By Jess Westendorf
The postseason has now begun for the No. 8 Iowa men’s gymnastics team as it prepares to face the best of the Big Ten on Friday and Saturday in Champaign, Illinois, at the Big Ten Championship.“There is nothing different about this meet,” junior Dylan Ellsworth said in a release. “There are more people there, but it’s also a better way to show off and do well. If anything, it’s a time for us to do better by staying calm and showing everyone else that we’re not to be messed with.”
Competition will start at 7 p.m. at the State Farm Center with teams competing in all events. Event finalists will advance to the finals round on Saturday.
Iowa will try to bounce back after a tough loss to No. 6 Penn State, which ended the regular season, as well as show the Big Ten that an underdog can rise to the occasion.
The Nittany Lions took Iowa’s final chance to put a meet in the win column, 420.400-414.00. The Hawkeyes might not have won the overall competition, but three gymnasts took home titles.
Senior Andrew Botto, who has been stellar for Iowa all season, took home the all-around title with a score of 80.850, his third time taking the all-around title this season.
He has also taken second place five times in the all-around.
Freshman Andrew Herrador took first on floor with a season-best score of 14.400, and senior Cory Paterson won the title on high bar with a 14.050.
The Big Ten has been dominant this season, with seven of its teams in the top 10. Iowa is ranked sixth among the seven teams.
So the Hawkeyes walk into the Big Ten Championships as an underdog. This season, the Hawkeyes faced six teams from the conference — No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Illinois, No. 5 Minnesota, No. 6 Penn State, No. 7 Nebraska, and No. 9 Michigan.
Iowa ended the regular season 2-8 in the Big Ten, defeating only Nebraska and Penn State one out of the two times Iowa faced each.
The Hawkeyes will look to seniors Botto and Paterson for the leadership as well as keeping the team in the right mindset.
It is no surprise that Botto is the go-to guy in this situation. He has done great things for Iowa this season, including standing on the podium eight times to claim either the runner-up or first place in the all-around.
“I’m looking to Botto and Paterson for leadership,” head coach JD Reive said in a release. “They need to come in and do their job, but they need to stay engaged with the group and lead by example. Lead verbally, lead with body language, and keep everyone focused on what Iowa is doing and now what everybody else is doing.”