THIS WEEK
The 13th-ranked University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team will travel to Minneapolis for a
second time this season to face No. 8 Minnesota on Friday inside the Maturi Pavilion. The meet is
set to start at 4:30 p.m. (CT) and will be broadcast live on BTN.
FOLLOW LIVE
• Friday’s meet will be televised on BTN with Dean Linke and Olivia Karas on the call.
• Fans can follow along via live results at hawkeyesports.com or via Twitter (@IowaGymnastics).
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• The Hawkeyes are ranked 13th in the Road to Nationals rankings with a national qualifying
score of 196.275. It is the team’s second-highest ranking of the season. Iowa was ninth following
Week 1 — the second-highest ranking in program history.
• Two gymnasts placed in the top five on floor at the Big Five Meet on Feb. 18 with junior JerQuavia
Henderson tying for second after posting a 9.950 and senior Lauren Guerin tying for fourth
with a 9.925. The team sits sixth nationally on floor with an average score of 49.388.
• Sophomore Adeline Kenlin returned to the lineup after missing the previous four meets because
of injury. The 2021 Big Ten Freshman of the Year scored a 9.850 on bars to set a season high. Iowa
moved up eight spots to No. 28 on bars with an average score of 48.788.
• Iowa is ranked No. 14 nationally on vault, moving up four spots from last week. Iowa also
bumped up five spots on beam, ranking No. 14 with an 49.031 average score.
• JerQuavia Henderson scored a 39.325 in all-around to place in third at the Big Five Meet on Feb.
18. The junior has placed in the top three in all four all-around competitions this season.
• The Hawkeyes have earned two Big Ten weekly honors this season. Junior JerQuavia Henderson
was the Specialist of the Week on Jan. 10 and Marissa Rojas garnered Freshman of the Week
honors on Jan. 25.
• 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 posted a 196.225 in their fourth place finish at the Big Five Meet against No. 1
Michigan, No. 16 Ohio State, No. 20 Illinois, and No. 36 Maryland on Feb. 18 in Toledo, Ohio.
• JerQuavia Henderson tied for second place on floor after scoring a 9.950. The junior also placed
third in the all-around with a score of 39.325.
• Two gymnasts set season highs on bars at the Big Five on Feb. 18. Sophomore Adeline Kenlin
posted a 9.850 after missing the past four meets because of injury. In her second career meet, sophomore Kareena Mcsweeny scored a 9.825 to set a season-high.
• Three gymnasts recorded a 9.800 or better on beam at the Big Five Meet. Henderson and
freshman Marissa Rojas both scored 9.825s to tie for eighth place. Coming off a first place
finish in Iowa’s quad-meet on Feb. 11, senior Bridget Killian posted a 9.800.
• The GymHawks scored 49 or higher in two events (beam and floor) in Toledo.
• Iowa has had nine gymnasts win event titles this season — Alex Greenwald (1), JerQuavia
Henderson (8), Clair Kaji (1), Adeline Kenlin (3), Allyson Steffensmeier (2), Lauren Guerin (3),
Linda Zivat (2), Marissa Rojas (1), and Bridget Killian (1).
STANDOUT HENDERSON
JerQuavia Henderson is tied at No. 2 on floor nationally with an average score of 9.928. The
junior posted a 9.950, her second-highest score of the season, at the Big Five Meet on Feb. 18
to tie for second. The Peoria, Illinois, native has captured four floor event titles this season and
placed in the top three in all eight meets.
• The No. 2 national ranking is the highest of Henderson’s career.
• Henderson has 12 event titles this season.
• In eight meets, Henderson has tallied 22 top-three finishes to lead the team.
• Henderson has three vault titles this season, ranking No. 18 nationally with an average score
of 9.872.
• Henderson has placed in the top-three in the all-around in all four competitions. She had
a career-high 39.475 in her all-around debut against Nebraska on Jan. 29 before scoring a
39.425 against Penn State on Feb. 4 and 39.400 against Rutgers, Kent State, and Ursinus to
take all three event-titles. She posted a 39.325 at the Big Five Meet on Feb. 18 to place third.
B1G RANKINGS
Iowa sits fourth in the Big Ten standings after the Big Five Meet on Feb. 18 with a 5-3 league
record (Iowa is 10-4 overall). No. 1 Michigan sits atop at 8-0 (11-0 overall) with No. 10 Michigan
State and No. 16 Ohio State follow at 6-2. Iowa has defeated Michigan State, Nebraska,
Penn State, and Rutgers.
COMEBACK OF THE SEASON
Iowa entered the final rotation against Penn State on Feb. 4, trailing by .600 points. The
Hawkeyes rallied, scoring a program-record 49.650 on floor to improve to 3-0 in the Big
Ten. Five gymnasts scored a 9.900 or higher with senior Lauren Guerin and junior JerQuavia
Henderson posting a 9.975 to share the event title and tie for the highest score in program
history.
FLOOR RECORDS GALORE
No. 17 Iowa broke the school floor record and had two gymnasts tie the top floor score in its
196.125-195.325 victory over No. 29 Penn State on Feb. 4.
• The previous floor record was 49.600, which was set against Minnesota/ Maryland in 2021.
• Senior Lauren Guerin posted a career-high 9.975 as the anchor to seal the comeback victory.
The Texas native received one perfect 10.0 to tie for the highest score in program history.
• Junior JerQuavia Henderson posted a 9.975 for the second time in her career, tying her own
school record. The Illinois native, who had a 10.0 from one judge, also posted a 9.975 last
season against Maryland/Minnesota.
TOP 5 FLOOR QUEENS
Senior Lauren Guerin and junior JerQuavia Henderson have been consistently consistent on
floor this season. The two gymnasts both rank in the top five in the Road to Nationals rankings
with Henderson sitting at No. 2 with a 9.928 average score, while Guerin is tied for fourth
with a 9.922 average score.
• The pair both received one perfect 10.0 en route to 9.975 scores on floor against Penn State
on Feb. 4 to tie the school record and tie for the event title.
• Guerin has scored 9.900 or higher in seven of eight meets this season, including a career-best 9.975 against Penn State.
• Henderson has scored 9.900 or higher in all eight competitions, including
her season-best 9.975 against the Nittany Lions.
• As a team, Iowa has scored 49.225 or higher in all seven meets this season.
Guerin and Henderson have finished in the top five on floor in every meet.
Iowa has won or placed in the top three in every meet this season.
B1G HONORS
• Junior JerQuavia Henderson was named Big Ten Specialist of the Week on
Jan. 10 after scoring a 9.925 on vault and floor in the Hawkeyes’ win over
Eastern Michigan. It was her first career honor.
• Freshman Marissa Rojas earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on
Jan. 25 after winning her first career event title in the road win at Michigan
State. The Michigan native posted an anchor score of 9.925 to take the title
and she also made her floor debut, scoring a 9.800.
IN THE RANKINGS
Iowa is one of six Big Ten teams in the top 20 of the Road to Nationals rankings
along with No. 1 Michigan, No. 8 Minnesota, No. 10 Michigan State, No.
16 Ohio State, and No. 20 Illinois. The Hawkeyes, who are ranked 13th, was
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 secondteam
WCGA All-America honoree on floor after posting a 9.944 national
qualifying score during the regular season.
• The first-team All-Big Ten selection tied the Iowa school record during a trimeet
against Minnesota and Maryland on Feb. 13 with a score of 9.975. She
received a 10.00 from one judge to tie the record last set in 2004.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Seven Hawkeyes are in the Iowa record books for the 2022 season. They are
as follows:
• JerQuavia Henderson – t1st – 9.975 – Floor
• Lauren Guerin – t1st -9.975 – Floor
• Adeline Kenlin -t1st- 9.975- Beam
• Clair Kaji – t3rd – 9.950 – Beam
• Lauren Guerin – t4th – 9.950 – Floor
• JerQuavia Henderson – t4th – 9.950 – Floor
• Allyson Steffensmeier – t6th – 9.925 – Uneven Bars
• Clair Kaji – t6th – 9.925 – Uneven Bars
• JerQuavia Henderson – t6th – 9.925 – Uneven Bars
• Marissa Rojas – t8 – 9.925 – Beam
• Lauren Guerin – t9th – 9.925 – Vault
• JerQuavia Henderson -t9th- 9.925- Vault
• Lauren Guerin – t12- 9.925 – Floor
• Clair Kaji – t12 – 9.925 – Floor
• Alex Greenwald – t12 – 9.925 – Floor
• Alex Greenwald – t15 – 9.900 – Uneven Bars
• Adeline Kenlin – t15th – 9.900 – Uneven Bars
• Adeline Kenlin – t17 – 39.500 – All-Around
KAJI X 6
Senior Clair Kaji returns for her sixth season with the Gymhawks after
earning first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2021. It was Kaji’s third All-Big Ten
recognition as she was the first Hawkeye since Houry Gebeshian to earn
three All-Big Ten honors. Kaji is the ninth Iowa gymnast to earn multiple
first-team honors.
HAYDEN JOINS IOWA COACHING STAFF
Quest Hayden is in his first season as an assistant coach, joining the Hawkeyes
following stints at North Carolina, Michigan and Penn State. Hadyen was
a member of the United States’ 2013 Junior National Team and he competed
collegiately at Penn State from 2015-18.
20 & COUNTING
Head coach Larissa Libby has led the GymHawks to 20 straight NCAA
Regional appearances (either as a team or individually). The 2022 season is
Libby’s 18th as Iowa’s head coach and 21st overall with the program. She is
a three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year.
FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES
For a behind the scenes look at the program, follow the GymHawks via
social media at Facebook/IowaGymnastics, Twitter/@IowaGymnastics, and
Instagram (@IowaGymnastics).
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will travel to Ames, Iowa, for the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series
matchup against No. 21 Iowa State on March 4 . The meet is set to start at
6:30 p.m. (CT) and it will be streamed on ESPN+.