Notes: GymHawks Set for Zou to the Lou Quad, Return Home to Host Illinois

THIS WEEK
The Hawkeyes will travel to St. Charles, Missouri to compete against Missouri, Alabama, and Illinois in the Zou to the Lou meet on Friday, Feb. 14 at 6:30 p.m. in the Family Arena. Then, the GymHawks will return home to host Illionis in Coralville, Iowa on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m. CT at Xtream Arena.

FOLLOW LIVE
• The Zou to the Lou Quad Meet will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).

• The Illinois meet will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required).

• Fans can follow along via live results at hawkeyesports.com or via X (@IowaGymnastics).

LAST TIME OUT
• The GymHawks claimed a dominant, 195.975-194.450, Big Ten victory over Rutgers.

• The Hawkeyes took first place in every event and secured the top-three spots on vault.

• Junior Karina Muñoz secured event titles on vault, beam, floor and the all-around.

• Muñoz made her season debut in the all-around scoring 39.350 to take first, followed by freshman Aurélie Tran who scored a total of 39.250 to take second place in the all-around.

• Freshman Sydney Turner picked up her first event title of the season on bars scoring a season-high 9.925.

PREVIEWING MISSOURI AND ALABAMA
• Missouri is 7-3, 1-2 in SEC competition. Alabama is 1-4, 0-4 in SEC competition.

• Missouri’s Head Coach Shannon Welker is in his 12th season leading the Tigers, and Ashley Johnston is in her third year as the Tide’s head coach.

• Missouri enters the new week ranked No. 9. The Tigers are ranked 14th on vault, 6th on bars, 13th on beam, and 6th on floor nationally.

• Alabama enters the new week ranked No. 14. The Crimson Tide is ranked 9th on vault, 10th on bars, 18th on beam, and 14th on floor nationally.

PREVIEWING ILLINOIS
• Illinois is 4-4, 2-2 in Big Ten.

• Head Coach Nadalie Walsh is in her eighth season leading the Illini.

• Freshman Chloe Cho has had an impressive season thus far, securing three Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. In the Big Ten, she ranks 18th on vault, eighth on beam and ninth in the all-around. 

• The Illini rank 20th on vault and floor nationally. In the Big Ten, they rank sixth on vault, eighth on bars and sixth on floor.

O CANADA!
• The Hawkeyes have four Canadians on the roster for 2025, including three 2024 Olympians in Cassie Lee, Aurélie Tran and Sydney Turner.

• Tran has earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors twice this season (1/14 and 1/28). Tran currently ranks 28th nationally in the all-around with an average of 39.290. In the Big Ten she ranks in the top 20 on bars, beam and the all-around.

• Senior Ilka Juk won the title on beam scoring a 9.850 in the anchor position at Iowa State.

• Lee has two top-three finishes on beam this season winning the a share of the event title at Nebraska scoring a 9.875.

• Turner has three top-three finishes on bars posting a season-high 9.825 at Nebraska.

A NEW ERA OF IOWA GYMNASTICS
• Jen Llewellyn was named the fifth head coach in program history on June 6, 2024. 

• Coach Llewellyn came to Iowa with 13 years of head coaching experience including multiple postseason appearances.

• Along with a new head coach, the Hawkeyes have a brand new staff that includes Craig Ballard, Brenna Brooks and Kyle Grable.

• Ballard spent the last 13 seasons on staff at Kent State University. Brooks was a student-athlete under Llewellyn at Washington and was an assistant coach in 2024. Grable was on staff at UCLA the past three seasons and was a successful club coach for 15 years prior to that.

• The GymHawks have made 24 consecutive NCAA Regional appearances (as a team or individuals) and the expectation does not change with the new staff.

STRONG RETURNING CORE
• The Hawkeyes boast a roster full of returners including 2024 NCAA Regional qualifiers Emily Erb, Ilka Juk and Karina Muñoz.

• Erb was a qualifier on floor with an NQS of 9.895. As a sophomore she had three top-three finishes with a season high of 9.950. 

• Juk qualifed for regionals on beam for the second time in her career with a NQS of 9.900 and a season-high of 9.925. She was also a second team all-Big Ten honoree.

• Muñoz was an all-Big Ten first team selection after competing in the all-around in six meets. She had an NQS 39.470. She won 14 event titles and posted 30 top-three finishes in 2024. She competed in the all-around in six meets and took home three titles. She posted 11 scores of a 9.900 or higher.

•Eva Volpe returns for her sophomore season after a strong collegiate debut where she was named Big Ten Freshmen of the Week three times.

IN THE RECORD BOOKS
• Six Hawkeyes are in the Iowa record books. They are as follows:

• JerQuavia Henderson - T-9th - 9.925 - Vault

• Karina Muñoz – T-2nd – 9.950 – Uneven Bars

• JerQuavia Henderson - T-7th - 9.925 - Uneven Bars

• Sydney Turner - T-7th - 9.925 - Uneven Bars

• Adeline Kenlin -T-1st- 9.975- Beam

• Adeline Kenlin -T-3rd- 9.950- Beam

• Marissa Rojas – T-9th – 9.925 – Beam

• Karina Muñoz – T-9th – 9.925 – Beam

• Ilka Juk - T-9th- 9.925 - Beam

• Adeline Kenlin– T-9th – 9.925 – Beam

• JerQuavia Henderson – T-9th – 9.925 – Beam

• JerQuavia Henderson – T-1st– 9.975 – Floor

• JerQuavia Henderson – T-4th– 9.950 – Floor

• Emily Erb - T-4th - 9.950 - Floor

• Adeline Kenlin - T-15th - 9.925 - Floor

• Karina Muñoz – T-8th – 39.575 – All-Around

• Adeline Kenlin – T-8th – 39.575– All-Around

NEW FACES ON THE MAT
• The Hawkeyes have welcomed four newcomers to the team, all freshmen.

• The freshmen class includes Iowa native, Reese Wilson and Canadians Cassie Lee, Aurélie Tran and Sydney Turner. 

• Lee and Tran both represented Team Canada at the 2024 Paris Olympics where they finished fifth in the team competition. Turner traveled with the team as an alternate.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will travel to College Park, Maryland, to face the Terrapins on Friday, February 21. Action at XFINITY Center will begin at 6:00 p.m. CT and will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required).