Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch – 2017-18 | Hawk Talk Monthly — February 2018 | Penn State, Arizona State Notes
THIS WEEK
The tenth-ranked University of Iowa men’s gymnastics team hosts No. 2 Penn State and No. 14 Arizona State on Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Competition is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. (CT).
PROMOTIONS
Saturday is a Black-Out . The first 100 fans get a free t-shirt.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow along with live stats. A link is available on the Iowa men’s gymnastics schedule page at hawkeyesports.com. Fans can also follow along with live updates on Twitter (@mensgymiowa) and Facebook (/iowamensgymnastics).
LAST TIME OUT
- No. 10 Iowa won five event titles as it fell to No. 5 Nebraska, 398.500-402.800, on Feb. 23.
- Senior Dylan Ellsworth won his second vault title of the season (14.850) and his first parallel bars title (13.750).
- Senior Austin Hodges won his second pommel horse event title of the season with a 14.200.
- Junior Jake Brodarzon won his second rings title of the season with a career-high 13.900.
- Sophomore Andrew Herrador won Iowa’s first high bar title this season with a season-high 13.700.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS
The 2018 NCAA Championship will be hosted by University of Illinois-Chicago on April 20-21. Tickets are on sale now. To purchase tickets, visit NCAA.com/tickets.
SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS
- No. 2 Penn State fell to No. 6 Minnesota, 404.350-402.400, on Feb. 24.
- The Nittany Lions racked up three event titles — Chris Sands on rings (14.200), Joshua Smith on vault (14.600), and Michael Burns on high bar (13.900).
- Penn State is ranked second nationally on floor and parallel bars, third on pommel horse and rings, sixth on high bar, and seventh on vault.
- Iowa last faced Penn State in the regular season on March 25, 2017, at Penn State. The Hawkeyes won three event titles as they fell to the Nittany Lions, 414.000-420.400.
SCOUTING THE SUN DEVILS
- No. 14 Arizona State had two teams compete at the Sun Devil Classic on Feb. 24.
- One squad won the event, defeating Washington, SC United, and NorCal United. The second squad finished in third, defeating SC United and NorCal United.
- Arizona State is ranked seventh nationally on floor.
- Iowa last faced the Sun Devils on March 1, 2014, at the Arnold Classic. The Hawkeyes finished second and defeated Arizona State, 431.600-401.050.
IN THE RANKINGS
The Hawkeyes are ranked 10th in the College Gymnastics Association Rankings with a three-score average of 401.067. The Nittany Lions are ranked second (410.617) and the Sun Devils are ranked 14th (392.817).
AROUND THE NATION
The Hawkeyes are ranked seventh nationally on pommel horse (67.017), eighth on high bar (65.717) and parallel bars (66.200), and ninth on rings (67.483).
POMMEL HORSE DOMINANCE
- Hodges is ranked sixth with a 14.417 National Qualifying Average and a season-high 14.700 (Windy City Invite, 1/13), which marks the nation’s seventh-highest pommel horse score this season.
- Sophomore Nick Merryman is ranked 16th with a 13.833 NQA and a season-high 14.200 (Windy City Invite, 1/13).
- Senior Elijah Parsells and junior Kevin Johnson are tied for 24th, with a 13.633 NQA. Parsells notched a season-best 13.900 at UIC on Jan. 21 and Johnson recorded a season-best 13.750 at Minnesota on Jan. 27.
PARALLEL BARS RANKINGS
- Hodges is ranked 22nd with a 13.833 NQA and a season-high 14.250 (Windy City Invite, 1/13).
- Junior Rogelio Vazquez is ranked 24th with a 13.717 NQA and a season-high 13.900 (UIC/Stanford, 1/21).
- Ellsworth is ranked 29th with a 13.650 NQA and a season-high 13.750 (Nebraska, 2/23).
ADDITIONAL HAWKEYES IN THE RANKINGS
- Ellsworth is ranked 7th on vault with a 14.617 NQA and a season-high 14.850 (Nebraska, 2/23), which marks the nation’s sixth-highest vault score this season.
- Huang is ranked 18th on floor with a 14.083 NQA and a season-high 14.250 (UIC/Stanford, 1/21).
- Junior Jake Brodarzon is ranked 20th on rings with a 13.817 NQA and a season-high 13.900 (Nebraska, 2/23).
- Vazquez is ranked 25th on high bar with a 13.533 NQA and a season-high 13.850 (Oklahoma, 2/10).
TITLE TRACKER
Iowa has won 17 event titles this season — four on pommel horse and parallel bars, three in the all-around, two on rings and vault, and one on floor and high bar.
TWO HAWKEYES NAMED TO WATCH LIST
Junior Rogelio Vazquez and freshman Bennet Huang were named to the 2018 Big Ten Men’s Gymnasts to Watch list, the conference office announced Dec. 14.
- Vazquez notched a runner-up finish on parallel bars with a 13.700 and tied for fourth on rings with a 13.550 against Nebraska on Feb. 23.
- Huang, one of three freshmen on the list, earned a fourth-place finish on vault (14.150) and high bar (13.300) against Nebraska on Feb. 23.
RETURNING EXPERIENCE
Iowa returns 12-of-17 gymnasts from last season. Senior Dylan Ellsworth won the vault (14.850) and parallel bars (13.750) titles against Nebraska on Feb. 23, 2018.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
The 2018 men’s gymnastics team breaks down into one redshirt senior, three seniors, three juniors, five sophomores, and four freshmen.
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 No. 6 Minnesota and No. 11 Air Force at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 11 for Senior Day. The meet is scheduled to take place at 1 p.m. (CT).
