THIS WEEK
The 16th-ranked University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team travels to Lincoln, Nebraska to face No. 39 . Nebraska on Monday, Feb. 6. The meet is set to start at 8 p.m. (CT) inside the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
FOLLOW LIVE
- Fans can follow along via live results at hawkeyesports.com or via Twitter (@IowaGymnastics).
- The meet will be streamed on the Big Ten Network
HEADLINES
- The Hawkeyes are ranked 16th nationally after scoring a 196.875 against No 18 Minnesota on Friday, Jan. 27. Iowa is one of six Big Ten teams in the top 25.
- Iowa is ranked in the top 25 in all four events as a team: No. 11 on vault, No. 21 on bars, No. 19 on beam and tied for eighth on floor.
- Three GymHawks are individually ranked in this week’s Road to Nationals Rankings. Linda Zivat is tied for ninth on vault with an average score of 9.913. JerQuavia Henderson is tied for 14th on floor with an average score of 9.913, and Adeline Kenlin is tied for 17th with an average score of 9.912.
- Four GymHawks are individually ranked in the Big Ten Conference. Linda Zivat is ranked third on vault. JerQuavia Henderson is tied for eigth on vault and tied for fifth on floor. Adeline Kenlin is ranked eigth on bars, seventh on beam, and seventh on floor. Aubrey Nick is ranked eigth on beam.
LAST TIME OUT…
- The GymHawks’ 196.875 against No. 18 Minnesota is the seventh-best score in program history, with six gymnasts setting or matching career highs.
- The Hawkeyes tied for first place in all four events against No. 18 Minnesota, with Adeline Kenlin placing in the top three overall on bars, beam, and floor. The Iowa City native scored a 9.900 on beam to tie her season-high and tie for first. She posted a 9.875 on bars to set a new season-high and tie for first, and tied her career-high, 9.925, on floor for the second week in a row to place third overall. JerQuavia Henderson scored a 9.975 on floor for the fourth time in her career to tie for first place, and Linda Zivat set a new career-high after scoring a 9.975 on vault to take first place overall and tie for third place in program history.
- Iowa set a new season-high on vault after scoring a 49.375 to tie for fifth-best in program history. Three Hawkeyes tied or set career highs, and one gymnast set a new season high. Zivat posted a career-high 9.975, and Allison Zuhlke tied her career-high, 9.875. Freshman Karina Muñoz scored a 9.850 to tie her career-high and Kendall LaPlante set a new season-high after posting a 9.825.
ZITAT EARNS Big TEN TRI-SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK
Senior Linda Zivat was named the Big Ten Tri-Specialst of the Week on February 1. The Manhattan, Illinois native earned the distinction after posting a 9.975 on vault to earn a new career-high and take first place against No. 18 Minnesota on Jan. 27. The score is tied for the second-best in program history.
- The honor is Zivat’s first of the season and the first of her career.
- This marked her third 9.900 or higher on vault. She is ranked third overall in the conference and tied for ninth nationally on the event with an average score of 9.913.
KENLIN NAMED TRI-BIG TEN GYMNAST OF THE WEEK
Junior Adeline Kenlin was named the Big Ten Gymnast of the Week on January 24. The Iowa City, Iowa, native earned the distinction after posting at least a 9.850 or higher on each of her three events when competing in Columbus, Ohio, against No. 10 Ohio State on Sunday.
- The honor is Kenlin’s first of the season and the fifth of her career. She is the first Hawkeye to be named Gymnast of the Week since 2017 (Melissa Zurawski).
- The junior earned a career-high 9.925 on floor, earning second place. This marks her third straight week going 9.900 or higher on the event. She ranks sixth in the conference and 17th nationally on the event with an average score of 9.908.
- Kenlin is the first Hawkeye to earn Big Ten weekly honors this season. She was a four-time Freshman of the Week selection in 2021.
MUÑOZ MAKES EVENT DEBUTS
Freshman Karina Muñoz made her collegiate debut on bars and floor, while setting three new career highs to help the GymHawks earn a new season-high team score at the Wasatch Classic on Jan. 14.
- She posted a 9.875 in her collegiate bars debut to secure the highest score for the Hawkeyes in the opening rotation and tie for fourth place.
- Made her collegiate floor debut and scored a 9.875 on floor to tie for ninth place overall and set a new career high to help the Hawkeyes tie for the sixth-best team floor score in program history.
- Muñoz tied for sixth place overall on vault after scoring a 9.850 to set a new career high.
HENDERSON AND KENLIN NAMED BIG TEN GYMNASTS TO WATCH
- JerQuavia Henderson and junior Adeline Kenlin were named Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch.
- Henderson won 12 event titles and posted 27 top-three finishes in 2022. The two-time All-American tied the school record on floor, scoring a 9.975 a season ago. The Peoria, Illinois native was WGCA Second-Team All-American on floor and First Team All-Big Ten selection.
- Kenlin is coming off a record-setting 2022 season and is a two-time All-American. The Iowa City native was NCAA runner-up on beam in 2022 after scoring a 9.950, the highest finish by a Hawkeye in program history. She was a second-team All-Big Ten selection and Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
KENLIN MAKES HISTORY
- Junior Adeline Kenlin finished as the NCAA runner-up on beam after scoring a 9.950 while competing as an individual at the 2022 NCAA Championships. The Iowa City, Iowa, native’s finish is the highest by a Hawkeye all-time and the score is the highest beam score by a Hawkeye at the NCAA meet in program history.
- Kenlin earned first-team All-America honors at the NCAA Championships, becoming the sixth such All-American in program history. She is the second Hawkeye to earn All-America distinction on the beam.
- Kenlin was the first Hawkeye since 2017 to advance to the NCAA Championships and the 11th Iowa gymnast all-time.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Six Hawkeyes are in the Iowa record books. They are as follows:
- JerQuavia Henderson – t1st – 9.975 – Floor
- Adeline Kenlin -t1st- 9.975- Beam
- JerQuavia Henderson – t4th – 9.950 – Floor
- JerQuavia Henderson – t6th – 9.925 – Uneven Bars
- Marissa Rojas – t8 – 9.925 – Beam
- Aubrey Nick – t10 – 9.900 – Beam
- Linda Zivat – t3th – 9.975 – Vault
- Linda Zivat – t9th – 9.925 – Vault
- JerQuavia Henderson -t9th- 9.925- Vault
- Adeline Kenlin – t15th – 9.900 – Uneven Bars
- Kendall LaPlante- t15th – 9.900 – Uneven Bars
- Adeline Kenlin – t17 – 39.500 – All-Around
22 & COUNTING
Head coach Larissa Libby has led the GymHawks to 22 straight NCAA Regional appearances (either as a team or individually). The 2023 season is Libby’s 19th as Iowa’s head coach and 22nd 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).
LOOKING AHEAD
The Hawkeyes will return to action on Feb. 11, hosting No. 13 Michigan State inside the Xtream Arena in Coralville. The meet is set to start at 5:00 p.m. (CT) and will be aired on B1G+ (subscription needed). Fans are encouraged to wear black.