GymHawks try to keep high scores coming
The Iowa women’s gymnastics team seeks to continue proving itself, and the men take on No. 3 Michigan this weekend.
Iowa gymnastics coach Larrisa Libby talks to Iowa gymnast Erin Castle during the floor event at a meet against Rutgers on Saturday, January 26, 2019. The Hawkeyes defeated the Scarlet Knights 194.575 to 191.675.
March 7, 2019
The GymHawks hit an all-time high score for Iowa women’s gymnastics at the Big Five Meet on Feb. 22. With a mark of 196.450, the team had much to be excited about. However, the excitement didn’t end there.
Despite falling to Iowa State on March 1, 196.275-196.250, the women’s gymnastics team validated its previous score that led it to a win at the Big Five Meet.
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“It was important for us as a whole to back that up, for what we believe we are and what everyone saw us as at the Big Five,” Iowa head coach Larissa Libby said.
Five seniors were recognized during the Cy-Hawk Series battle at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Highlights from the meet included a season-high score on vault (48.950) as well as a career-high all-around score by Charlotte Sullivan (39.200).
The team worked mainly on landings this week after simple mistakes led it to a .025 point deficit against Iowa State.
Iowa’s Alex Greenwald walks with head coach Larissa Libby during a women’s gymnastics meet between Iowa and Iowa State at Carver-Hawkeye on March 1. The Hawkeyes, celebrating Senior Night, fell to the Cyclones, 196.275-196.250.
“We’ve been trying to aim these practices at holding each other accountable for the little things,” Libby said. “It will come down to 1/10 of a point, and that could take us to being national qualifiers or not.”
After working on landings and accountability, the team will travel to Seattle next to take on No. 19 Washington and No. 64 Sacramento State on March 8.
Currently ranked at No. 10 in the Road to Nationals poll, the men’s team has held the competition high as well the past few weeks.
Beating No. 7 Nebraska, the men’s team hit a season-high overall score (406.700) March 2.
“It is really nice to be rewarded like this, where it shows that their attention to detail is showing up, and I expect this to continue long,” Iowa head coach JD Reive said in a release. “We have just been plugging away.”
The day was highlighted with an all-around career-best by Andrew Herrador (79.850) and two first-place titles by Jake Brodarzon on rings (14.050) and parallel bars (14.300).
Other golds were earned by Bennet Huang on floor (14.600) and Kevin Johnson on pommel horse (14.000).
Sophomore Addison Chung also hit numerous highs, including career-bests on pommel horse (13.300) and vault (14.450). Chung hit season-bests on rings (13.650) and high bar (12.250) as well.
“One fall could be detrimental to the next guy, and we all knew that,” Chung said in a release. “We all put our trust in each other and have all been trying to push the lineups to try to get in there, and that helps us to improve.”
The Hawkeyes hope to keep up the high scores when they take on No. 3 Michigan in Ann Arbor on March 9.
