No. 10 Iowa Wins Border Battle Quad Meet

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The 10th-ranked University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team took first place, posting a 196.000 to win the home opener quad-meet at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Illinois finished second with a 194.950, followed by No. 15 Iowa State (193.400) and Illinois State (191.900). The Hawkeyes led from start to finish, taking team titles on vault, bars, and floor exercise in front of 1,724 fans.

Iowa posted a season-high 49.275 on bars, the team’s highest event score of the meet. The Hawkeyes were led by impressive 9.900s from sophomore Aurélie Tran and freshman Daisy Bowles.

Two Hawkeyes earned individual event titles: Tran on vault (9.850) and sophomore Sydney Turner on floor with a career-best 9.925. Tran also placed second on floor (9.875), beam (9.825) and in the all-around (39.450).

VAULT
Iowa opened the meet with a 49.000 to take the lead in the first rotation. Tran led the Hawkeyes with a 9.850, followed by matching 9.800s from Turner and fifth-year JerQuavia Henderson. Senior Hanna Castillo and freshman Sophie Schriever added matching scores of 9.775.

BARS
The momentum continued in the second rotation as Iowa widened its lead with a 49.275 on uneven bars. Bowles and Tran paced the Hawkeyes, recording the team's first 9.900s of the season. Schriever contributed a 9.850, while Henderson matched her career high with a 9.825. Turner added a 9.800.

BEAM
In the third rotation, the Hawkeyes posted a 48.700 to bring their three-event total to 146.975. The Illini trailed closely with a 146.160. Tran led Iowa on her third event of the day with a 9.825, while junior Eva Volpe, freshman Maggie Ball, and Turner added matching scores of 9.700.

FLOOR
The Hawkeyes closed the meet with a 49.025 on floor exercise. Turner led the rotation with a 9.925, followed by Tran with a 9.875.  Erb contributed a 9.775, while Henderson posted a 9.750. Schriever and Castillo rounded out the scoring with matching 9.700s.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH JEN LLEWELLYN
"I think our athletes really settled into their routines; they looked a little more loose and confident and had fun. We dialed in on the details and got a lot more landings, which I was really pleased about. With the depth we have this season, we’ve been playing with lineups just to get the best team score that we can, so it was nice to see some new faces in the mix. I’m just really proud of their performance, and to get a home win in the season opener was awesome"

UP NEXT
The nationally ranked Hawkeyes will host Michigan State on Jan. 17. Action inside of Carver-Hawkeye Arena will begin at 4 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required). Tickets are available for $15 (adults) and free (youth).