Notes: No. 24 Hawkeyes Travel to No. 18 Golden Gophers

THIS WEEK
The No. 24 University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team travels to Minneapolis to face No. 18 Minnesota on Saturday, Jan. 31. Action inside Maturi Pavilion begins at 4 p.m. (CT).

FOLLOW LIVE

• The meet with be streamed on B1G+.
• Fans can follow along via live results at hawkeyesports.com or via X (@IowaGymnastics). 

LAST TIME OUT

• The GymHawks fell to No. 10 Michigan, 196.775-195.600.
• The Hawkeyes set a season-high on floor with a 49.100.
• Sophomore Aurélie Tran secured the bars title with a 9.925.
• Freshman Sophie Schriever and Tran shared first place in the all-around.
• Sophomore Sydney Turner earned a share of second place on beam with a career-high 9.875.
• The GymHawks posted or matched season bests on eight routines.

IN THE RANKINGS

• Iowa enters week five of the season as the 24th-ranked team in the nation, ranking No. 14 on vault and No. 17 on bars. 
• Aurélie Tran ranks 11th nationally and fourth in the Big Ten on bars, with an average of 9.900. Tran also ranks fourth in the Big Ten on vault.
• Sophie Schriever ranks 25th nationally and fourth in the Big Ten in the all around, following her career high 39.275.

SCOUTING MINNESOTA

•  The Golden Gophers enter the meet with a 3-2 overall record and a 1-1 in Big Ten competition.
• Minnesota is ranked No. 18 nationally. The team ranks 13th on vault, 16th on floor, 21st on bars and 18th in the all-around.
• Iowa already faced Minnesota in the first week of the season, placing third with a score of 194.825-195.475.
• Entering Week 5, freshman Lacie Saltzmann was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after securing a 9.9 score and an event title against Nebraska.
• Head Coach Jenny Hansen was named North Central Region Coach of the Year.

Q’ S COMEBACK

• JerQuavia Henderson returned to the lineup after two years, competing in the all-around in every meet this season.
• Against Michigan State, Henderson won titles on beam (9.825) and in the all-around (39.375) while placing second on floor (9.900) and vault (9.850).
• In week one, Henderson tied for second on floor with a (9.875) and shared third in the all-around (39.125) at Utah tri-meet.
• Henderson was named a Big Ten Gymnast to Watch.

O’ CANADA!

• The Hawkeyes have three Canadians on the roster for 2026, including three 2024 Olympians in sophomore Cassie Lee, Aurélie Tran and Sydney Turner.

• Against Michigan State, Tran won two titles on bars (9.925) and vault (9.875), while Turner shared the beam title (9.825).

• In the Border Battle, Tran and Turner won individual titles on vault (9.850) and on floor with a  9.925, respectivley. Tran also placed second on floor (9.875), beam (9.825) and in the all-around (39.450).
• Turner was named a Big Ten Gymnast to Watch.
• Tran earned first team all-Big Ten and all-freshman honors after competing in every meet last season.

THE LLEWELLYN ERA

• Jen Llewellyn is heading into her second season as head coach for the GymHawks after bringing success immediately to the program.
• After being picked to finish 10th in the Preseason Poll, the GymHawks took fifth in the regular season and at Big Ten Championships.

• The GymHawks broke 197.00 for the first time since 2021 against Iowa State, posting a 197.025, the fourth-highest score in program history. In the same meet, Iowa scored a 49.425 on beam, tying the program’s second- highest score in history for the event.

• Following their first season assistant coaches Craig Ballard, Brenna Brooks and Kyle Grable were named Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association WCGA Assistant Coaches of the Year for the North Central Region.
• 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. 

NEW FACES ON THE MAT

• The Hawkeyes have welcomed four newcomers to the team, all freshmen.
• The freshman class includes Oklahoma native Maggie Ball, Nevada native Daisy Bowles, Arizona native Stella DePaola and Utah native Sophie Schriever.
• Ball is the daughter of Oklahoma head coach K.J. Kindler and associate head coach Lou Ball.

FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES
For a behind the scenes look at the program, follow the GymHawks via social media at Facebook/IowaGymnastics, X/@IowaGymnastics, and Instagram (@IowaGymnastics).

UP NEXT
The nationally ranked Hawkeyes will return home on Feb. 7 to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers.  Action inside of Carver-Hawkeye Arena will begin at 4 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required).