Men's Gymnastics Travels to California

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THIS WEEK
The No. 11/12 University of Iowa men’s gymnastics team travels to Berkeley, California, to compete against the No. 9 University of California Bears on Monday, Feb. 6. Competition is scheduled to begin at 9:00 p.m. (CT) at Haas Pavilion.

FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow the meet online through live stats. A link to live stats will be available on the Iowa men’s gymnastics schedule page at hawkeyesports.com. Fans can also follow along with updates on Twitter (@mensgymiowa) and Facebook (iowagymnastics). 

LAST TIME OUT    

• Iowa hosted UIC in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Jan. 22. 
• The Hawkeyes defeated UIC, 404.100-374.300. 
• Twelve Hawkeyes earned a total of 29 season bests as the team won every event. 
• Junior Dylan Ellsworth won event titles on still rings, vault, parallel bars, and all around. He recorded season best scores on all-around (80.300), vault (14.650), parallel bars (13.850), and rings (13.700). 
• Junior Austin Hodges won two event titles on pommel horse and high bar. He recorded two season bests on high bar (13.850) and pommel horse (14.000). 
• Senior Mark Springett took home the event title on floor with a season best 14.300. 
• Freshman Nick Merryman recorded three top five scores for the Hawkeyes on pommel horse, parallel bars, and high bar. 

SEASON TICKETS
Iowa men’s gymnastics season tickets are on sale for $20. Season ticket holders gain admission to three home meets. Youth, 18 and under 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.

IN THE RANKINGS

• Iowa is ranked No. 12 in the Road to Nationals Poll. 
• The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 11 in the Jan. 30 Coaches Poll.

AROUND THE NATION
Iowa is ranked No. 7 on parallel bars, No. 8 on vault, and No. 10 on high bar in the country.

ELLSWORTH AND BOTTO VAULT INTO THE RANKINGS

• Junior Dylan Ellsworth is ranked No. 19 on vault with an average score of 14.300 and a season high score of 14.650.
• Senior Andrew Botto is ranked No. 25 on vault with an average score of 14.125 and a season high score of 14.150. 

SCOUTING THE FIELD

• The Golden Bears lost to No. 2 Stanford, 403.150-418.100, at home on Jan. 15.
• California competed in the Stanford Open on Jan. 21 and the SC United Open on Jan. 28. 
• The Bears are ranked No. 4 on high bars, No. 6 on rings, No. 7 on floor, and No. 10 on parallel bars. 
• Iowa beat the Bears, 426.950-425.850, on Jan. 30, 2016 in Norman, Oklahoma. 
• Head coach Brett McClure is in his fourth season at the helm of the program.

TWO HAWKEYES NAMED TO WATCH LIST
Juniors Dylan Ellsworth and Austin Hodges were named to the 2017 Big Ten Men’s Gymnasts to Watch list, the conference office announced Dec. 15. 

• Ellsworth placed fifth overall during event finals at the Big Ten Championships last season. He went on to tie for 26th on vault and 18th on parallel bars during the second day of othe 2016 NCAA championships.
• Hodges recorded a career-best score of 14.725 on pommel horse to finish seventh at the Big Ten Championships and ended the 2016 season with a 25th place finish on high bar during day two of the NCAA Championships. 

RETURNING EXPERIENCE 
Iowa returns 12-of-18 gymnasts from last season. Senior Cory Paterson and juniors Dylan Ellsworth and Austin Hodges look to continue from their impressive showings from day two of the NCAA Championships last year. Paterson tied for 37th on high bar (13.750), Ellsworth tied for 26th on vault (14.700) and 18th on parallel bars (13.700) and Hodges tied for 25th on high bar (14.350). 

ROSTER BREAKDOWN
The 2017 men’s gymnastics team breaks down into six freshmen, four sophomores, three juniors and four seniors.

HAWKEYE NEWCOMERS
The Hawkeyes welcome six freshmen to the team in 2017: Andrew Herrador, Mitch Mandozzi, Nick Merryman, Brandon Wong, Kirill YeFremenko, and Josh Zeal. 

• Herrador placed second at the 2015 California State Championship. He competed at the P&G Championships in 2015 where he placed 24th in all-around and fourth on high bar.  
• Mandozzi placed first on vault at the Massachusetts state competition. 
• Merryman, a two-time Junior Olympics National Team member, competed at the 2015 P&G Championships where he placed third on pommel horse.
• Wong, a five-time Junior Olympic National Qualifier, placed first on rings and fourth in all-around at the 2016 California State Competition. He finished runner-up in all-around at both the 2016 Cal Benefit Cup and the 2016 Stanford Open.
• YeFremenko competed at the 2016 BlackJack Men’s Championship & Winter Cup Challenge where he placed 12th on all around and seventh on high bar. 
• Zeal placed first in all-around, pommel horse, and vault at the Illinois State Competition. 

SCORING CHANGES
A new scoring system will be implemented this year.  The new system eliminates an element category in five of the six events, which means that each gymnast will do one less skill in their routine.  The old scoring system was based off of five element groups.  The result of the change is that each gymnast’s score will be .500 points lower than before and team scores will be 15 points lower.

NEW FACE
Former University of Iowa Gymnast Thomas Buese was named the University of Iowa men’s gymnastics assistant coach in August. Buese competed for the Hawkeyes from 2005-08. He was a four-time letter winner and was team captain in 2008. 

FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES
For an inside look at the Iowa men’s gymnastics program and access to exclusive coverage, “like” Iowa Men’s Gymnastics on Facebook and follow @MensGymIowa on Twitter and @IowaMGym on Instagram.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes host Oklahoma and Minnesota at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Feb. 10. The meet is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m.