Iowa women’s gymnastics prepped for senior night, dual with Penn State

The Hawkeyes will recognize seven senior athletes Friday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa’s all-around JerQuavia Henderson practices on the beam before the competition round during a women’s gymnastics meet between Iowa, Minnesota, and Maryland on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021 at Carver Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes came in second with a score of 196.775 after the Gophers won with 196.975 and Maryland lost with 195.350. Henderson went on to receive a score of 9.875. (Hannah Kinson/The Daily Iowan)

Grant Hall, Sports Reporter
February 3, 2022

Iowa women’s gymnastics will host Penn State at 6:30 p.m. on Friday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Hawkeyes are hosting their second home dual in a row. Iowa picked up a 195.825-195.525 win over Nebraska in its most recent dual at Carver.

Friday will also be senior night for the Hawkeyes. Iowa will honor seven of its athletes: Allie Gilchrist, Alex Greenwald, Lauren Guerin, Clair Kaji, Bridget Killian, Carina Tolan, and Mackenzie Vance.

While Iowa’s seniors will likely be the center of spectator attention Friday, the performance of junior JerQuavia Henderson could be the difference between a win or a loss for Iowa.

Henderson played a pivotal role in Iowa’s win over Nebraska last week, posting a 39.475 all-around score. The all-around outing was Henderson’s first of the season.

Henderson’s coaches and teammates believe her versatility is what allows her to piece together so many clutch performances.

“I think people tend to see her as a floor and vault person because she can so easily score 9.900-plus in both those events,” Killian said. “But her abilities on bars and beam are overlooked. It’s so convenient to have an all-arounder you can count on in any event.”

“The team is extremely proud of her,” Killian added. “She still has a ton of potential moving forward.”

The 196.825 team score the Hawkeyes posted last Saturday ranks fifth all-time in the University of Iowa record books.

Still, the Hawkeyes think they can hit an even higher mark this week.

“We had a season-high, which was very exciting, but we still have work to do,” Killian said. “We need to focus in order to keep our momentum moving in the right direction.”

In preparation for this weekend’s dual against the Nittany Lions, the Hawkeyes are paying close attention to the most detailed parts of their routines.

“We’ve got the big picture down, but we’ve got to focus on nailing our landings because those little deductions will make the difference between a 9.800 or a 9.900,” Greenwald said. “That can be the difference between having the fifth-best all-time score and breaking the school record.”

The Hawkeyes have already broken the UI’s all-time women’s gymnastics scoring record once during Greenwald’s career. Now, Iowa will have a chance to do so again on Friday.

“I’ve had such an awesome experience as a Hawkeye,” Greenwald said. “I’m very excited to go into Carver one last time and see what we can do on the mat. I can’t wait to take the floor at home with my classmates one last time.”

Like Greenwald, Killian will try to stay focused on the team score and her own individual performance. Though, she’ll make sure to take a moment and cherish her last dual at Carver on Friday.

“This Friday will be very bittersweet,” Killian said. “I love competing in Carver, and I can’t believe it’s our last home meet ever. The other seniors and I will have to just enjoy it one last time together.”