Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2016-17 | Hawk Talk Monthly — Feb. 2017 | Final Results
PROVO, Utah — The University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team defeated BYU, 196.550-196.425, in Smith Fieldhouse on Friday night. This was season-high score for the GymHawks.
“I am ecstatic with how the meet went,” said UI head coach Larissa Libby. “There was a tremendous effort, top-down, from every member of the team. This is probably one of the hardest meets the team has ever had to go though, and they earned every tenth of a point. I think this was one of the best meets in Iowa history.”
Eight GymHawks earned four titles and recorded 14 top-five finishes to highlight the competition. Six GymHawks also earned a total of ten season bests.
In the all-around, freshman Charlotte Sullivan took first overall with a career-high 39.200.
Iowa and BYU were tied at 147.275 entering the final rotation before the Hawkeyes registered a 49.275 on beam to secure the victory. Junior Nikki Youd won the event and earned a career-high 9.925, which tied the third-best score in the event in Iowa history. Sullivan followed in the runner-up position with a 9.875, which tied her season high.
“We went into a situation where we were tied going into the last event,” said Libby. “You rely heavily on the leadoff and Savannah’s routine was almost perfect. She set the tone for what was to come, and the judges were forced to give great scores. These are hard things to do in a situation where it was do or die, and the team rising to the challenge and putting up the best scores they could was amazing.”
The Hawkeyes earned a season-high 49.350 on floor. Junior Lanie Snyder finished on top of the podium with a season-high mark of 9.925, shattering her previous high of 9.850 and tying the third-best score in Iowa history. Junior Melissa Zurawski earned a season-high 9.900 to finish second overall. Freshman Clair Kaji followed with a score of 9.875 to finish in fourth place.
Iowa posted score of 48.975 on uneven bars. Senior Angel Metcalf led the Hawkeyes with a 9.850 to finish third overall. Snyder, Sullivan, and Zurawski tied for fifth place with scores of 9.800.
The Hawkeyes recorded a score of 48.950 on vault. Sophomore Misty-Jade Carlson tied for the title in the event with a score of 9.850. This score also tied her career high on vault. Sullivan and Zurawski tied for third with scores of 9.825. This was Sullivan’s career-best mark in the event. Youd followed with a season-high 9.775.
Iowa returns to action on March 4 against Iowa State as part of the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 11 a.m. (CT).