The Iowa gymnastics team wrapped up its 49th season, following a third-place finish in the second round of the Corvallis Region in the NCAA tournament.
This season, the Hawkeyes not only put themselves in reach of an NCAA Championship but also a year to remember, with countless individual season and career bests and program records earned along the way.
Many GymHawks, both veteran and new, made strides throughout the season, with high scores coming in almost every meet. During the Senior Day Meet on March 6, sophomore Sydney Turner earned a new career high on vault, fifth-year JerQuavia Henderson scored a new season-high on floor, and senior Gianna Masella tied her season and career high on bars.
As a team, this season has already seen its highlight moments. The Hawkeyes finished undefeated at home with a 9-0 record for the first time since 2022. One of those home meets was the historic attendance record-breaking competition against Nebraska, where the Hawkeyes also made a new program team scoring record.
Iowa finished the Nebraska meet with a 197.225, beating its previous record of 197.150, set back in 2004 against Maryland. This very accomplishment has become a memory that not only the fans but also the coaches and athletes will look to remember for years to come.
Contributing to the Hawkeyes’ highs this season has been the newly added freshman class. Leading the group and ranked 25th in the nation is freshman sensation Sophie Schriever. Schriever has participated in the all-around in all but two meets this season, earning a career high 39.475 at the Nebraska meet.
Schriever and her fellow freshmen have all made a much-needed impact on the program, bringing life and energy to their teammates, fans, and the entire program, something that head coach Jen Llewellyn has emphasized throughout the year.
“They came in the summer, setting the tone early, and have been riding that wave ever since,” Llewellyn said. “They look to the upperclassmen for help, not having big egos and just performing with love and passion for the sport of gymnastics.”
Helping the freshman along the way were the six seniors and three fifth-years. These veterans have made a lengthy impact on all the newcomers, helping them develop confidence and trust in one another and themselves, both in and outside of the gym.
“Confidence has been huge to me personally,” Schriever said. “It is a lot of weeks in a row, and that can become overwhelming; the seniors, though, are very quick to shut that thinking down, which has helped a ton.”
The Gymhawks have had their fair share of struggles this season as well, overcoming some, like the depth of this year’s roster and its impact on the starting lineups for this season’s competitions.
“As the year went on, they have really learned to embrace and embody the mindset of whoever is up is ready to go, and everyone can trust them to do their absolute best performance,” Llewellyn said.
Though some struggles still exist, Llewellyn notes they will continue to work to improve and overcome them not only in the postseason but also into next year.
“We still want to keep working on the simple things of sticking the landings, pointing the toes, and overall just trusting in ourselves to execute each performance to our best and believing we are the best team,” Llewellyn said.
Through all the ups and downs, the Iowa gymnastics program has seen growth in athletes’ confidence and trust in one another. But to the athletes, this season has been more than just that. It has been a unique rollercoaster built on trust and connectivity, with every Gymhawk wanting to enjoy the moments and have as much fun as possible.
“Our coaches also have our best interests in mind, and we are all trying not to put pressure on it but rather show everyone our passion for the sport,” Masella said. “Just doing what we all love and seeing all of us succeeding along the way is what is truly important.”
But the season is not over yet, as the Hawkeyes just finished their Big Ten championship event, placing fifth in the competition. With sophomore Aurélie Tran earning the uneven bars championship with a 9.950, Iowa’s first in the event since 2003.
Iowa hopes to continue this momentum into the NCAA Regionals on April 2, its second straight trip as a team and its fourth in five years.
“Gymnastic postseason is like March Madness for basketball, anything can happen,” Llewellyn said. “Throughout the last few weeks, we have continued to emphasize to them that they have already won, they have already accomplished more than what we could have asked for.”
For many of the Gymhawks, this will be just another postseason, but for the freshmen, the gymnastics postseason will be an eye-opener, one that some are eager to start.
“I am really excited for how loud it’s going to be,” Schriever said. “Corvallis usually has big crowds, so I am excited for the adrenaline and big reactions after every performance.”
Nonetheless, this year’s Iowa gymnastics team is well prepared with its roster depth, passion from all athletes, and a mindset of an NCAA championship run like no other.
“Last meet we had the saying ‘Everything to gain,’ and we are trying to carry that into Regionals,” Masella said. “Not a single person here wants the season to be over; they are all ready to keep pushing and getting better.”
But for the Gymhawks, the run ended short as they failed to finish in the top two at Friday’s second round competition. Despite the heartbreaking ending, the Hawkeyes went out like they have all season.
Iowa earned a new program record on the bars event with a team score of 49.575, thanks to four out of five Gymhawks sticking the landing, a new career high 9.950 from Turner, and a lifetime achievement by Tran.
With perfect transitions between bars, Tran stuck the landing for her first perfect 10. She is also now Iowa’s new program leader as the only Hawkeye in history to score a perfect 10 on the bars event.
Tran’s perfect 10 performance earned her the meet win on the bars event and later fourth place in the all-
around standings.
But the high scores early were just not enough to combat UCLA’s top-tier scoring and Minnesota’s late consistency, leaving Iowa 0.225 points from an NCAA quarterfinals.
“Team 49” this season has been a team to remember, thanks to the countless records and season highs, but also because of the friendship, bond, and trust that have developed between all its Gymhawks. The 2026 season may be over, but the offseason and preparation for the Gymhawks’ 50th year are just beginning.