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THIS WEEK
The eighth-ranked University of Iowa men’s gymnastics team hits the road to compete against the University of Minnesota and Penn State at the Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minn., at 2 p.m. (CT). The event will be streamed on BTN Plus (subscription required). Live stats will be posted on hawkeyesports.com.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow online through live streaming and live stats. A link to both will be available on the Iowa men’s gymnastics schedule page at hawkeyesports.com. Fans can also follow along on Instagram (@iowamgym) and with live updates on Twitter (@mensgymiowa) and Facebook (iowamensgymnastics).
HAWKEYES GET COME BACK WIN AGAINST BUCKEYES ON SENIOR NIGHT
• Freshman Evan Davis bested or tied four career-high scores including, floor (13.800), rings (13.450), vault (13.950), and parallel bars (12.950). Davis won the all-around competition with a 67.250.
• Junior Nick Merryman captured two event titles. Merryman won the high bar with a 13.350 and tied with senior Jake Brodarzon on parallel bars with a 13.650.
• Brodarzon led the Hawkeyes with team-high scores on vault with 14.450 (3T) and on parallel bars with a 13.650 (1st) on senior night.
• The Hawkeyes trailed Ohio State by 7.8 points after the third rotation, but came back to defeat the Buckeyes, 339.650-396.400.
B1G STANDINGS
• The Hawkeyes are ranked second in the Big Ten with a 3-1 conference record.
• Iowa sits behind the Michigan with a 4-1 conference record. The Wolverine’s one loss came from the Hawkeyes on March 9, when Iowa defeated the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. Michigan will go head-to-head with No. 7 Nebraska this weekend.
• Penn State and Minnesota are tied for third, both holding 2-2 records. Iowa competes against Penn State and Minnesota this weekend in a tri-meet at Minnesota.
• 2019 marks the first year the Big Ten will crown a regular-season champion.
APPROACHING POSTSEASON
• The meet against Minnesota and Penn State on Saturday marks Iowa’s last regular season competition.
• The Hawkeyes have defeated two higher-ranked teams including: No. 7 Nebraska and No. 3 Michigan. Iowa was ranked tenth for both meets.
• Five Hawkeyes have combined for 12 event titles including, sophomore Bennet Huang, juniors Andrew Herrador and Nick Merryman, and seniors Jake Brodarzon and Kevin Johnson.
IN THE RANKINGS
The Hawkeyes are ranked second in the Big Ten and eighth in the nation. As a team, the Hawkeyes are ranked sixth nationally on high bar and rings, eighth on high bar and pommel horse, ninth on vault and 12th on floor.
SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS
• Penn State is ranked fifth nationally. They Nittany Lions are ranked first on pommel horse, third on rings and high bar, sixth on floor, eighth on vault, and 10th on parallel bars.
• The Nittany Lions return three All-Americans including a two-time national champion, junior Stephen Nedoroscik. Nedoroscik took the crown on pommel horse for the second year in a row (2017).
• Penn State’s other returning All-Americans include, junior Sam Zakutrey, who placed in the top-eight on parallel bars and high bar, and redshirt senior Greg Tamargo, who earned the honors on still rings.
• Zakutrey leads the Nittany Lions with team-high scores in four events including, floor (14.550), vault (14.650), high bar (14.700), and in the all-around competition (83.000).
• Nedoroscik leads Penn State with a first place national ranking on pommel horse and a team-high 15.300. The team is ranked first nationally on the event with a score of 69.100.
• Penn State’s season-high team score came against Air Force and Navy on Feb. 23, scoring 410.300. Penn State’s season-low score came against Springfield College and UIC on February 10, scoring 395.450.
SCOUTING THE GOPHERS
• Minnesota is ranked sixth nationally. The Gophers are ranked second on parallel bars, third on vault, fifth on floor, eighth on rings, and ninth on pommel horse and high bar.
• Minnesota placed second in the 2018 NCAA Championships. They earned 11 All-America honors from eight different gymnasts, four of which returned for the 2019 season.
• Sophomore Shane Wiskus was named the 2018 CGA Rookie of the Year, 2018 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year, earned seven Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, and was the runner up in the all-around competition at the 2018 NCAA Championships.
• Wiskus leads the Gophers with team-high scores on floor (14.550), rings (14.350), parallel bars (14.900), high bar (14.400), and in the all-around competition (84.350).
• The Gophers season-high score came against Arizona State on Feb. 9, scoring 408.600 and their season-low score was a 399.800 at the Windy City Invitational on Jan. 19.
BIG HOME ADVANTAGE HOSTING BIG TEN’S
This postseason the Hawkeyes are set to host the Big Ten Tournament. The tournament is at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on April 5-6. Tickets may be pre-ordered through www.hawkeyesports.com or by contacting the University of Iowa Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-424-2957. During the Championships, tickets can be purchased inside the North Entrance of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Please contact the Iowa Athletics Ticket Office for more information. All-Session tickets are $10 (or $7 with a group of 20 or more) and single-session tickets are $7 (or $4 with a group of 20 or more).
UP NEXT
Iowa concludes the regular season and will host the Big Ten Championships at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on April 5-6.
