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PISCATAWAY, New Jersey — The No. 16 University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team is set to compete in the night session of the Big Ten Championships in Picasway, New Jersey, on Saturday at 4 p.m. (CT) in the RAC.
The Hawkeyes will compete against Michigan, Penn State, Nebraska, and Ohio State, while Minnesota, Rutgers, Maryland, and Michigan State will compete in the morning session at 11 a.m. (CT).
“I’m looking forward to showing what we are capable of at the Big Ten Championships,” said UI head coach Larissa Libby. “I feel like the team still has the potential to reach even higher heights this season than we already have.”
Iowa qualified for the night session after taking second in the Iowa City Big Five Meet with a score of 196.400.The Hawkeyes fell to Michigan, but defeated Penn State, Minnesota, and Rutgers. Senior Angel Metcalf took home the title on bars with a career-high 9.950 and finished runner-up in the all-around with a season-high 39.375. Senior Mollie Drenth tied for the win on beam with a score of 9.900.
Iowa finished the regular season third in the Big Ten Conference with an overall record of 15-6 and a conference mark of 7-2. The Hawkeyes rank third in the conference on bars (49.125 RQS) and beam (49.175), fourth on floor (49.205), and fifth on vault (48.955).
Four GymHawks are ranked in the top ten in the conference. Drenth ranks fourth in the all-around (39.245 RQS) and is tied for third on beam (9.875). Metcalf is tied for fifth on bars (9.875) and ninth on beam (9.860). Junior Melissa Zurawski is tied for seventh on bars (9.870) and ranks eighth on floor (9.880), while freshman Clair Kaji ranks tenth on floor (9.875).
Iowa is ranked 16th nationally with a regional qualifying score (RQS) of 196.400. As a team, the GymHawks rank 17th nationally on beam (49.175), 18th on floor (49.205) and bars (49.125), and 26th on vault (48.955).
Michigan and Nebraska tied for the regular season title. Nebraska won (196.650) the Illinois Big Five Meet last Saturday and is ranked 13th nationally with a RQS of 196.640. Michigan won (197.150) the Iowa Big Five Meet. The Wolverines rank 10th nationally with a RQS of 196.880.
Illinois took second (196.450) at the Illinois Big Five Meet to finish fourth in the regular season. The Fighting Illini rank 20th nationally with a RQS of 196.245. Ohio State finished third (195.350) for a fifth-place ranking in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes rank 24th nationally with a RQS of 195.815. Penn State finished third (195.450) at the Iowa Big Five. The Nittany Lions rank 32nd nationally with a RQS of 195.400 and are ranked seventh in the Big Ten Conference.
To purchase tickets to the Big Ten Championships, fans can call the Rutgers ticket office at 1-866-455-4678 or visit scarletknights.com. The meet will also be live on the Big Ten Network.
Fans can also follow the meet from home by following live stats on hawkeyesports.com, or by following the GymHawks on Twitter and Instagram @IowaGymnastics and on Facebook at facebook.com/iowagymnastics.