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| IOWA WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS |
| Date | Friday, Jan. 13 at 7:00 p.m. (CT) | Sunday, Jan. 15 at 2:00 p.m. (CT) |
| Location | Iowa City, Iowa | Carver-Hawkeye Arena |
| Tickets | hawkeyesports.com/tickets |
| Live Stream | Hawkeye All-Access |
| Live Stats | StatBroadcast |
| Live Update | @IowaGymnastics |
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The No. 24 University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team gears up for two meets in three days inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The GymHawks host Big Ten opponent Michigan State on Friday at 7:00 p.m. (CT), before returning to host No. 13 California-Berkeley on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (CT).
“Having two meets in one weekend is hard on any team,” said UI head coach Larissa Libby. “I’m hoping that we made some good adjustments this week with training and recovery to sustain the team through the weekend. The hardest thing for us is that we’re not just looking at Friday night but at Sunday too. Unfortunately, the two meets will play hand-in-hand. If we don’t recovery well on Friday, we won’t have the same lineup on Sunday. A lot is riding on making sure that we are mentally and physically rested before we take the floor twice.”
After their second-place finish at the quad meet against Northern Illinois, Western Michigan, and Lindenwood on the road last Sunday, the Hawkeyes are looking to improve their level of competition this weekend at home .
“If you take a look back at Northern Illinois, at the things we did well and didn’t do well, I think it’s an environment control thing for us,” said Libby. “Traveling is hard on a team, and I’m hoping it will be different at home. I would like to see more consistency and have the spread of scores be more evened out this weekend than they were at Northern Illinois.
“From our standpoint, we’re looking for no misses to create some level of consistency – making sure that we go from a 9.800 and rise, not take steps backwards. For us, it’s step-by-step process from event to event, and we did not do that well at Northern Illinois.”
Libby and the GymHawks hope to have a big turnout of excited fans at both meets this weekend.
“From a fan perspective, I think the biggest thing that we want to get across is that gymnastics is not a quiet thing,” said Libby. “I think people think gymnastics is quiet, because it is so beautiful and graceful. But, we want it to be like a football game. We want our fans to be loud and fists to be flying in the air.
“Win or lose, the excitement of what this team provides is always a good time and wonderful experience for aspiring gymnasts to see the fun atmosphere a team can provide as they look to the future and college. I think that’s the thing that we hope to exude every time we go out on the floor. Hopefully, our fans appreciate that the girls love what they do, and they hope that shows every time they compete.”
Prior to Friday’s meet, there will be a season ticket holder reception from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Feller Club Room with complementary food and an appearance from Libby and select GymHawks. On Sunday, the GymHawks will be signing autographs post meet.
The hour before each meet will be Hot Dog Happy Hour, where fans can purchase hot dogs for only one dollar. The Kids Zone will also be available at both meets for young Hawkeyes and will include tattoos, trivia questions, and building snowflakes.
Fans can follow the GymHawks as they take on Michigan State and California-Berkeley this weekend through live stats on hawkeyesports.com or by following Iowa gymnastics on Twitter and Instagram at @IowaGymnastics or on Facebook at facebook.com/iowagymnastics.