Erb, Johnson Named February Student-Athletes of the Month

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa student-athletes Emily Erb (women’s gymnastics) and Ryan Johnson (men’s track and field) were named February’s Student-Athletes of the Month, the Iowa Student-Athlete Advisory Committee announced on Thursday.

Erb, a junior from Flemington, New Jersey, helped lead the Hawkeyes to an impressive month of competition. She competed on floor exercise at all five meets during the month, scoring 9.825 or higher four times. At the Zou to the Lou Quad Meet, Erb matched her career high with a score of 9.925. Erb tied the program record on floor against Illinois scoring a 9.975, receiving a perfect 10 from one of the two judges. Following her performance, Erb was named Big Ten Co-Specialist of the Week. She currently ranks No. 20 in the conference on floor.

Johnson, a sophomore from Springboro, Ohio, has had a dominant debut season as a Hawkeye.  At the Iowa State Classic, Johnson surpassed his previous school record in the weight throw, hitting two marks over 24 meters. He recorded throws of 24.13 and 24.15 meters to claim the weight throw title. At the Robinson Family Open, Johnson again shattered his own record with a throw of 24.59 meters, which was the second-farthest in NCAA Division I at the time. Johnson, who currently ranks third in the nation, also made history as Iowa’s first-ever men’s weight throw Big Ten Champion with his throw of 24.38 meters. He will be competing at the NCAA Indoor Championships next week.