GymHawks Notebook: vs. Michigan State

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team hosts Michigan State at Carver Hawkeye Arena on Saturday at 7 p.m.
 
WATCH/FOLLOW LIVE

  • Live stats throughout the season can be found on the women’s gymnastics schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.
  • Saturday’s meet will also be live streamed on BTN+ and the Fox Sports app.
  • Follow along with updates from@iowagymnasticson Twitter.

 
TICKETS

  • 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.
  • Adult tickets are $10. Youth (18 and under) and UI students receive free admission to all regular season home meets.

 
PROMOTIONS

  • Alumni Night – Former University of Iowa women’s gymnasts will be honored at Saturday’s competition.
  • Camper Reunion Night

                                                                       
2020 GYMHAWKS

  • The GymHawks won (195.550) their home opener195.550 over Ball State (192.775) and Air Force (188.650) on Jan. 11.
  • Sophomore Lauren Guerin earned a perfect 9.950 from one judge and a final score of 9.925 to set her new career best, tying for the ninth spot in the Iowa record book at the Critique Classic in Florida (Jan. 3).
  • Sophomore Alex Greenwald earned a career-high 9.875 on bars on Jan. 11 against Air Force and Ball State University.
  • The GymHawks set a season high 49.200 on floor at Maryland (Jan. 19) — Guerin led the Hawkeyes with a 9.950 to win the event and set a new career-best score.
  • Two Hawkeyes etched their names into the record book on Jan. 19 against Maryland. Sophomore Lauren Guerin scored 9.950 on floor to tie for third all-time at Iowa and freshman Allyson Steffensmeier recorded a 9.925 on bars, tying for sixth in the records
  • Guerin recorded a 9.950 on floor for the second consecutive week at Penn State on Jan. 25. Guerin’s top mark ties her career best and third all-time mark in the Iowa record-book.
  • Five Hawkeyes earned season-high scores at Penn State on Jan. 25. Freshman Ariana Agrapides (9.800) and Dani Castillo (8.725) on vault, sophomore Bridget Killian (9.850) on beam, and junior Erin Castle (9.875) and Killian (9.850) on floor.

 
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE

  • The Spartans posted a season-high 196.550, for the fifth-best team score in program history and scored a 49.475 on floor to tie the best in program history on Jan. 26 against No. 16 Nebraska.
  • Three Spartans earned 9.900s or higher and all six floor competitors tied or earned person-bests on floor against Nebraska.
  • Nationally, Michigan State is slated at No. 32 in the 2020 NCAA rankings.
  • The Spartans rank 11th in the nation and second in the Big Ten on beam, averaging a score of 48.992 over the first three meets this season.
  • Senior Gabriella Douglas is currently tied for 14th in the country and fifth in the conference among all beam specialists, averaging 9.900. She has won or earned a share of the beam title in every meet so far this season.

 
GYMHAWK 2019 HIGHLIGHTS

  • Larissa Libby is in her 16th season as head coach at Iowa and her 20th year overall.
  • Iowa returns first team All-Big Ten honoree, Clair Kaji for her senior season, along with second team All-Big Ten honoree, sophomore Lauren Guerin.
  • The Hawkeyes wrapped up their 2019 season at the NCAA Corvallis Regional with a score of 194.775, placing fourth in session two, but 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 versus Illinois on Feb. 16, scoring a 49.200 on bars and a season high of 49.400 on floor.
  • 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 added six freshmen to the 2020 roster: Ariana Agrapides, Dani Castillo, JerQuavia Henderson, Ellie Rogers, Madelyn Solomon, and Allyson Steffensmeier.
  • Agrapides is from Bayville, NJ 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 — trained at Paragon Gymnastics. She was a regional 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.

 
UP NEXT

  • The GymHawks travel to Minneapolis, Minnesota, next Saturday to take on the Gophers at 6 p.m. (CT).
  • Live results will be available at hawkeyesports.com/wgymlive.

 

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