Notes: Gold Out vs. Penn State

THIS WEEK
The 20th-ranked University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team hosts No. 19 Penn State on a “Gold Out” Saturday at 5 p.m. (CT) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets are available for $15 (adults) and free (youth).

FOLLOW LIVE

• The meet will air on B1G Network with Dean Linke (play-by-play) and Olivia Karas (analyst) on the call.
• Fans can follow along via live results at hawkeyesports.com or via X (@IowaGymnastics). 

LAST TIME OUT

• The Hawkeyes picked up a B1G victory against Rutgers, 196.725-195.700.
• Iowa notched event wins on bars (49.325) and beam (49.225). The GymHawks’ bar score tied for eighth-best in program history.
•  Sophomore Aurélie Tran secured the vault title with a career-best 9.900.
• On beam, sophomore Sydney Turner matched a career-high 9.900 to earn the title.
• Turner placed second in the all-around with a personal best 39.450, followed by Tran and freshman Sophie Schriever shared third with a 39.375.

SCOUTING PENN STATE

•  Penn State enters the meet with a 4-3 overall record and 3-2 mark in Big Ten competition. 
• The Nittany Lions rank No.19 in the nation, based on their NQS score of, 196.305. Penn State ranks No. 14 on bars (49.220), No. 16 on beam (49.100) and No. 23 on vault (48.995). 
•  In their last meet, Penn State fell to No. 15 Golden Gophers and tied the school record for the fifth-highest bars score (49.375) in program history.
• The Nittany Lions have scored a 196.000 or better in every meet this season.

SERIES HISTORY

•  Saturday’s meet is the 15th meeting all-time between Iowa and Penn State, dating back to 1990.
• The Hawkeyes trail the all-time series 6-9.
• Iowa met Penn State last season at the Big Four Meet. The Hawkeyes placed second with a 196.125, while the Nittany Lions finished fourth with a 195.475. 

IN THE RANKINGS

• Iowa enters the week as the 20th-ranked team in the nation with an NQS score of 196.300.
• The Hawkeyes rank No. 15 on bars (49.175), No. 17 on vault (49.065), No. 22 on beam (40.020) and floor (49.105).
• Aurélie Tran ranks No. 10 nationally on bars (9.895) and in the all-around (39.325). Tran also ranks No. 23 on vault (9.845).
• Sydney Turner ranks No. 23 nationally in the all-around (39.160). 

REWRITING THE BOOKS

• Iowa set a program team record with a 197.225 against Nebraska.
• On bars, the Hawkeyes tied the program’s highest bars score with a 49.426 (vs. Nebraska) and tied eighth-best in program history with a 49.325 (at Rutgers).
• Aurélie Tran (2x) and Sophie Schriever tied for eighth all-time on uneven bars with 9.925.
• Against Nebraska (Feb. 7) the Hawkeyes set a new attendance record, 4,100.

O’ CANADA!

• The Hawkeyes have three Canadians on the roster for 2026, including three 2024 Olympians in sophomore Aurélie Tran, Cassie Lee, and Sydney Turner.
• Tran leads the team with 10 event titles (3x bars, 3x all-around, 3x vault, 1x beam).
• Following competing in the all-around every meet, Tran earned Iowa’s female Student-Athlete of the Month for January.
• Turner has four event titles (3x beam and 1x floor) and was tabbed a Big Ten Gymnast to Watch.

SENSATIONAL SOPHIE

• Sophie Schriever is the only freshman to compete in the all-around for the Hawkeyes, posting a career-high 39.475 (vs. Nebraska).
• The newcomer has captured four titles (2x all-around, 1x on bars and 1x beam).
• Schriever has set a new career-high in at least one event in every meet this 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.
• 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 head to Los Angeles, California for the Big Four Meet against UCLA, Ohio State and Maryland. Action inside of Pauley Pavilion begins at 9 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed on FS1.