Notes: Iowa at Michigan State

THIS WEEK
The 16th-ranked University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team heads to East Lansing, Michigan, for its Big Ten Conference opener against No. 15 Michigan State on Saturday at the Jenison Field House.The meet will begin at 6 p.m. (CT).

FOLLOW LIVE
• Saturday’s meet will be televised live on BTN+ – a paid subscription service. 
• Fans can follow along via live results at hawkeyesports.com or via Twitter (@IowaGymnastics).

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 16 in the Road to Nationals rankings with an average score of 196.038.  Iowa was ranked ninth following Week 1 — the second-highest ranking in program history. 
• Junior Linda Zivat returns to East Lansing as a Hawkeye.  The Illinois native spent two seasons with the Spartans, but ironically, she never competed for Michigan State as she missed both seasons because of injury.
• Iowa posted a score of 49.100 on vault in its second-place finish against Minnesota and UCLA on Jan. 17, which is just shy of the season-high 49.150. Iowa moved up five spots to No. 14th nationally on vault. 
• Iowa sits sixth in the country on floor, 10th on balance beam, and 31st on bars. 
• Junior JerQuavia Henderson was named the Big Ten Specialist of the Week on Jan. 10 for the first time in her career after winning two events (vault, floor) in the season-opening victory over Eastern Michigan.
• Iowa was selected to finish third in the Big Ten Preseason Poll in a vote of the league’s 10 head coaches (behind Michigan and Minnesota).  Henderson and sophomore Adeline Kenlin were tabbed as Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch.
• Iowa returns 15 letter winners in 2022, including three All-Americans and four All-Big Ten selections. Iowa boasts a roster with seven seniors and 11 upperclassmen.

NOTABLES
• The Hawkeyes had six top three finishes and eight gymnasts either set or tied their season-highs in their second-place finish in the tri-meet against Minnesota and UCLA.
• Senior Lauren Guerin shared the floor title and set a new season-high after scoring a 9.925 in the tri-meet in Minneapolis.
• Two gymnasts placed in the top three on beam – senior Clair Kaji posted a season-high 9.925 to earn a runner-up finish and sophomore Adeline Kenlin scored a 9.900 to finish third. 
• The GymHawks scored 49 or higher on beam, vault, and floor against Minnesota and UCLA.
• Senior Clair Kaji is tied for ninth nationally with an average score of 9.900 on beam, while junior JerQuavia Henderson is ranked 15th on floor and senior Lauren Guerin is ranked 30th on floor.
• Sophomore Adeline Kenlin scored a season-high 38.825 in the all-around in Iowa’s tri-meet against Minnesota and UCLA.
• Iowa has had six gymnasts win event titles this season — Alex Greenwald (1), JerQuavia Henderson (4), Clair Kaji (1), Adeline Kenlin (3), Allyson Steffensmeier (1), and Lauren Guerin (1).

HENDERSON IN RANKINGS
Junior JerQuavia Henderson is ranked in the top 20 nationally on floor and vault. The Peoria, Illinois, native is ranked 15th on floor with an average score of 9.912. She is also ranked 17th on vault with an average score of 9.88. Henderson is one of five Big Ten gymnasts who are ranked in the top 20 on vault.

ZIVAT STEPS IN
Michigan State transfer Linda Zivat posted a pair of top three finishes in her second meet as a Hawkeye.  The Illinois native was runner-up on floor, scoring a 9.875 and she tied for third on vault with a 9.825.  
• Zivat followed up her performance by posting a pair of career-bests in Iowa’s road meet in Minneapolis.  She tied for fifth on vault with a 9.850 and also tied for fifth on floor with a 9.875.

HENDERSON B1G SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK 
For the first time in her career, junior Jerquavia Henderson was named Big Ten Specialist of the Week after scoring a 9.925 on vault and floor in the Hawkeyes’ win over Eastern Michigan.
• Henderson tied a career-high 9.925 en route to her vault title. The junior has tied this score three times, placing ninth in program history.

IN THE RANKINGS
Iowa is one of three Big Ten teams in the top 20 of the Road to Nationals poll along with No. 1 Michigan and No. 15 Michigan State. The Hawkeyes, who are ranked 16th, was previously ninth following Week 1, which was the second-highest ranking in program history. 

BIG TEN CHAMPIONS
The Hawkeyes clinched their first Big Ten Conference championship, claiming the 2021 regular-season title, when they won the Big Five Meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Feb. 27. Iowa finished the Big Ten regular season with an 8-0 record.
• Lauren Guerin and JerQuavia Henderson earned a share of the Big Ten floor titles during the 2021 Big Ten Championships.  They were the third and fourth floor champions in school history and the first since 2004.

KENLIN: 2021 B1G FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Sophomore Adeline Kenlin earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in 2021, becoming the fourth Hawkeye in school history to earn the conference’s top freshman honor and the first in 20 years. 
• Kenlin earned the distinction after winning five event titles during the regular season. The Iowa City native tied the school record on beam, posting a 9.975 score on March 14 at Nebraska. Kenlin earned four Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. 

HENDERSON — CGA COMEBACK GYMNAST OF THE YEAR
Junior JerQuavia Henderson was selected as College Gym News Comeback Gymnast of the Year in 2021. The Peoria, Illinois, native missed the 2020 season after rupturing her Achilles before returning to earn All-America honors in 2021.
• Henderson also earned a share of the Big Ten floor title with a 9.950 and she tied for first on floor at NCAA Regionals with a 9.925. She also was a second-team WCGA All-America honoree on floor after posting a 9.944 national qualifying score during the regular season.