Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch – 2017-18 | Hawk Talk Monthly – March 2018 | Minnesota, Air Force Notes
THIS WEEK
The ninth-ranked University of Iowa men’s gymnastics team hosts No. 6 Minnesota and No. 11 Air Force on Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Competition is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. (CT).
PROMOTIONS
Sunday is Senior Day. Iowa’s four seniors — Dylan Ellsworth, Austin Hodges, Elijah Parsells, and Mark Springett — will be honored following the meet.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow along with live stats and live stream ($). A link to both 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
- The No. 10 Hawkeyes upset No. 2 Penn State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday, defeating the Nittany Lions, 404.050-396.500, in a tri-meet with Arizona State.
- Senior Dylan Ellsworth won his third vault title of the season (14.800), his second parallel bars title (14.200), and his first all-around title.
- Senior Austin Hodges won his fourth pommel horse event title of the season with a 14.050.
- Sophomore Andrew Herrador won his second high bar title with a 13.600.
HODGES NAMED NISSEN-EMERY AWARD FINALIST
Senior Austin Hodges was named a finalist for the 2018 Nissen-Emery Award. The award is given annually to the year’s most outstanding senior collegiate gymnast, both in the gym and in the classroom. Hodges, a Lincolnshire, Illinois, native is a human physiology major and a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. He leads the team on the three events he competes in, notching a team-high 14.700 on pommel horse and 14.250 on parallel bars at the Windy City Invitational. His team-high 13.900 on high bar came against Oklahoma on Feb. 10.
GYMNAST OF THE WEEK
Senior Dylan Ellsworth was named Big Ten and NCAA Gymnast of the Week following Iowa’s upset of No. 2 Penn State on March 3. Ellsworth won three event titles, including the top all-around total of 80.350. The senior won his third vault event title this season, sticking his landing for the second straight week. He posted a season-high 14.200 on parallel bars to win his second parallel bars title in as many weeks. Ellsworth also notched a season-high 13.750 to tie for fifth on rings.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN GOPHERS
- Iowa will face Minnesota for the third time this season. The Hawkeyes finished third (393.200) behind the second-place Golden Gophers (401.400) at the Windy City Invitational on Jan. 13. Iowa fell to Minnesota, 395.450-405.900, in a dual meet at Minneapolis on Jan. 27.
- The Golden Gophers won their fifth-straight meet on Sunday, defeating UIC, 386.050-354.900.
- Senior Joel Gagnon is a finalist for the 2018 Nissen-Emery Award. He competes on floor, vault, and high bar for the Golden Gophers.
- Minnesota is ranked third nationally on vault (72.183 three score average), fifth on parallel bars (68.400), seventh on floor (69.717), pommel horse (67.217), and high bar (66.783), and 10th on rings (67.400).
- The Golden Gophers have two gymnasts ranked in the top-five on events. Freshman Shane Wiskus is ranked first on floor with a 14.650 National Qualifying Average and fourth in the all-around
- (82.250 NQA). Senior Yaroslav Pochinka is ranked fifth on vault with a 14.700 NQA.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
- The 11th-ranked Air Force finished third at the Arnold Challenge on Saturday.
- The Falcons face Illinois and UIC on Friday before competing in Iowa City on Sunday.
- Air Force is ranked sixth nationally on pommel horse (67.267) and rings (68.350), ninth on vault (69.950), and 10th on high bar (65.250).
- The Hawkeyes last faced the Falcons in the regular season on March 15, 2014. Iowa won the five-team meet while Air Force placed fifth.
IN THE RANKINGS
The Hawkeyes are ranked ninth on RoadToNationals.com with a 402.914 three score average. The Golden Gophers are ranked sixth (409.050) and the Falcons are ranked 11th (400.467).
AROUND THE NATION
The Hawkeyes are ranked fifth nationally on pommel horse (67.433), seventh on rings (68.200), eighth on high bar (65.717), ninth on parallel bars (66.950), and 10th on vault (69.767).
POMMEL HORSE DOMINANCE
- Hodges is ranked sixth with a 14.417 NQA 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 18th with a 13.833 NQA and a season-high 14.200 (Windy City Invite, 1/13).
- Senior Elijah Parsells and junior Kevin Johnson are ranked 28th with a 13.633 NQA. Parsells notched a season-high 13.900 at UIC on Jan. 21 and Johnson recorded a season-high 13.750 at Minnesota on Jan. 27.
PARALLEL BARS RANKINGS
- Hodges is ranked 15th with a 14.050 NQA and a season-high 14.250 (Windy City Invite, 1/13).
- Ellsworth is ranked 23rd with a 13.883 NQA and a season-high 14.200 (Penn State/Arizona State, 3/3).
- Junior Rogelio Vazquez is ranked 29th with a 13.717 NQA and a season-high 13.900 (UIC/Stanford, 1/21).
RINGS RANKINGS
- Brodarzon jumped up five spots in the rankings to 15th with a 13.967 NQA and a season-high 14.150 (Penn State/Arizona State, 3/3).
- Senior Mark Springett is ranked 29th with a 13.767 NQA and a season-high14.050 (Penn State/Arizona State, 3/3).
HIGH BAR RANKINGS
- Vazquez is ranked 26th with a 13.567 NQA and a season-high 13.850 (Oklahoma, 2/10).
- Herrador is ranked 28th with a 13.533 NQA and a season-high 13.700 (Nebraska, 2/23).
ADDITIONAL HAWKEYES IN THE RANKING
- Ellsworth is ranked fourth on vault with a 14.733 NQA. His season-high 14.850 (Nebraska, 2/23) marks the nation’s sixth-highest vault score this season.
- Freshman Bennet Huang is ranked 24th on floor with a 14.083 NQA and a season-high 14.250 (UIC/Stanford, 1/21).
TITLE TRACKER
- Iowa has won 22 event titles this season – five on pommel horse and parallel bars, four in the all-around, three on vault, two on rings and high bar, and one on floor.
- Seven Hawkeyes have won event titles for Iowa this season – Ellsworth (6), Hodges (6), Huang (4), Brodarzon (2), Herrador (2), Parsells (1), and Vazquez (1).
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
The 2018 men’s gymnastics team breaks down into one redshirt senior, three seniors, three juniors, five sophomores, and four freshmen.
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.
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 travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, to face the No. 5 Cornhuskers and No. 6 Golden Gophers in their regular season finale on March 24.
