Iowa women’s gymnastics took down Nebraska at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday, 196.825-195.525, to move to 1-0 in the Big Ten.

“We wanted to get to 197 in a meet by the middle of the season, and as of tonight, we’re pretty close,” head coach Larissa Libby said after the meet.

“The score tonight was unexpected,” she added. “We had lots of different people competing, lots of young, up-and-coming talent… and we were trying to push the envelope a little bit.”

The Hawkeyes never trailed against the Huskers, starting off with success on the vault.

Juniors JerQuavia Henderson and Linda Zivat each recorded 9.900 vault scores, a career high for Zivat. The Hawkeyes got the edge over the Huskers in vault, 49.250-49.225

On bars, junior Allyson Steffensmeier paced the Hawkeyes with a 9.925 score, tying her career high. Steffensmeier said her teammates’ faith in her helped the career performance.

“My warmup didn’t go as well as expected, so I was a little nervous,” Steffensmeier said. “… but I trusted my teammates and my cues, and it paid off.”

Iowa cleared bars with a total of 49.175 points — the first time the GymHawks scored over 49 team points on the event this season.

The GymHawks continued to lead after two events, 98.425-98.075.

On beam, Henderson scored 9.850 points, while reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week Marissa Rojas and senior Bridget Killian each scored 9.800.

Henderson led the scoring on floor as well, tying senior Lauren Guerin with both earning a 9.925 mark. Henderson took the gold in the all-around event.

Big Picture

Iowa is now 4-1 on the season and undefeated in Big Ten play. 

Through five meets, Iowa’s already had one dual postponed because of COVID-19. So, the Hawkeyes are doing their best to appreciate every opportunity they get to compete.

“We’re trying to look at the big picture, which is hard to do with COVID and everything else we’ve been dealing with [this season,]” Libby said. “To be honest, we don’t know on a day-to-day basis if we will even be guaranteed another day [with COVID guidelines], let alone knowing our status for the long haul.”

Kenlin absent again

Sophomore Adeline Kenlin, the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, has not competed in the Hawkeyes’ last two matches.

“She’s been dealing with some pain in her knee,” Libby said. “She’s an elite athlete, so we’re giving her the chance to heal.”

Libby said the Hawkeyes are not only missing her talents on the floor, but also her leadership off of it.

“The worst thing about her not being out here with us has been the team missing her personality, in addition to what she does for us athletically,” Libby said. “She’s an incredible leader for us.”

Up Next

The GymHawks will host their final meet of the 2022 season at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, taking on Penn State.

Iowa will honor its seniors at the meet, which starts at 6:30 p.m. It will be streamed on BTN+.