IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa’s Student-Athlete Academic Services has recognized seniors Jack Boyle and Amy Ihm as April’s male and female Student-Athletes of the Month.
Voted on by their peers, this honor recognizes those student-athletes who have excelled not only in their sport, but in the classroom as well.
A native of Naperville, Illinois, Boyle finished the year ranked fourth in the country on high bar with a four score average of 15.100, while ranking 13th nationally in the all-around (86.000). Boyle posted a team best on high bar with a score of 15.300 in a meet against Illinois back in January. He won five event titles, two all-around titles, and qualified for individual finals at NCAA and Big Ten Championships in 2016.
A team captain during the 2015-16 season, Boyle was one of five Hawkeyes to compete in the NCAA event finals in Columbus, Ohio (April 15-16). Boyle would go on to place 14th in the all-around, tallying a score of 83.600. Boyle competed on rings and high bar at the Big Ten Championships, placing eighth on rings (14.425) and 10th on high bar (13.275).
Boyle became the first Hawkeye since 2010 to be nominated for the Nissen Emery award, which goes to the country’s most outstanding senior gymnast who displays excellence in the gym and in the classroom.
Outside of gymnastics, Boyle served as a representative for Iowa’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (ISAAC). A three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Boyle will graduate this weekend with a degree in mechanical engineering. He has already secured a position with RFA Engineering.
Ihm, a native of Peosta, Iowa, wrapped up a stellar Hawkeye career last Saturday at NCAA Regionals where she became the first UI women’s golfer to compete in NCAA postseason competition since Stacey Arnold in 1990 and the second individual qualifier in program history. Ihm finished the regional with a three-round total of 231 (+15; 79, 75, 77) to tie for 69th overall.
Ihm recorded three top 10 finishes in three events during April, including a historic fourth place finish at the Big Ten Championships, April 22-24. Her three-round total of 211 (-5; 73, 70, 68) is the lowest 54-hole score by a Hawkeye in program history, breaking the original record by one stroke. Ihm’s fourth place finish at the conference tournament earned her All-Championships Team honors.
On April 26, Ihm was named second team All-Big Ten, marking the first postseason honor of her career and the program’s first All-Big Ten selection since Stacey Bergman in 1998. Ihm is the sixth Hawkeye in program history to collect all-conference honors. Ihm was also named recipient of Iowa’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Like Boyle, Ihm also served as a representative for ISAAC. She will graduate this weekend with a degree in Sports and Recreation Management.