Erb Ties Program Record, GymHawks Top Illini

CORALVILLE, Iowa – The University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team delivered a strong performance defeating Illinois, 196.200-194.975, on Sunday afternoon inside Xtream Arena.

In a meet where the GymHawks lineup was thin, they claimed individual victories in three of the four events, highlighted by a stellar floor rotation where four gymnasts posted scores of 9.900 or higher. The GymHawks saw season-high team scores on beam and floor.

Junior Emily Erb was provided the highlight of the meet on floor, tying the program record scoring a 9.975. Junior Karina Muñoz and freshman Aurélie Tran both matched their season-best in the all-around with scores of 39.350.

VAULT
Iowa opened the meet with a solid 49.025 on vault. Sophomore Alyse Karenbauer contributed a 9.700 in her season debut on the event, leading off the rotation. Muñoz led the Hawkeyes with a 9.850, securing second place on the event. Juniors Hanna Castillo and Avery Chambers each posted 9.825s, tying for third place. Freshman Reese Wilson made her collegiate debut with a 9.775, while Tran added a 9.750.

BARS
The Hawkeyes maintained their lead after bars, scoring a 48.625. Tran led the team with a 9.825 taking home a share of the event title. Muñoz followed with a 9.775 and took third-place. Senior Adeline Kenlin made her season debut on bars, earning a 9.725. Senior Ilka Juk and junior Kaia Vanney each posted 9.650s to round out the lineup. At the halfway mark, Iowa led Illinois 97.650-97.025.

BEAM
Iowa continued to build momentum on beam, posting a season-high 49.175. Tran matched her career-high with a 9.875, tying for first-place on the event. Kenlin and junior Haley Tyson each delivered 9.850s, tying for third-place. Muñoz and freshman Cassie Lee contributed scores of 9.800, while Juk added a 9.750 to keep the Hawkeyes in control heading into the final rotation.

FLOOR
The Hawkeyes closed out the meet in dominant fashion, recording a season-best 49.375 on floor. Erb shined with a career-high 9.975 performance, securing first-place, in the anchor position. Castillo took second-place with a stunning routine scoring a career-high 9.950. Muñoz posted a career-best 9.925, tying for third-place, while Tran matched her career-high with a 9.900.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH JEN LLEWELLYN
“It was incredible to see our athletes step up and be resilient today. I couldn't be more proud of them, it was very emotional seeing what they accomplished. They came together and believed in each other, and it showed in the team score. Looking ahead, every weekend we just need to strive to be a little bit better and find consistency. We had a couple of falls here and there, so I hope that we can learn from those and keep moving forward so that we are consistent.”

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).