Notes: GymHawks Set to Host Big 4 Meet

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team will return home to Coralville, Iowa to host Michigan State, Penn State, and Washington in the Big Four Meet on Sunday. Action at Xtream Arena will begin at 6 p.m. (CT).
• Tickets are available for $14 (adults) and $8 (youth).

FOLLOW LIVE
• The meet will be broadcasted on Big Ten Network with Conor Onion (PxP) and Janay Honest (analyst) on the call.
• Fans can follow along via live results at hawkeyesports.com or via X (@IowaGymnastics).

LAST TIME OUT
• Iowa fell short at Maryland, 195.750-194.725.
• The GymHawks secured five top-three finishes on the night, highlighted by junior Karina Muñoz winning the all-around title with a 39.325.
• Freshman Aurélie Tran finished third in the all-around with a 38.100 and took home the event title on bars, posting a 9.850.
• Muñoz and fifth-year senior Adeline Kenlin set season-highs, 9.875, on beam to tie for second place on the event.

PREVIEWING MICHIGAN STATE, PENN STATE, AND WASHINGTON
• No. 7 Michigan State holds an 8-2 overall record and is 5-1 in Big Ten competition.
• Head Coach Mike Rowe is in his eighth season at the helm of the Spartans and 11th season overall on the Spartan coaching staff at his alma mater.
• Entering the week ranked seventh nationally, Michigan State is among the top 15 in all four events, including No. 3 on vault, No. 9 on bars, No. 15 on beam, and No. 12 on floor.
• No. 25 Penn State stands at 9-3 overall with a 4-2 record in Big Ten competition.
• Head Coach Sarah Brown is in her 8th year leading the Nittany Lions.
• Penn State enters the week ranked No. 25 nationally, with its strongest event being beam, ranked 20th.
• The Huskies are also 9-3 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten competition.
• Head Coach Jessa Hansen Parker is in her first season guiding the Huskies after spending seasons on staff at Iowa where she was a student-athelte from 2008-12.

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 27th 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.

HAWKEYES IN THE RANKINGS
• Junior Karina Muñoz ranks 23rd nationally and seventh in the Big Ten on vault with and NQS of 9.865.
• Junior Hanna Castillo ranks 16th in the Big Ten on floor with an NQS of 9.870, while Emily Erb ranks 20th with an NQS of 9.865.
• Senior Haley Tyson ranks 26th in the conference on beam with and NQS of 9.815

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 host Iowa State for the Iowa Corn CyHawk Meet in Iowa City, Iowa on Friday, March 7th. Action at Carver-Hawkeye Arena will begin at 6:30 p.m. CT and will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required).