MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The 20th-ranked University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team fell short to No. 17 Minnesota, 196.850-196.150, on Monday evening in Maturi Pavillion.
The GymHawks brought home three event titles and had six top-three finishes. Senior Adeline Kenlin led the way for Iowa capturing event titles on bars and the all-around. She finished with a 39.275 on the evening to take home her second all-around title in as many meets. Sophomore Karina Muñoz scored an impressive 9.900 on beam to win the event title.
Sophomore Hanna Castillo made her season debut competing on vault and floor. Freshman Eva Volpe competed in the all-around for the second straight week.
Bars
The Hawkeyes started the meet off strong with a team score of 49.025 on the uneven bars. The top-two scores on bars for the night belonged to Iowa. Kenlin provided a strong performance in the anchor position. She scored a career best, 9.900 for the sixth time. Sophomore Gianna Masella posted a career-high 9.850 to take second place on the event. Junior Ilka Juk tied for fifth with a 9.825, a new season best. Junior Marissa Rojas matched her score from last meet of a 9.700. Muñoz and Volpe rounded out the rotation posting a 9.750 and 9.150, respectively.
Vault
The GymHawks posted a 48.875 on vault, led by Muñoz who tied for second with a 9.850. Castillo made her season debut for the Hawkeyes, posting a score of 9.800 in the leadoff spot. Sophomore Avery Chambers matched Castillo by also scoring a 9.800. Freshman Alyse Karenbouer and Eva Volpe stuck season-bests of 9.650 and 9.775, respectively.
Floor
Iowa continued to fight and posted a score of 49.025 on the floor. Emily Erb, Alexa Ebling and Volpe provided strong performances to start the rotation for the Hawkeyes. In the second part of the rotation, Kenlin debuted a new floor routine tonight and posted a 9.875. Castillo tied with Kenlin for third place in the event by also scoring a 9.875. Specialist Bailey Libby delivered a solid performance with a 9.825.
Beam
Iowa finished the evening on beam with a score of 49.175. Muñoz was the spark on the beam and nailed a near-perfect routine scoring a 9.900 to win the event title. Rojas and Juk each recorded a season-best on the apparatus. Rojas tied for second on the event with a 9.875 and Juk had a 9.775. Volpe finished her all-around performance with a 9.825 to end her night. Kenlin stuck her routine and scored a 9.850. Ebeling rounded out the Hawkeyes on the beam with a 9.700.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH LARISSA LIBBY
“From my perspective, I felt like this meet felt more like our first meet of the season in comparison to last week. I am not sure with this being our first travel trip made them a little jittery. After a lot of atypical mistakes early on, I felt like the team did a great job mounting a comeback on beam. Being able to close out as well as they did bodes well for the future.
I made a tough call to change the lineup tonight and to have Hanna step in, only if needed. Hanna is a fierce competitor and she spent the beginning portion of last year learning what it would take to gain confidence and consistency. She was incredible tonight and I’m very proud of her for the level of confidence she displayed.”
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes return home to face Southern Utah on Friday in Xtream Arena. The meet is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription needed).