THIS WEEK
The 20th-ranked University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team hosts the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series meet against Iowa State this Saturday. The competition is set to start at 5 p.m. (CT) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena and will be aired on B1G+ (subscription needed). The meet will be used to shine light on Cancer Awareness, and after the meet, the seniors will be recognized.
FOLLOW LIVE
• Fans can follow along via live results at hawkeyesports.com or via Twitter (@IowaGymnastics).
• Fans can watch live on Big Ten Plus (Subscription needed)
HEADLINES
• The Hawkeyes are ranked 20th nationally after scoring a season-high 196.925 in the first session of the Big Five Meet on Friday, Feb. 24. Iowa is one of seven Big Ten teams in the Top 25.
• Iowa is ranked in the Top 25 in three events as a team: T13th on floor (49.328 Avg.), No. 17 on vault (49.161 Avg.) and No. 18 on beam (49.065 Avg.).
• Three GymHawks are individually ranked in the top 30 in this week’s Road to Nationals Rankings. JerQuavia Henderson is tied for 13 th on floor with an average score of 9.922. Adeline Kenlin is tied for 29th on floor with an average of 9.888 and Linda Zivat is tied for 27th on vault with an average score of 9.866,
• Four GymHawks are individually ranked in the Big Ten Conference. JerQuavia Henderson is third on floor, 11th on vault, and tied for 14th on balance beam. Adeline Kenlin is ranked third on beam and tied for sixth on floor. Linda Zivat is tied for seventh on vault, and Aubrey Nick is ranked tied for 14th on beam.
• The Hawkeyes are ranked third overall in the Big Ten Conference with a, 6-2-1, record.
LAST TIME OUT…
• Iowa placed second in session one of the Big Five Meet on Feb. 24 after scoring a season-high 196.925. They finished behind No. 3 Michigan who scored a 197.100 and the team finished in front of No. 23 Illinois (196.825), No. 31 Penn State (196.100) and No. 21 Maryland (194.475).
• The Hawkeyes placed in the top three in four events, with Senior JerQuavia Henderson tying for the individual title on floor, while freshman Karina Muñoz tied for second in all-around to highlight the team’s effort individually.
• Henderson scored her fourth 9.925 of the season to tie for first on floor, and tied for third place on vault after tying her career-high, 9.900.
• Karina Muñoz tied for second place overall in all around after scoring a career-high 39.400. The freshman scored a 9.900 on vault to tie for third, and scored her second 9.900 of the day on beam.
• Gianna Masella, Allison Zuhlke, and Muñoz all posted 9.900 on vault to tie for third place and help give Iowa its second-highest vault score of the season, 49.275.
• Iowa posted a 49.325 on beam to set a new season-high.
HENDERSON EARNS EVENT SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK FOR THE SECOND TIME
• Senior JerQuavia Henderson earned Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week on Feb. 20, after performing the first Yurchenko 1.5 by a Hawkeye gymnast on vault to tie her career-high score of 9.925 and place first against Rutgers on Feb. 18.
• Henderson scored her second 9.925 of the day on floor to capture her fourth floor title and added a 9.825 on beam for sixth place.
• The honor is Henderson’s second of the season and the third of her career.
• This marked her third 9.900 or higher on vault She is ranked sixth overall in the conference with an average score of 9.875.
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.
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 March 10, traveling to Cedar City, Utah to compete against Southern Utah for their last meet before the Big Ten Championships. The meet is set to start at 7:00 p.m. (CT) and fans can follow along on Twitter (@IowaGymnastics) for live updates.