The No. 19 Iowa women’s gymnastics team will try to make some noise on Saturday, when the GymHawks will host a NCAA regional in Carver-Hawkeye.

Iowa City is one of the six regional locations, and the GymHawks are one of 36 teams nationally to qualify for competition.

Hawkeye head coach Larissa Libby loves seeing the success that her team keeps producing.

“It never gets old seeing your name come up in a bracket for the first round of the national tournament,” she said. “The idea that we are entering the national tournament is just amazing in itself. To have the girls see their name in lights is a wonderful feeling.”

While the GymHawks have just finished an intense regular season, they are ready for a much-needed boost of energy from the Hawkeye faithful.

“Right now, we are a little tired, but that’s where the hosting edge comes in,” Libby said. “It’s our home, our arena, our fans. Our crowd is what gets us up and running again. The fans at Iowa are unbelievable.”

The GymHawks will host No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 12 Nebraska, No. 13 Arkansas, No. 30 Kent State, and No. 35 Central Michigan, as well as individuals from Ball State, Western Michigan, and Centenary in the regional. Despite the tough competition, the Hawks will continue to focus on their mission.

“We know who’s coming here, but we never focus on the other teams,” senior Alie Glover said. “We’re very much a team that likes to stay in our own bubble and focus on us. We go out on the floor, focus on warmups, then we let warm-ups go and start over on every event that comes our way. That way it’s easier to deal with mistakes that may happen, stay focused, and remain on the same page.”

The Hawkeyes hope to improve from last year’s NCAA regional competition, in which they tallied 194.475 to place fifth.

Five GymHawks placed in the top 15 for individual events. Mollie Drenth posted a score of 9.825 on bars for ninth. Angel Metcalf and Johanny Sotillo both posted 9.800 to tie for 12th.

Competition will start at 4 p.m.