By Jess Westendorf
Another road test is on the docket for the No. 22 Iowa women’s gymnastics team, as it heads to No. 20 Nebraska on Feb. 5 for a big-time Big Ten showdown.
“Nebraska is a Big Ten powerhouse with a tradition of winning,” Iowa head coach Larissa Libby said in a release. “They joined the conference in 2011 and have won the conference twice since then. It’s stressful but exciting, competing against them. You’ve got to be prepared, but I know that we are ready.’
The GymHawks stand at 3-0 in the Big Ten, and they are more than happy to change that to 4-0. Iowa’s undefeated mark in the conference is accompanied by a 5-2 record on the season. The most recent Big Ten win for Iowa came Sunday against Maryland, 195.975-193.800. Iowa is now in second place in the Big Ten.
The Sunday’s victory had eight event titles and career-highs for three GymHawks; freshman Charlotte Sullivan, senior Angel Metcalf, and junior Melissa Zurawski recorded career-highs of 9.925 on the uneven bars. Zurawski was also awarded Co-Gymnast of the Week to honor her performance. Freshman Clair Kaji earned her third title of the season on floor with a 9.900 to tie her season best.
“Building and gaining your momentum through your teammates is what really helps me,” Kaji said. “I am gaining more confidence; the team really feels like family and they really do support me.”
Since the meet against Maryland, the GymHawks have continued to work on the little things. The team wanted to focus on eliminating any blemishes before heading to Nebraska.
Even though the Hawkeyes are undefeated in the Big Ten, nothing has changed for Libby and her squad. It is a great accomplishment, but Libby wants the GymHawks to focus ion their gymnastics.
“We made a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes last week, and we’ve spent this past week trying to fix those,” Libby said in a release.
“My hope this week is that we are a little sharper, a little crisper, and a little more effective in the game plan.”
Nebraska ranks fourth in the Big Ten at 2-1 after falling to No. 7 Michigan, 197.225-194.800. The Cornhuskers have an overall record of 4-1 and are now ranked No. 20 nationally, but the loss to No. 7 Michigan dropped the Cornhuskers eight spots from their previous ranking (No. 12). Nebraska has eight returning squad members from its 2016 NCAA nationals squad, including Big Ten championship team members Jennie Leang and Grace Williams.