Iowa Hosts Oklahoma, Minnesota on Friday

Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2016-17 | Hawk Talk Monthly — Feb. 2017 | NOTES — OKLAHOMA/MINNESOTA

THIS WEEK
The No. 12 University of Iowa men’s gymnastics team hosts No.1 Oklahoma and No. 7 Minnesota on Friday. Competition is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. (CT) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

PROMOTIONS

• Friday is a Blackout. The first 100 fans receive a black Iowa men’s gymnastics t-shirt.
• Alumni Day is Friday. All former Iowa men’s gymnasts receive free admission.
• Season ticket holders can pick up their free Iowa men’s gymnastics pullover at the east entrance.
• The Iowa gymnasts will be available on the south side of the arena floor for autographs after the meet. 

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). Live streaming will be available on Hawkeye All-Access.  A link will be available on the Iowa men’s gymnastics schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.

LAST TIME OUT    

• Iowa traveled to Berkeley, California on Feb. 6 to face the No. 9 Golden Bears. 
• The Hawkeyes defeated California, 399.900-396.550.
• Nine Hawkeyes earned a total of 12 season bests as the team won event titles on pommel horse and on vault.
• Senior Andrew Botto won the title on vault. He recorded season-best scores in the all-around (79.400) and vault (14.500).
• Junior Elijah Parsells won the event title on pommel horse with a season-best 13.750.
• Freshmen Nick Merryman and Josh Zeal both registered season-best scores. Merryman recorded a season-best 13.350 on rings, while Zeal notched a season-best 14.200 on floor. 

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.

BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS
The 2017 Big Ten Championships will be hosted by the University of Illinois on April 7-8. Tickets are on sale now. To purchase tickets, visit fightingillini.com or contact the Illinois Ticket Office at 1-866-ILLINI-1. 

IN THE RANKINGS

• Iowa is ranked No. 12 in the Road to Nationals Poll. 
• The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 11 in the Feb. 6 Coaches Poll.

AROUND THE NATION
Iowa is ranked sixth on vault, ninth on parallel bars, tied for ninth on high bar, and ranked tenth on floor. 

SPRINGETT RANKED ON FLOOR
Senior Mark Springett is ranked No. 19 on floor with an average score of 14.000 and a season-high score of 14.300 (California, 2/6). 

ELLSWORTH, BOTTO, AND HERRADOR 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  (UIC, 1/22). 
• Senior Andrew Botto is tied for 21st on vault with an average score of 14.250 and a season-high score of 14.500 (California, 2/6). 
• Freshman Andrew Herrador is ranked No. 24 on vault with an average score of 14.200 and a season-high score of 14.200 (California, 2/6).

SCOUTING THE FIELD

• Oklahoma defeated Michigan, 430.050-400.050 on Jan. 28. 
• Oklahoma is ranked No. 1 pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, and high bar. They are ranked No. 2 on floor.
• Iowa lost to the Sooners, 447.400-426.950, on Jan. 30, 2016 in Norman, Oklahoma
• Minnesota beat Nebraska and UMN Club in a tri-meet with a score of 400.750 on Feb. 4.
• Minnesota is ranked No. 3 on vault, No. 6 on floor, No. 8 on parallel bars and high bar and No. 9 on rings.
• Iowa lost to Minnesota, 397.600-387.500, at the Windy City Invitational on Jan. 14.

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 of the 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 2016 P&G Championships where he placed second on high bar, fourth on parallel bar, and eighth 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 letterwinner 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 head to Las Vegas to compete at the Winter Cup Challenge on Feb. 16-18. The event will be held at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. Competetion is schedueled to begin at 3 p.m. (CT) on Feb. 16.