PISCATAWY, N.J. — The No. 17 University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team scored an overall, 196.425, to defeat No. 44 Rutgers (195.950), No. 29 Kent State (196.200), and No. 80 Ursinus (185.400) on Friday night inside Jersey Mike’s Arena.
Iowa placed first in three events with six gymnasts either tying or setting season/career highs. Junior JerQuaviaHenderson captured her fifth floor title and third all-around title to bring her overall event titles to 12. Senior Bridget Killian earned her first vault event title of the season, setting a new season-high and tying her career-high score of 9.875.
Bars
The Hawkeyes scored an overall 48.850 on bars with one gymnast setting a new season high. Junior Allyson Steffensmeier scored a 9.850 to tie for fourth place. Senior Alex Greenwald posted her second-highest score of the season, placing seventh with a 9.800. Sophomore Kareena Mcsweeny made her bar debut, scoring a season-high 9.750. Junior Ellinor Rogers and Henderson both scored a 9.725, and senior Clair Kaji posted a 8.950.
Beam
Three gymnasts tied or set new season-highs on beam after posting an overall 49.075. Killian and Henderson both tied their season and career highs to tie for third place after scoring a 9.875. Freshman Marissa Rojas scored a 9.825 to tie for eighth. Senior Mackenzie Vance set a new season-high, posting a 9.800. Sophomore Aubrey Nick scored a 9.700, and Kaji posted a 9.475.
Floor
The GymHawks, who are ranked sixth nationally on floor, placed in the top two with Henderson taking her fifth floor title. The Peoria, Illinois, native scored a 9.950, and her teammate Guerin followed to tie for second place after scoring a 9.900. Rojas set a new season and career high, scoring a 9.875 to tie for fourth place. Killian scored a 9.850, and Greenwald posted a 9.825. Kaji scored a 9.800 to help Iowa in their victory.
Vault
Iowa posted a 49.100 on vault with four gymnasts either tying or setting new season-highs. Senior Bridget Killian set a new season-high and tied her career-high after scoring a 9.875 to take her first vault title. Senior Lauren Guerin posted a new season-high 9.850 to tie for second place with her teammate Henderson. Kendall LaPlante tied her season and career best after scoring a 9.775. Sophomore Allison Zuhlke scored a 9.750 to tie for 13th place with Greenwald, who tied her season high.
All Around
Henderson was the only gymnast to compete in the all-around and continued her undefeated record, taking her third title after scoring a 39.400.
QUOTING HEAD COACH LARISSA LIBBY
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will travel to Toledo, Ohio, for the annual Big Five Meet. Iowa will compete against Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, and Ohio State on Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. (CT). The meet will be televised live on B1G Network.