Hawkeyes Host Big Ten Championships

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THIS WEEK
The seventh-ranked University of Iowa men’s gymnastics team hosts the 2019 Big Ten Championships on April 5-6 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Action both days begins at 7 p.m. (CT). The event is televised on the Big Ten Network. 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 CLINCH SHARE OF REGULAR SEASON TITLE
• Senior Jake Brodarzon and junior Andrew Herrador took home crowns with career-highs on rings (14.500) and a season-high on high bar (14.000), respectively.
• The Hawkeyes tied or bested eight season or career-highs to place second with an overall team score of 406.350.
• This is Iowa’s first Big Ten title since 1998.
• The 2019 season marks the first time in conference history a regular season conference champion has been recognized by the Big Ten. 

IOWA IN THE BIG TEN STANDINGS
• The Hawkeyes are tied for first in the Big Ten conference with a 4-2 record alongside Minnesota and Michigan. 
• Michigan holds the highest four-score average overall team score amongst the seven teams with 411.300, followed by Illinois (410.133), and Penn State (408.733). Iowa sits in fifth with a score of 404.883.
• Iowa ranks in fourth place on high bar, rings, and pommel horse, fifth on parallel bars, sixth on vault and floor. 
• Sophomore Bennet Huang leads the Hawkeyes in the all-around competition with a third place ranking in the conference. The sophomore also leads the team on floor (10th), pommel horse (11th), and vault (16th). 
• Senior Jake Brodarzon ranks eighth on rings and 17th on parallel bars to lead Iowa on the events while junior Andrew Herrador leads the Hawkeyes on high bar ranked eighth. 

REGULAR SEASON WRAP UP
• The Hawkeyes ended the regular season 4-2 in the Big Ten and 7-6 overall. This resulted in the team earning a share of the Big Ten regular season title. 
• Iowa posted three huge wins towards the end of the season, defeating No. 3 Michigan in Ann Arbor and No. 7 Nebraska at the UI Fieldhouse. 

HOME AGAIN
•The last time Iowa hosted the Big Ten Championships was in 2012 where they placed sixth with a score of 342.800. This event was hosted before the change in scoring within NCAA men’s gymnastics. 
•  The Hawkeyes were ranked No. 11 nationally entering the event in 2012, they are currently ranked No. 9 nationally and tied for first in the Big Ten with Michigan and Minnesota. 
• In 2012 head coach JD Reive was in just his second season leading the team. Reive has now been with the Hawkeyes for nine years. 
• Broderick Shemansky was named first team All-Big Ten after the final day of competition becuase of his sixth place finish in the all-around competition with a career-best 85.150 overall score. 
•  Three Hawkeyes earned bids to compete on day two of competition including: senior Zach Cazabon, junior Javier Balboa and junior Matt McGrath. Cazabon finished seventh on pommel horse, Balboa and McGrath both placed eighth on vault and parallel bars respectively. 
• This year’s event will be hosted on a podium which is the first time the Hawkeyes have hosted an event with this set up. 

B1G-TIME PERFORMANCES 
• Huang leads the Hawkeyes, registering a 14.900 against Michigan for a season-high score on floor. 
• Iowa’s team-high score on pommel horse came against Nebraska when senior Kevin Johnson posted a 14.000 to win the event title.
• Brodarzon has garnered season-high scores for Iowa on rings (14.500) and parallel bars (14.300). His team-high score on rings came in Iowa’s last meet against Minnesota and Penn State where they clinched the regular season championship title. The senior’s score on parallel bars was registered against Nebraska where he placed first on the event. 
• Freshman Stewart Brown is Iowa’s top scorer on vault with a 14.600 that he posted in the final tri-meet against Minnesota and Penn State. Brown has contributed 110.800 points to Iowa’s team score on the event throughout the season. 
• Junior Andrew Herrador’s 14.000 on high bar is Iowa’s highest score this season and came in the Minnesota and Penn State meet where the junior took the crown. 
• Huang (706.150) has contributed the most points for the Hawkeyes this season, followed by freshman Evan Davis with 657.950, which is the most number of points contributed by a freshman in the Big Ten. 

SCOUTING THE BIG TEN
• All seven teams in the Big Ten are ranked back-to-back nationally from third to ninth.
• Michigan is ranked third nationally with Cameron Bock (4th) and Emyre Cole (14th) ranked in the top-15 in the all-around competition. Jacob Moore ranks second nationally on floor, Cole ranks second on vault, and Bock sits in the fourth spot 
according to Road to Nationals. The team is ranked second nationally and first in the Big Ten on vault.
• Illinois ranks fourth nationally according to Road to Nationals with a third national and first conference ranking on floor. Johnny Jacobsen leads the Fighting Illini in the all-around competition ranked ninth nationally and fourth in the Big Ten. Alex Diab ranks first on rings, second on floor while teammate Michael Paradise ranks second on pommel horse in the Big Ten. 
• Penn State ranks fifth nationally as well as first on rings and high bar in the Big Ten. Stephen Nedoroscik is first in the conference rankings on pommel horse while Noah Roberson and Sam Zakutney are both ranked second on rings and high bar respectively. 
• Minnesota ranks sixth nationally with a first place conference ranking on parallel bars. Shane Wiskus, the returning NCAA all-around runner up ranks first nationally and in the Big Ten in the all-around competition. Wiskus also ranks first in the conference on parallel bars and high bar. 
• Nebraska sits in eighth place nationally with a second place conference rating on vault and parallel bars. Anton Stephenson ranks first on vault and fourth on floor in the Big Ten.  
• The Buckeyes are ranked ninth nationally with a first place ranking on pommel horse in the Big Ten. Alec Yoder ranks third on the event while Trevor Cummings ranks seventh and David Szarvas ranks 10th. Yoder also holds a third place ranking on parallel bars.

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 travels to Champaign, Illinois to compete at the NCAA Championships on April 20-21. 

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