By Jess Westendorf
The No. 22 Iowa women’s gymnastics team upset No. 18 Ohio State in Columbus on Jan. 21 to gain their second Big Ten conference win, 196.175 to 195.525.
“I couldn’t be more delighted,” head coach Larissa Libby said in a release. “We really came out and showed what we’re capable of tonight. Not many teams beat Ohio State. It felt awesome to win against a team that amazing.”
The GymHawks beat their season-best team score of 195.475, set on Jan. 15 against Michigan State. Aside from the team earning an overall season best, eight GymHawks earned 15 season bests.
Seniors Lexi Mura, Mollie Drenth, Angel Metcalf, and Savannah Borman, along with junior Melissa Zurawski, sophomore Misty-Jade Carlson, and freshmen Clair Kaji and Charlotte Sullivan earned season bests.
On beam, the GymHawks finished the meet with the highest team score of the night (49.375), and six Hawkeyes had season bests. Drenth recorded her season best and took the title with a 9.925. Metcalf followed in second with a score of 9.900.
“It all came down to the beam tonight,” Libby said in the release. “Assistant coach Jennifer Green has done an amazing job working with them, and I couldn’t be more proud of her and the girls. From top to bottom, it was a team effort.”
The GymHawks also tied their season best with their floor routines with a score of 49.050. Kaji placed first for her second floor title this season with a season high of 9.900. Zurawski came in second with a 9.875.
On uneven bars the Hawkeyes recorded another season best score of 49.050. Zurawski came in hot this time with a final score of 9.875 to earn the title, with Drenth following her to tie for second at 9.850.
The Hawkeyes earned their third season best of 48.700 on vault. Sullivan took the lead for the GymHawks for a season best of 9.800 for the title. Zurawski earned second at 9.775.
Next up for the Hawkeyes will be their third Big Ten matchup, against Maryland at 2 p.m. on Jan. 29. in Carver-Hawkeye.
