Iowa brings home three All-Americans in men’s gymnastics

The Iowa men’s gymnastics team returns three All-Americans after competing in the 2019 NCAA Championships in Champaign.

Jake+Brodarzon+competes+on+the+rings+during+mens+gymnastics+Iowa+vs.+Nebraska+at+Carver+Hawkeye+Arena+on+Feb.+23%2C+2018.

Katie Goodale

Jake Brodarzon competes on the rings during men’s gymnastics Iowa vs. Nebraska at Carver Hawkeye Arena on Feb. 23, 2018.

Sarah Altemeier, Sports Reporter

Last season, five Iowa gymnasts competed on the second day of the NCAA Championships. Iowa increased this number by three in 2019, sending eight Hawkeyes to Day 2.

Iowa barely missed competing on Day 2 as a team after finishing fourth during Session 2 on April 19. The Hawkeyes finished with a score of 400.390, just behind Penn State, which scored 404.287.

Jake Brodarzon and Bennet Huang scored high enough in the all-around competition on April 19 to move on to the championships. Huang finished the competition with a score of 80.365, earning a career-best with a score of 13.433 on the still rings. Brodarzon also beat his highest career score on the pommel horse, scoring a career-best 11.66.

Stewart Brown didn’t make it to the finals in the vault, the event he placed third at during the Big Ten Championships, but he was able to compete on the parallel bars on April 20 after placing seventh with a score of 13.67. Nick Merryman also competed on the bars on Day 2 after placing 13th on Day 1.

Andrew Herrador and Evan Davis moved on to compete in the finals on the high bar. On April 19, Herrador placed fifth with a score of 13.633, and Davis placed 11th behind a score of 13.433.

Mitch Mandozzi found a spot on the vault after he scored a career-high of 14.566 to place fourth in Session 2.

Addison Chung’s scored 13.800 on the still rings, which placed 15th, was high enough to move onto Day 2. Brodarzon scored 14.066 on the rings and placed sixth on Day 1.

Ryan Adams
Hawkeye gymnasts chalk up the parallel bars Friday in Carver Hawkeye Arena during the Men’s Big Ten Championships. Penn State won the team competition with a combined score of 410.350 points.

By the end of Day 2, the Hawkeyes would leave Champaign with three All-Americans.

After being named to the second team all-conference squad, it was Brown’s goal to become an All-American, and he did just that on Saturday.

Brown placed seventh on the parallel bars, posting a score of 13.800.

Two places above him was Brodarzon, who scored 13.900 to finish fifth and earn All-American honors in his senior year.

Herrador, who placed second at the Big Ten Championships on the high bar, also stood out for the Hawkeyes on April 20, earning All-American honors with a score of 13.766 and placing eighth. Davis finished 14th on the high bar with a score of 13.433.

Merryman garnered a score of 13.566 on the parallel bars to place 11th. Chung placed 37th after scoring 13.433 on the still rings, and Mandozzi finished 29th on the vault, tying for 29th.

In all-around competition, Huang ended with a score of 80.897 and placed ninth. He scored highest on the pommel horse, placing ninth with a score of 13.533. Brodarzon finished 11th in the all-around with a score of 79.865. Along with his excellent performance on the parallel bars, Brodarzon also excelled on the still rings, placing 10th behind a score of 14.200.

Stanford won the team competition with a team score of 415.222. Oklahoma came in second by less than a point, scoring 414.266.