THIS WEEK
The 18th-ranked University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team hosts Rutgers this Saturday for their 70s/kids’ night inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The meet is set to start at 5:00 p.m. (CT) and fans are encouraged to dress for the 70s theme.
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+ (Subscription)
HEADLINES
• The Hawkeyes are ranked 18th nationally after scoring a 196.100 against No. 12 Michigan State on Saturday, Feb. 11. Iowa is one of seven Big Ten teams in the Top 25.
• Iowa is ranked in the Top 25 in two events as a team: No. 14 on vault and No. 14 on floor.
• Three GymHawks are individually ranked in this week’s Road to Nationals Rankings. Karina Muñoz is tied for sixth on beam with an average score of 9.925. Linda Zivat is tied for ninth on vault with an average score of 9.900, and JerQuavia Henderson is 11th on floor with an average score of 9.921.
• Six GymHawks are individually ranked in the Big Ten Conference. Karina Muñoz is second on beam, seventh in all around, and 15th on vault. Adeline Kenlin is ranked fifth on beam and seventh on floor. JerQuavia Henderson is fourth on floor and eighth on vault. Linda Zivat is ranked fifth on vault. Aubrey Nick is ranked 15th on beam, and Hanna Castillo is ranked 13th on floor.
LAST TIME OUT…
• The GymHawks’ battled back in the final event to earn their second conference win of the season, defeating No. 12 Michigan State, 196.100-195.725, on Saturday, Feb. 11.
• The Hawkeyes placed in the top three in all four events, with JerQuavia Henderson placing first in two. The senior took first place on floor for the third week in a row, after scoring a 9.950. She set a new season-high, 9.900, on vault to tie for first place with her teammate Linda Zivat, which is her fourth event title in a row. Adeline Kenlin captured her third beam title in a row after setting a new season-high score of 9.950.
• Freshman Hanna Castillo opened the floor lineup for the Hawkeyes and set a new career-high score, 9.925, to tie for second place overall. Iowa went on to post its second-highest score of the season to take its first lead of the meet and upset the Spartans.
HENDERSON NAMED BIG CO-EVENT SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK
• Senior JerQuavia Henderson earned Big Ten Co-Event Specialist of the Week on Feb. 8. The Peoria, Illinois native earned the distinction after scoring her second 9.925 of the season on floor to take first place overall against Nebraska on Feb. 6.
• Henderson tied for first place on vault after scoring a 9.850 and tied for fourth place overall on beam after scoring a 9.875.
• The honor is Henderson’s first of the season and the second of her career.
• This marked her third 9.900 or higher on floor. She is ranked fifth overall in the conference and tied for 17th nationally on the event with an average score of 9.913.
ALL-AROUND MUÑOZ
• Freshman Karina Muñoz made her first all-around collegiate event debut against Nebraska on Feb. 6. The New Jersey native captured three event titles and tied her career highs on vault and floor. She is the first Hawkeye to compete in the all-around event this season and placed first after scoring a 39.350.
• She tied her career high, 9.850, on vault to tie for first place with her two teammates, Linda Zivat and JerQuavia Henderson.
• A late lineup change saw Muñoz make her season debut anchoring the beam lineup where she scored a 9.925 to tie with Adeline Kenlin for first place.
• She came in second on floor after tying her career-high 9.875 to finish behind Henderson who won the overall floor title after posting a 9.925.
ZITAT EARNS BIG TEN TRI-SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK
Senior Linda Zivat was named the Big Ten Tri-specialist 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 was a four-time Freshman of the Week selection in 2021.
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.
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. 24, traveling to Lincoln, Nebraska to compete at the 2023 Women’s Gymnastics Big Five Meet. Iowa will compete in session I with Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, and Penn State. The meet is set to start at 7:00 p.m. (CT) and will be aired on B1G.
CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH
The Iowa Gymnastics program encourages fans in attendance to join them in honoring and celebrating Black History Month. Lift Every Voice and Sing will be performed prior to the National Anthem in February.