Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2017-18 | Hawk Talk Monthly — January 2018 | Iowa vs. Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS – The University of Iowa men’s gymnastics team fell to Minnesota, 405.900-395.450, at the Maturi Pavilion on Saturday.
MEET HIGHLIGHTS
The Hawkeyes won two event titles and recorded six individual season-best scores, seven career-high scores, and one team season-best score.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Pommel horse: The Hawkeyes started the day on pommel horse, with senior Austin Hodges taking home the event crown with a 14.100. Junior Kevin Johnson tied for second with a season-best 13.750 and sophomore Nick Merryman followed in fourth with a 13.650.
Rings: Junior Jake Brodarzon won Iowa’s second event title of the day, notching a season-best, and tying his career-high, 13.850 on rings to help the Hawkeyes score 65.500, tying their season-best score. Junior Rogelio Vazquez and senior Dylan Ellsworth finished fifth (13.250) and sixth (13.100) respectively. Redshirt senior Mark Springett and Merryman rounded out the top-10 with ninth (12.700) and 10th-place finishes (12.600), respectively.
Floor: Freshman Bennet Huang led the Hawkeyes for the second week on floor, notching a runner-up finish (13.900). Springett (13.550) and freshman Kulani Taylor (12.800) finished sixth and eighth on floor, respectively, for the Hawkeyes. Ellsworth recorded a season-best score of 12.500 to finish ninth.
Parallel bars: Vazquez recorded a 13.550 to finish third on parallel bars for Iowa. Merryman (13.100, fifth), Ellsworth (13.050, sixth), and Hodges (12.650, 10th) all notched top-10 finishes for the Hawkeyes. Brodarzon recorded a season-best score of 12.550 and Huang recorded a career-best 12.300 on the event.
High Bar: Vazquez notched a season-best 13.600 to finish fourth for the Hawkeyes. Sophomore Andrew Herrador finished sixth (13.050) followed by freshman Addison Chung who recorded a career-best 13.000 to finish seventh. Huang notched a 12.850 (ninth) and sophomore Mitch Mandozzi earned a career-best 12.450 on the event.
Vault: Iowa notched four career-best scores and recorded a season-best 69.400 on vault. Huang led the way with a career-best 14.100 to tie for fifth, followed by Chung in seventh with a career-best 14.050. Ellsworth recorded a 14.000 to finish eighth, followed by Taylor who earned a career-best 13.650 to finish ninth. Mandozzi rounded out the top-10 with a 13.600 to tie his career-best score.
All-Around: Huang finished in second with a career-best 77.300. Ellsworth followed in third (75.100) and Merryman ended the day in fourth (74.900).
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes open their home slate, hosting Illinois at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Feb. 3. Competition is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. (CT).
