Iowa freshman gymnast Matt McGrath was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Tuesday following his performance against Illinois-Chicago on Feb. 6 in Chicago.

McGrath helped the No. 7 Iowa men’s gymnastics team defeat No. 16 Illinois-Chicago, 340.200-331.050. He scored two first-place finishes, tallying the highest score during the still rings (14.650) and vault (15.550) competitions.

The Wheaton, Ill., native also finished second in the floor exercise (14.600) and fifth on parallel bars (13.800).

On Feb. 20, the Hawkeyes will venture to Oakland, Calif., to compete in the Pacific Coast Classic, scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.

— by Ryan Young