Notes: GymHawks Head East to Take on Maryland

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team 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.

FOLLOW LIVE
• The meet with 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 posted a team score of 195.000 at the Zou to the Lou quad meet, finishing fourth overall and falling to tough competition; No. 9 Missouri (197.150), No. 14 Alabama (196.675), and No. 26 Illinois (196.225).
• The Hawkeyes delivered a strong performance defeating Illinois, 196.200-194.975.
• 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.
• Tran took a share of the event titles on bars and beam. On beam she matched her season-high scoring 9.875
• The GymHawks scored a season-best 49.375 on floor, where four of the five athletes scored a 9.900 or higher.
• After her stellar floor performance, Erb was been named the Big Ten Co-Specialist of the Week, her first of the season and her career.

PREVIEWING MARYLAND
• Maryland is 6-5, 2-3 in Big Ten.
• Head Coach Brett Nelligan is in his 16th season leading the Terrapins.
• The GymTerps enter the week ranked No. 33 nationally. Maryland also places themselves at No. 27 on floor.
• Maryland had a strong vault performance in its recent win at Washington, posting a season-high event score of 49.125 and highlighted by sophomore Natalie Martin’s impressive 9.925.
• Gradute Alexa Rothenbuescher earned a career high on beam in the Terrapins meet against Nebraska, earning a career-high 9.900.
• Senior Sierra Kondo reached a career high of 9.950 on uneven bars at the Terrapins home opener against a ranked UCLA.

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 20th nationally in the all-around with an National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 39.310. In the Big Ten she ranks in the top 25 on bars, beam, floor and the all-around.
• Senior Ilka Juk has three top-three finishes across bars and beam this season with one beam title.
• Lee has three top-three finishes on beam this season winning the a share of the event title at Nebraska scoring a 9.875. She set a season-high at the Zou to the Lou meet scoring a 9.900.
• Turner has four top-three finishes on bars posting a season-high 9.925 against Rutgers.

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-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
• Emily Erb - T-1st - 9.975 - Floor
• JerQuavia Henderson – T-6th– 9.950 – Floor
• Emily Erb - T-6th - 9.950 - 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 return home to Coralville, Iowa to host Michigan State, Penn State, and Washington in the Big Four Meet on Sunday, March 2nd. Action at Xtream Arena will begin at 6:00 p.m. CT and will be streamed on Big Ten Network.