parallel bars, and all-around.
2 NAMED GYMNASTS TO WATCH:
Junior Andrew Botto and senior Matt Loochtan were both named to the Big Ten Men’s Gymnasts to Watch List, announced by the conference on Dec. 10. It is Botto’s first appearance on the list, while Loochtan earns the honor for the second consecutive season.
Loochtan, a 2014 All-American on rings, set a career best on vault in 2015 with a 15.150 at the Winter Cup in Las Vegas. Loochtan also set season highs with a 15.200 on rings in a March 15 meet against Nebraska and a 14.850 on parallel bars at the Big Ten Championships on March 27.
Botto, a Redwood City, California, native set new career bests on rings and vault last season. He scored a 15.050 on rings for second place in a win against Minnesota and Nebraska on Feb. 14 and set another career high a month later with a 15.100 on vault, tying for first. Botto was also named an academic All-Big Ten honoree.
HEAD COACH JD Reive:
JD Reive, the seventh head coach at Iowa, is entering his sixth year at the helm of the program. Reive is looking for continued success following a sixth place finish at the NCAA Championships last year. Reive has led an all-american in each of the past three seasons and has one of the highest team GPA’s at Iowa with eight gymnasts named to the 2015 Big Ten Winter Academic All-Conference team.
In 2015, Iowa sent five gymnasts to compete in the event finals of the Big Ten Championship. Doug Sullivan was named all-conference on pommel horse following a score of 14.800. As a team, Iowa placed sixth with a team score of 427.600. At the NCAA event finals, Jack Boyle was named an all-american on high bar with a sixth place finish and a score of 14.850.
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. Reive was also named Collegiate Gymnastics Association Assistant Coach of the Year three times (2006, 2009 and 2010) and was also the National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2009.
SEASON TICKETS:
Iowa men’s gymnastics season tickets are on sale for $10 until January 29. Season ticket holders gain admission to three home meets against Big Ten Conference opponents and receive an Iowa gymnastics long sleeve t-shirt with their purchase. All youth, 18 and under, and UI Students can attend home competitions for free. To purchase season tickets, visit hawkeyesports.com or contact the UI Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-IA-HAWKS.
