The No. 22 Iowa women’s gymnastics team earned its third consecutive conference win, beating Maryland in Carver-Hawkeye on Sunday afternoon.
“Today was awesome,” head coach Larissa Libby said. “The conference is strong right now, so we’re really excited about that. Going undefeated in the Big Ten is a hard thing, and it is always a good feeling.”
The GymHawks secured a 3-0 Big Ten start by defeating Maryland, 195.975-193.800. The GymHawks notched eight event titles and four season bests.
The all-around was a tight race — freshman Charlotte Sullivan took first with a score of 38.775. Senior Mollie Drenth followed in second place with a 38.725, and senior Angel Metcalf finished in third with a 38.275.
On uneven bars, three Hawkeyes tied for first place while setting a season high of 49.325. Sullivan, Metcalf, and junior Melissa Zurawski tied for the top spot with a 9.925, a career-best for all three.
“I was really excited to find out that we all recorded great scores,” Metcalf said. “Any way that I can help my team is definitely a win at the end of the day.”
On vault, Iowa recorded a 48.975, with Drenth leading the Hawkeyes and recording a season-high of 9.875 for the title. Zurawski took second with a score of 9.850, and sophomore Rose Piorkowski followed in third with a 9.800.
The GymHawks recorded an event total of 48.850 on beam. Metcalf and senior Lexi Mura tied for first place with a 9.825. Senior Savannah Borman followed with a 9.750, good enough for third.
Freshman Clair Kaji posted a 9.900 for first place on floor. This is her third first place title on floor this season. Zurawski followed with a score of 9.875.
“I am just having so much fun out there,” Kaji said. “Just the experience of having my teammates around to support me is amazing. Gaining momentum throughout the season and building confidence from my team has really helped me to improve my gymnastics.”
The GymHawks will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, on Feb. 5 to take on No. 12 Nebraska at 1 p.m. It will be Iowa’s fourth Big Ten meet this season.