Stirtz, Tran Named January Student-Athletes of the Month

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa student-athletes Bennett Stirtz (men’s basketball) and Aurélie Tran (women’s gymnastics) have been named January’s Student-Athletes of the Month, the Iowa Student-Athlete Advisory Committee announced on Thursday.

Stirtz, a senior from Liberty, Missouri, led the Hawkeyes to a 4-3 record in January and averaged 20.9 points, 4.1 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and one steal per game. He shot 44.8 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from three-point range, and 86 percent from the free throw line. Stirtz scored 20 or more points in five of seven games and recorded at least five assists in four contests. His top performances included a 27-point outing with five assists, four rebounds, and two steals in Iowa’s win over UCLA, and 27 points on 7-of-13 shooting at Indiana, where he also added five assists in the Hawkeyes’ victory. He sealed a one-point triumph over USC by knocking down two free throws with 4.6 seconds remaining, while also picking up 20 points, three steals and three rebounds in the contest. He scored 21 points, all of which came in the second half, at Minnesota. Stirtz earned Sporting News Midseason All-American honors and was named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25.

Tran, a sophomore from Repentigny, Quebec, Canada, delivered a dominant January, leading the Hawkeyes with a season-high seven event titles across all five meets. She won or shared two titles each on bars, vault, and the all-around, along with one on beam. Tran competed in the all-around in every January meet, posting a season-high score of 39.450. Nationally, Tran ranks 14th on bars with a 9.900 average and sits fourth in the Big Ten on the event. She also holds conference rankings of seventh in the all-around and eighth on vault. During the month, Tran tied career-best scores on beam (9.900 at Minnesota) and vault (9.875 vs. Michigan State). 

The Hawkeyes return to action at home this weekend, with gymnastics hosting Nebraska on Saturday and the men’s basketball team facing Northwestern on Sunday.