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ANN ARBOR, Mich — University of Iowa senior gymnast Austin Hodges reached the podium with a fifth-place finish on pommel horse at the Big Ten Championship Event Finals on Saturday at Crisler Center.
“It still wasn’t the best routine I could do but I thought it was better than day one,” said Hodges. “I got fifth-place, which is good for me. I think I’m ranked fifth in the Big Ten so it’s what was expected. I can still do better at the NCAA Championships, which is important so I’m saving my best routine for that.”
Hodges posted a 13.750 to finish fifth overall. Senior Elijah Parsells followed close behind, tying for seventh with a 13.400.
Dylan Ellsworth competed on vault. The senior notched a 13.625 to tie for eighth. Ellsworth was also honored as Iowa’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree.
“We went into finals and we did our job,” said UI head coach JD Reive. “The pommel horse routines from Elijah and Austin were almost flawless. They did everything that they could do there. Dylan’s was a little off. It wasn’t what we wanted him to do, but that’s finals. Finals are exciting. We went out and represented incredible well. It was wonderful gymnastics. I am super proud of them. It was a great way to put an end to this weekend.”
The Hawkeyes head to Chicago to compete at the NCAA Championships on April 20-21.
