By Jess Westendorf
Junior Dylan Ellsworth has made Iowa his home away from home.
The Farmington, Utah, native got into tae kwon do at a young age until he watched his sister during gymnastics practice.
“I saw Jake Dalton, a former Olympian, and I think watching him do gymnastics made me want to start doing gymnastics,” Ellsworth said.
After his encounter with Dalton, Ellsworth started gymnastics with fervor.
Ellsworth said Dalton is his favorite gymnast. He appreciates Dalton’s style of gymnastics, which, Ellsworth inspires him.
“I think his gymnastics technique is pretty awesome,” Ellsworth said.
Throughout his gymnastics career, his parents have been his support system.
Things were not always easy for his family, but they always made sure Ellsworth had want he needed — especially with traveling and fundraising for gymnastics.
Now at the college level, his parents still support him and help make his dreams of college gymnastics a reality.
“My mom and dad, I would say, are my biggest fans,” Ellsworth said. “We didn’t have the easiest time growing up, but no matter what, they made sure I could stay in gymnastics and compete. Even now in college, they are still helping and coming to every meet. They are pretty awesome.”
Ellsworth made two visits to Iowa City before he committed to the Iowa gymnastics program.
“He went off to the airport [to go home], and he called me back and told me he was coming to Iowa,” said head coach JD Reive in a release. “We immediately had a good connection with him and his family, and it was a comfortable acquisition for the team.”
Entering his freshman year of college, Ellsworth had quite the résumé. In high school, he was a three-time all-around state champion (2011-13) as well as a two-time P&G Championship qualifier. He also qualified for the Visa Cup in 2011 and was a six-time Junior Olympic qualifier.
As a freshman, he competed in nine meets, helping the Hawkeyes advance to the second day of the NCAA Championships.
In his sophomore season, he showed more confidence and control. He earned career-highs in every event and placed fifth on the vault and 10th on the parallel bars on the first day at the NCAA Championships.
He also competed in every competition of the regular season in 2016 carrying over to this season. In the season-opener, he notched a top-10 finish on the parallel bars with a 13.700.
In the second meet of the season, against Illinois-Chicago, he clinched a season best of 80.300 to win the title in the all-around to go with his three other titles (14.650 on vault, 13.850 on parallel bars, 13.700 on rings).
This season Ellsworth was named a class representative for the Hawkeyes, motivating him to structure himself in academics and helping with discipline and encouraging his teammates to be the best they can.
“I think being on this team and the coaching we have, it has allowed me to grow with my school work and ethics,” he said. “It made me realize how much time I need to put in. I am a class representative this year, and it has helped me take a look at my team as a whole and help them grow.”
