Hawk Talk Monthly — January | Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2019-20
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team begins its 2020 season on the road against Oregon State, Georgia, and Bridgeport in Orlando, Florida, on Jan. 3, at 6 p.m. (CT).
WATCH/FOLLOW LIVE
- Live stats throughout the season can be found on the women’s gymnastics schedule page on hawkeyesports.com
- Follow @iowagymnastics on Twitter for updates.
SEASON TICKETS
- Season tickets are available at hawkeyesports.com/tickets, by calling 1-800-IA-HAWKS, or at the UI Athletics Ticket Office at the north entrance of Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
- Season tickets are $30 and all seating is general admission. Youth ages 18 and under and UI students receive free admission to all regular season home meets.
SCOUTING OREGON STATE
- The Beavers finished the 2019 season ranked No. 6 in the country.
- Nationally, Oregon State ended last season ranked No. 15 on vault, No. 16 on beam, No. 20 on bars, and No. 10 on floor.
- Oregon State’s highest score of the 2019 season was 197.4500 vs. UCLA (Feb. 2).
- The Beavers returned 17 gymnasts from last season and welcomed three freshmen.
- Oregon State is led by head coach Tanya Chaplin, who is in her 23rd season as head coach.
- Chaplin was a five-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year before the conference added two additional school and changed to the Pac-12.
SCOUTING GEORGIA
- The Bulldogs finished the 2019 season ranked No. 8 in the country.
- Nationally, Georgia ranked 4th on vault, 11th on bars, 9th on beam and floor, following last season.
- The Bulldogs returned 11 gymnasts from last season and welcomed four freshmen.
- Georgia’s highest score of 2019 was 198.050 vs. California, Kentucky, and Oklahoma on April 6, 2019.
- Head coach Courtney Kupets Carter has led the Tar Heels since May 2017.
SCOUTING BRIDGEPORT
- University of Bridgeport finished the 2019 season ranked No. 44 in the country.
- The Knights ranked 44th on vault, 33rd on bars, 59th on beam, and 38th on floor last season.
- Bridgeport’s highest score of the 2019 season was 192.5750 vs. Arizona, Central Michigan, and Illinois on Jan. 6, 2019.
- The Knights returned 16 gymnasts from last season and welcomed nine freshmen and a sophomore.
- The Falcons are led by head coach Byron Knox.
GYMHAWK 2019 HIGHLIGHTS
- Larissa Libby concluded her 15th season as head coach at Iowa and her 19th year overall.
- Iowa returns first team All-Big Ten honoree Clair Kaji for her senior season, along with sophomore second team All-Big Ten honoree Lauren Guerin.
- The Hawkeyes wrapped up their season at the NCAA Corvallis Regional with a score of 194.775, placing fourth in session two. The GymHawks did not advance to the Regional final.
- Iowa scored a season high 196.450 at Elevate the Stage/Big Five Meet on Feb. 22, 2019
- The GymHawks scored 195.400 vs. Illinois on Feb. 16, scoring a 49.200 on bars and a season high of 49.400 on floor.
- Three GymHawks earned 9.900s on floor vs. Illinois — Erin Castle, Clair Kaji, and Lauren Guerin — while the other three GymHawks earned 9.850s — Charlotte Sullivan, Bridget Killian, and Allie Gilchrist.
- At the Big Ten Championships, the GymHawks finished sixth with a team score of 196.075.
- Iowa finished the season ranked No. 31 overall in the final Road to Nationals Poll.
FRESH SIX
- The GymHawks add six freshmen to the roster for the 2020 season: Ariana Agrapides, Dani Castillo, JerQuavia Henderson, Ellie Rogers, Madelyn Solomon and Allyson Steffensmeier.
- Agrapides is from Bayville, New Jersey, and trained at Premier Gymnastics. She finished her high school career as 2019 State vault, floor, and all-around champion.
- Castillo is a Miami, Florida, native who competed at American Twister’s under coaches Gary Anderson and Christy Ramírez. She won the Region 8 all-around Championships (38.375) and was the state runner up during the 2019 season.
- Henderson comes from Peoria, Illinois, and trained at Gym Corner. In 2019, Henderson placed third in all-around at level 6/9/10 State Championship and was named Peoria Journal Star’s 2018 Central Illinois Best of Preps: Gymnast of the Year.
- Rogers — a native of Spotsylvania, Virginia and trained at Paragon Gymnastics. She was a regionals qualifier sophomore-senior year.
- Solomon comes from Waterloo, Iowa where she was trained by Kevin Crowley. Solomon was awarded United States Marines Distinguished Female Athletic Excellence Award in 2019.
- Steffensmeier — a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa — rounds out the newcomers. She qualified for Junior Nationals three out of four years. In 2019, Steffensmeier claimed first place at Regionals in all-around with a score of 37.259.
FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES
For an inside look at the Iowa gymnastics program and access to exclusive coverage, “like” Iowa Women’s Gymnastics on Facebook and follow @IowaGymnastics on Twitter, and Instagram.
UP NEXT
The GymHawks host Air Force and Ball State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the Pink Meet and their home opener on Jan. 11, 2020 at 4 p.m. (CT). Live results will be available at hawkeyesports.com/wgymlive.
