CORALVILLE, IA – The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s gymnastics team closed out its Big Ten home slate with the Big Four Meet inside Xtream Arena in Coralville on Sunday. The meet included two ranked opponents, No. 7 Michigan State and No. 25 Penn State, along with unranked Washington.
The Hawkeyes finished in second place with 196.125 points, behind Michigan State. First-year Sydney Turner was the highest finisher in any event for Iowa placing in third on the bars. Karina Muñoz claimed the all-around title for the Hawkeyes.
Beam
The Hawkeyes began the night on the beam. First-year Cassie Lee got things started with a 9.675. Back-to-back 9.85’s from Ilka Juk and Haley Tyson put both on the top of the leaderboard for the time being, and Muñoz followed with a 9.825 to push the Hawkeyes’ team score to 39.2.
Hawkeye first-year and 2024 Olympian Aurélie Tran posted a 9.75 on beam, and fifth-year Adeline Kenlin rounded out the lineup for the Hawkeyes with a 9.85. The Hawkeyes finished the first event with a total score of 49.125, sitting in second place behind Michigan State.
Floor
Tran kicked off the floor routine for the Hawkeyes with a score of 9.8. Tyson followed closely behind, achieving a score of 9.725, while third-year Gianna Masella brought in a 9.775.
Muñoz scored 9.75, and third-year Hanna Castillo continued the momentum with a 9.825. Lastly, third-year Emily Erb completed the floor routine for the Hawkeyes with an impressive 9.9.
Like the previous event, the Hawkeyes remained behind Michigan State in the standings.
Vault
A 9.7 from Masella got things rolling for Iowa on the vault, and Ella Volpe followed with a 9.725. Third-year Avery Chambers continued the momentum with a 9.775.
Tran continued her impressive night with a 9.775. Castillo followed up with a 9.7, and Muñoz capped off the event with a 9.8. The Hawkeyes still sat just behind the Spartans in the team score with one more rotation remaining to catch up.
Bars
Juk started the bars routine for the Hawkeyes, posting a 9.75. Third-year Kaia Vanney posted the lowest score for any Hawkeye on the night with a 9.6, but Masella got Iowa back on track with a 9.8.
Turner posted an impressive 9.9 to keep some momentum going for the Hawkeyes, and Muñoz finished off her incredible night with a 9.85. Tran recorded a 9.875 to cap off the meet.
Muñoz finished on top of the all-around scores with 39.225, with Tran trailing closely behind in second with 39.2.
“Super proud of her,” head coach Jen Llewellyn said about Muñoz. “She’s been working really hard in the gym on the details, on trying to focus on how she can get better. So it’s nice that it’s showing up in the competition in the arena and she gets better every weekend.”
Iowa concluded the meet with 12 individual scores of 9.8 or higher over all the events.
“Really proud of them,” coach Llewellyn said following the meet, “It was a gritty performance, it was tough competition from all teams. Everyone brought their A game and it was a complete team effort of 24 for 24, so I’m really proud of how they stuck together.”
Up Next
Iowa returns to action on Friday, March 7, for a matchup with in-state rival Iowa State in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series.
The meet is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.