Fe 27, 2016
- Read the February issue of Hawk Talk Monthly
- 2016 Media Guide
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone app!
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The 7th-ranked university of Iowa men’s gymnastics team returned to action on Saturday afternoon, defeating No. 6 Nebraska and No. 8 Penn State inside the UI Field House.
The Hawkeyes took the top spot with an overall team score of 431.150, followed by Penn State (424.000) and Nebraska (423.300). For the first time this season, the teams competed in a five-up, five-count format.
“Five-up, five-count means everything counts and that’s what we train for,” head coach JD Reive said. “We went out today and did that. We handled everything really well and in a mature manner. That’s what we want as we start this five-up, five-count part of the season.”
“I am very happy. There are still a lot of things we can put on the table to get us another nine points in team score. That will make us competitive with the best teams.”
 |
Iowa began the meet on floor exercise and set a new season-high team score of 73.950. Senior Matt Loochtan tied for the lead on the event with Nebraska’s Kyle King, matching a season-high with a score of 15.350. Senior Jack Boyle notched a 14.900 to tie for fifth, while sophomore Dylan Ellsworth set a season-high with a score of 14.750 to finish eighth.
On the second rotation, Iowa headed to pommel horse. In his first competition of the season, sophomore Austin Hodges led the Hawkeyes, tying for second on the event with a 14.500 effort. Senior Del Vecchio Orozco posted a 14.250, placing sixth, followed by senior Doug Sullivan in seventh place (14.100).
Iowa continued to dominate on rings, taking the top two spots. Loochtan and Boyle tied atop the leaderboard on the event with a 15.150. Junior Andrew Botto tied for fifth, posting a score of 14.500.
On vault, Ellsworth notched second place result with a 14.900. Junior David Spanier placed eighth for Iowa with a 14.600, while junior Mark Springett and Loochtan tied for 10th with scores of 14.500.
Iowa took the top two spots on parallel bars in the fifth rotation. Loochtan and Ellsworth tied for the on the event, posting matching scores of 14.850. Senior Cyrus Dobre-Mofid notched a fifth place finish on the event with a 14.450.
Iowa looked to secure their victory in the final event on high bar. Loochtan recorded his second straight event title, falling .500 shy of his career-high with a 14.450. Dobre-Mofid finished in third place on the event with a score of 14.300.
Loochtan used a career-high 86.400 to win the all-around, followed by Boyle who posted an 84.850 score.
The Hawkeyes are back in action on March 5 when they travel to Columbus, Ohio, to compete in the Arnold Challenge. The meet begins at 1:30 p.m. (CT).
