Notes: GymHawks Honor Seniors in Cy-Hawk Matchup

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa gymnastics team will host Iowa State for the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series in Iowa City on Friday, March 7. Action at Carver-Hawkeye Arena will begin at 6:30 p.m. Iowa will honor its seniors in a post-meet ceremony. The seniors that will be recognized include Alexa Ebeling, Ilka Juk, Adeline Kenlin, Marissa Rojas and Haley Tyson.
• Tickets are available for $14 (adults) and $8 (youth).

FOLLOW LIVE
• The meet will be broadcasted on B1G+ (subscription required).
• Fans can follow along via live results at hawkeyesports.com or via X (@IowaGymnastics).

LAST TIME OUT
• Iowa finished second at the Big Four Meet with a 196.125, falling short to No. 7 Michigan State and defeating Washington and No. 25 Penn State.
• Karina Muñoz led the way for the Hawkeyes, securing a first-place finish in the all-around scoring 39.225, followed by freshman Aurélie Tran scoring 39.200 to clinch second-place.
• The GymHawks posted a season-best team score of 49.175 on bars.
• Emily Erb tied for first place on floor with a 9.900, and Sydney Turner delivered an impressive 9.900 on bars to tie for third overall.
• The Hawkeyes finished the Big Ten regular season with a 5-4 record, finishing fifth overall. Improving from a 2-7 record in 2024 and where the GymHawks finished ninth.

PREVIEWING IOWA STATE
• Iowa State holds a 5-9 overall record and is 1-5 in Big 12 competition.
• First-year Head Coach Ashley Miles Greig is at the helm of the Cyclones.
• Vault is Iowa State’s strongest event, with the team ranked No. 29 nationally.
• Freshman Haylee Hardin has been dominant, earning Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors three consecutive times and posting four scores of 9.9 or higher this season.
• Sophomore Noelle Adams and senior Josie Bergstrom-Te Slaa continue to lead the team, both earning spots on the Big 12 Preseason Gymnastics Team.

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). In the Big Ten, Tran ranks eighth in the all-around, 13th on bars and 25th on beam.
• 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 five top-three finishes on bars posting a season-high 9.925 against Rutgers.

HAWKEYES IN THE RANKINGS
• Junior Karina Muñoz ranks 28rd nationally and ninth in the Big Ten on vault with and National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 9.865. 
• Junior Emily Erb ranks ninth in the Big Ten on floor with an NQS of 9.890, while junior Hanna Castillo ranks 19th in the Big Ten on floor with an NQS of 9.870.
• Fifth-year Adeline Kenlin ranks 17th in the conference on the beam with an NQS of 9.850.
• Freshman phenom Aurélie Tran ranks in the top-25 on three events in the Big Ten with an NQS of 9.835 on beam (25th), 9.860 on bars (13th) and 39.310in the all-around (9th).

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 GymHawks travel to Minneapolis, Minnesota, for the Minnesota Quad Meet on Sunday, March 16 to face Minnesota, Centenary, and LIU. Action at Maturi Pavilion will begin at 2:00 p.m. CT and will be streamed live on B1G+ (subscription required).