Friday night gymnastics kicks off week two of the 2025 season, with both Brown and Iowa making their season debuts.
Iowa State opened its season last Friday against reigning national champion LSU, posting a 194.100. The Cyclones struggled on bars in the first rotation, having to count a fall, but gained momentum as the meet progressed, scoring above 48.700 on the remaining events. In tonight’s home opener, watch for senior Josie Bergstrom-Te Slaa, Iowa State’s only all-around competitor in week one, as well as Noelle Adams and Rachel Wilke, who impressed in their respective events.
This will be the first meet of the season for Iowa under new head coach Jen Llewellyn, formerly the head coach at Washington. The Hawkeyes, ranked No. 29 in the WCGA preseason poll, are looking to build on their 2024 season, where they qualified for regionals after missing out the previous year. Iowa will rely on Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch, Karina Muñoz, and Adeline Kenlin, to help the team start strong in this new era.
Brown, which finished seventh at the USAG National Championships last April, is hoping to build on the momentum it gained midway through last season. Despite losing seven athletes from last year, the Bears welcome six freshmen and key returners like senior Julia Bedell and junior Sophia Dewar.
Tune in at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ to catch all the action!
Rotation 1: VT Iowa State, UB Brown , BB Iowa
Wills (ISU): Opens up the meet with a nice Yurchenko full, small hop forward. 9.7.
Volpe (Iowa): solid BHS LOSO to start. Beautiful front aerial, front full dismount stuck to end this lead off! 9.725
Loyim (ISU): Yurchenko full, big hop back but really nice vault! 9.775
Lee (Iowa): Beautiful mount, side aerial to BHS, big wobble but keeps it on. beautiful wolf turn, ends with a Gainer pike stuck! 9.675.
Adams (ISU): Yurchenko full STUCK. 9.9!
Bergstrom Te-Slaa (ISU): ANOTHER stuck Yurchenko full. Wow!! 9.9 back to back!
Fallon (Brown): Debut for her! Nice straddle Jaeger to start to a short shoot over, back up to dismount with a toe on, pike half, small step back. 9.525
Hardin (ISU): Yurchenko half on pike off small hop forward, first ten start vault of the night! 9.800
Marcus (Brown): Nice Shaposh to a shoot over, blind full to double tuck and fights for the stick! 9.750.
Turner (Iowa): Freshman debut! Yay! Gainer BHS, BHS, LOSO, fights for it but is off. Back up with a switch leap to split jump. Really nice movement on the beam. Front aerial small bobble, BHS 1.5 dismount. Still a really nice routine for Iowa! 9.050.
Davis (Brown): Maloney up up to a Pak, blind full double tuck stuck! 9.700.
Walters (Brown): Toe handstand to a huge Ray but misses the catch on that release. Tries the release again but is too far again the second time. Ends this routine with a big double layout with a hop forward. 7.750.
Tran (Iowa): Front aerial back handspring to start off, switch leap, switch half to split jump, really nice. Piked Gainer small hop forward, but a really nice debut for her. 9.775.
Juk (Iowa): Round off back handspring mount, perfect. BHS BHS LOSO, again perfection. Switch leap to beat jump to beautiful choreo. BHS full, wow. Cartwheel Gainer full, fights to the stick. What a routine! 9.850
After 1: ISU 49.075, Brown 47.100, Iowa 48.850
A strong opening for Iowa State with only five up on vault (alluding to someone hurt in lineups during touch warm up), the Cyclones still went over a 49 in this first rotation of its home opener! Stand outs from this lineup, Josie Bergstrom Te-Slaa and Noelle Adams with back to back stuck Yurchenko fulls with matching 9.9s!
Brown struggled a bit in this first rotation on bars, having to count a fall with some lower scores in this event total as well. Definitely potential with this lineup, the Bears looked like they were being aggressive and aggressive mistakes this early are nothing to be upset with! Iowa opened its season on beam with several strong, confident routines, highlighted by anchor routine from Ilka Juk. Iowa avoided counting a fall, and is moving into the second rotation with more confidence having beam out of the way!
Rotation 2: UB Iowa State, BB Brown, FX Iowa
Thomas (ISU): Straddle Jaeger to start, Pak down with a big leg separation. 9.525.
Marcus (Brown): BHS LOSO very nice. Front tuck, really well done! Round off 1.5 small hop forward. Really nice lead off beam routine! 9.650.
Volpe (Iowa): Opens with a front layout to front rudi, nice landing. Really nice double pike to end!
Whiteside (Brown): Switch leap to split half to start, really nice. Sets up for a BHS LOSO, solid. Side split half, Side aerial really solid. Gainer full stuck to end!
Bochow (ISU): The WVU transfer, huge Jaeger to start and down with a shoot over and ends with a big double layout and step forward! 9.675.
Bergstrom Te-Slaa (ISU): Big straddle Jaeger to a shoot over, really well done. Blind full to double tuck dismount, a little low chest with a step back but a nice routine in this lineup! 9.700.
Lin (Brown): Switch leap to split half, really nice. BHS LOSO, solid wow. Aggressive side aerial, beat jump to split 3/4 small bobble. Ends with cartwheel 1.5, really nice routine! 9.625
Loyim (ISU) : Piked Jeager to Pak, really nice. Ends with huge double layout with a big step forward but keeps it up. 9.450
Masella (Iowa): Front layout front full, under rotated but keeps it up and a double tuck to close, nice routine! 9.625
Walters (Brown): Aerial BHS swing down and is off the beam. Missed the skill, but unfortunately a second fall. Back up with a nice front toss. Nice jumps in the middle. Round off 1.5, small hop back to end. 8.600.
Tran (Iowa): Rudi LSO to open, really nice. Such beautiful dance. Front layout front full to finish, so well done. 9.750
Ford (Brown): BHS LOSO, small wobble but keeps it on the beam. Cat leap side aerial, nicely done. BHS Gainer full, stuck! Really good routine to get the Bears back on track!
Erb (Iowa): Double pike to open. 1.5, punch an doesn’t complete the skill and is on the floor, but is walking off okay. 8.100
Yang (Brown): A FAST double wolf turn but really nice. Switch leap to split jump, good. Onodi, small wobble really nice though! Side facing split half, good. BHS LOSO, really nice! Gainer pike off the end, small hop forward but what a way to avoid having to count a fall on beam with a really otherwise strong beam lineup! 9.725
Tyson (Iowa): Coming up after this fall, solid front rudi to LOSO to open. Front double full, stumbles back and is almost down but keeps it up!
After 2: ISU 48.275 (97.350) , Brown 48.550 (95.650) , Iowa 48.200 (97.050)
Brown really came back this rotation! With only one fall in the middle, the Bears avoided counting this fall, but this beam lineup looked incredibly solid and already so confident in its first competition! For Iowa State in its second event, no falls were counted on bars, definitely better than last week at LSU, but still, some lower scores the team can hopefully continue to build on as the season continues. Iowa looked strong in this second rotation, highlighted by Tran’s 9.750 and beautiful choreography the NCAA gym-ternet has been long awaiting. ISU is narrowly leading over Iowa heading to beam and we are onto the second half for tonight!
Rotation 3: VT Iowa, BB ISU, FX Brown
Masella (Iowa): Yurchenko full to open this rotation, almost stuck small hop forward. 9.725.
Marcus (Brown): Double tuck first pass and over rotates to a sit. 1.5 to front layout second pass to end.
Turner (Iowa): Yurchenko full small hop back. 9.775
Volpe (Iowa): Really clean Yurchenko full, small step back. 9.800.
O’Brachta (ISU): BHS LOSO LOSO solid! Gainer pike stuck off the end! 9.825
Chambers (Iowa): nice Yurchenko full, small hop back. 9.800.
Tran (Iowa): Yurchenko full, small hop forward a little chest down. 9.675
Walters (Brown): Front rudi, nice opening pass! Double pike second pass, good landing on that. Round off 1.5 front layout really nice routine for her! 9.700.
Adams (ISU): BHS LOSO, smiles already with a solid landing. Switch leap switch leap, nice 180 on both. side aerial, solid. Side aerial solid and ends with a Gainer full off the side stuck! What a beautiful routine for her! 9.825
Munoz (Iowa): Yurchenko full small hop forward. 9.750.
Sgarbossa (ISU): Wolf turn to open. BHS to side aerial, small wobble. Switch leap to straddle jump, another small adjustment. Cat leap to side Somi, really nice. 1.5 fights for the stick! 9.825
Davis (Brown): Really high double pike to open. Switch ring to switch ring half, really well done. Whip half to front full, is down and out of bounds. 8.750.
Thomas (ISU): Front aerial to BHS, nicely connected. Round off 1.5 dismount, STUCK! 9.850
Bergstrom Te-Slaa (ISU): Ending this huge rotation for Iowa State, starts with her front toss, is off the beam and tries the series again. Front aerial to BHS second time really nice. Switch leap switch leap really good. Dismounts front full stuck landing! 9.200.
Dewar (Brown): Coming in late to this routine, double tuck and lands super short but is okay moving into the remainder of her routine.
Bedell (Brown): Opens this floor routine with a front thru to double tuck, really nice. Torjete full down the middle, nice. Perfect double pike second pass to end this routine. 9.750.
Yang (Brown): HUGE double pike to start this rotation off. Double wolf turn right into choreo and moves into her last pass, a 1.5 front layout, really nice way to end this lineup. 9.750
After 3: ISU 49.025 (146.375) , Brown 47.075 (142.725), Iowa 48.850 (145.900)
ISU goes over 49 for the second time this competition on beam putting up five solid beam routines with an uncharacteristic fall in the anchor spot. Nonetheless, an impressive lineup in the third rotation for the Cyclones as they head to floor! Pretty solid scores on vault for the Iowa Hawkeyes, all Yurchenko fulls with a couple landing tenths on each, but really solid rotation coming up only four tenths short of ISU going into the last rotation. Brown had a few mistakes this rotation with three falls, having to count two into the event total, but ended the rotation on a high with Bedell and Yang in the five and six spots. Last rotation of the night!
*exhibition for Fallon (Brown): Front rudi to start, 1.5 front tuck to end her routine (possibly a front layout but missed the punch?) but keeps it on her feet.
Rotation 4: VT Brown, UB Iowa, FX ISU
Lin (Brown) Yurchenko layout, nice start. 9.575.
Guinee (ISU): Opens with a nice front double full. Front layout front full to close! 9.625
Yang (Brown): Yurchenko layout, little leg issues, but keeps it up. 9.050.
Mautner (Brown): Yurchenko layout, ends outside of the lines on that vault. 9.350.
Vanney (Iowa): Maloney to Pak but is off the bar (looks like she hits her legs on the bar?), back up to double layout dismount, comes in short and is on her knees on the landing. 8.000
Bergstrom Te-Slaa (ISU): Front layout to front rudi, nice landing on that! Ends with a 1.5 to layout, really nice! 9.650.
Dewar (Brown): Yurchenko full, first full of the night for Brown and done really well! 9.750
Bedell (Brown): Yurchenko full, small step back, really nice vault to round out the five for the Bears. 9.825.
Turner (Iowa): really nice double layout, small step forward to close her routine. 9.800
Munoz (Iowa): Piked Jaeger to Pak, really nice. Dismounts with a double layout from a cast handstand, small hop forward. 9.625
Schell (ISU): Opens this routine with a rudi to a stag jump, really good height. Second pass a 1.5 to layout, a little under rotated, but keeps it up, really nice!
Loyim (ISU): Opens up with a huge open double tuck. Round off 1.5 to front layout end a great routine!
Hardin (ISU): A HUGE double layout to start off, WOW! Second pass brings it back with a nice 1.5 to layout. Ends with her third pass, a BIG double pike landing with her chest up. Floor debut so strong!! 9.825
Adams (ISU): Last routine of the night and the scores are building! Opening up with a front double full, nice landing on that. Torjete half to straddle full, good. Front layout front rudi, super flighty. Really nice way to round out this competition for the Cyclones at home! 9.825
Maternach (ISU): exhibition, front through to a huge double tuck, done really well. Front full to front tuck, lands low but keeps it up.
FINAL: Iowa State 195.100, Iowa 194.575, Brown 190. 300
Iowa State opened up its season at home with an improvement from the last competition, posting a 195.100, scoring a full point higher than last week at LSU. With an impressive vault rotation, only five up but still going over a 49, and equally great floor and beam rotations, this is a team on the rise! The Cyclones really only had struggles on bars, but with time and hopefully building up consistency and depth, they will be able to add back a few tenths to this team scores just from bars alone. Iowa ends it meet strong on bars with a 48.675, and an overall 194.575 for its first meet out. With a couple mistakes throughout the competition and just getting back into season, this was a good first meet out and something they will undoubtedly continue to build on throughout the season in this new era for the Hawkeyes. Brown struggled a bit throughout this competition, most notably on floor on bars, but really showed up on beam with a strong lineup. With this being its opening meet of the season, the Bears definitely have areas they can improve on, but also had a lot of highs to be proud of.
Enjoy an action packed weekend of gymnastics to come!!
READ THIS NEXT: Everything We Know About the New Judges Evaluation System
Live Blog by Julianna Roland
