Who doesn’t love a Saturday night Big Ten matchup? This one is especially compelling with both teams seeking redemption after Week 4 losses. Minnesota is one of just four conference teams to have cracked the 197.000 mark this season, but it was upset by Nebraska last week after counting multiple mistakes and settling for a 195.075. Beam could be the difference-maker here: specialist Brooklyn Rowray struggled on her signature event last time out, but a return to her career-high 9.975 form would give the Gophers a significant edge. Freshman Lacie Saltzmann is another name to watch—fresh off Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, she set career highs on both bars and floor last week and is quickly establishing herself as a key contributor.
Iowa is also looking to rebound after a frustrating performance marked by bars and beam issues, though there were bright spots to build on. Sophomore Aurélie Tran delivered her usual strong work on bars with a 9.925, and freshman Sophie Schriever was steady across all four events in just her second all-around appearance. For the Hawkeyes, consistency will be paramount as they aim to regain the momentum they showed earlier this season, with all-arounder JerQuavia Henderson poised to play a pivotal role in pushing the team past its season-high 196.400.
The meet will be streamed on B1G+ and scores can be found on Virtius. Not a B1G+ subscriber? Sign up today for the monthly pass with the code COLLEGEGYM3 for just $10.99/month (regularly $12.99/month).
Rotation 1: Minnesota VT, Iowa UB
Lexy Ramler and Tiarre Sales are commentating tonight, which I’m obsessed with – two Gopher icons!
Stewart (Minn): Starts things off with a Yurchenko 1.5, good height and a tiny step on the landing. Great way to open the meet! 9.800
Henderson (Iowa): Maloney to Bail with some leg form. Good handstand on the high bar. Full in dismount, little wobble on the landing. 9.800
Moraw (Minn): Yurchenko full, good tight form in the air, small hop back. 9.825
Masella (Iowa): Blind change, great handstand, to Jaeger to overshoot – leg form in the releases but good height. Sticks her double layout dismount! 9.850
Crump (Minn): Yurchenko 1.5 with some bent legs and a medium step forward. 9.800
Turner (Iowa): Toe on, Maloney, Pak – excellent toe point, and legs glued together. Wobbles when she’s standing on the low bar and almost falls backwards! That would have been wild. Big double layout dismount with a small hop. 9.800
Slevin (Minn): high Yurchenko full, pikes down on the landing and takes a hop back. I’m interested by the strategy of putting Stewart’s 1.5 in the leadoff ahead of the fulls. Trying to boost their scores maybe? 9.775
Schriever (Iowa): Maloney to Pak with some leg separation. Floaty van Leeuwen. Toe on front pike half dismount, nails it as always and sticks. 9.875
Gerdes (Minn): Yurchenko 1.5, looked crunched on the table and pretty tucked throughout. Big step forward on the landing. 9.775
Bowles (Iowa): Nails the frist handstand. Nice Ray to overshoot, some flexed feet. Blind full to double tuck with a hop. Nice redemption for her after a fall last week at Michigan. 9.825
Ostrum (Minn): HUGE Yurchenko 1.5 and sticks it with no problem. Wow! 9.900
Tran (Iowa): Maloney to Pak, floaty and clean. Really nice handstand on the low bar before her van Leeuwen. Double layout dismount with a small hop. 9.875
Ex – I. Nguyen (Minn): really solid Yurchenko 1.5 with a small hop. That should make the lineup soon.
Ex – DePaola (Iowa): Clean Pak. Toe on to van Leeuwen, good toepoint. Really open full in dismount, looks like she let go too early and got lost in the air, falls forward on the landing. 9.100
Ex – Steensland (Minn): solid Yurchenko full, not much distance.
Ex – Rojas (Iowa): Toe on to Gienger, good height but legs did some apart. Form break on the Bail. High full in dismount with a step back. 9.725
AFTER ONE: Iowa 49.225, Minnesota 49.100
That was an exciting way to start things off, with both teams delivering one hit after another. Iowa will be pleased to be in the lead after the first rotation, and looking to carry that momentum into the next events. Minnesota heads to bars, which isn’t its strongest event, but Slevin and Lyden are capable of putting up big numbers that could push the Gophers into the lead.
Rotation 2: Iowa VT, Minnesota UB
Chambers (Iowa): Good height on her Yurchenko full, takes a step back. 9.725
Gerdes (Minn): Great first handstand. Toe on, Maloney, Bail – really tight form throughout, maybe a slight arch on the handstand out of the Bail. Full in dismount with a step. 9.850
Masella (Iowa): Yurchenko full, doesn’t get much distance but form was clean. Small hop. 9.775
Crump (Minn): Toe on, Maloney, Pak – some leg form. Late handstand on the low bar. Huge double layout, great height! Small step. 9.800
Tran (Iowa): Her usual gorgeous Yurchenko full with a flare out. Small hop in place. 9.825
Ostrum (Minn): Let’s see what she can do after an excellent vault – she could put up a big all-around today. Blind change to piked Jaeger, very nice. A little arched handstand. Clean Pak salto. Much nicer handstand on the high bar. Tight double layout, lean and step on the landing. 9.775
Turner (Iowa): Tight form on her Yurchenko 1.5, hop forward.
Slevin (Minn): Maloney to Pak, nice form. Great van Leeuwen, very floaty. Really nice handstands throughout this routine. Dismounts with a stuck double layout – really nice set from her. 9.875
Schriever (Iowa): Yurchenko full on pike off, clean form and a small hop. Finishes with a fun celly with her team.
Saltzmann (Minn): Toe on blind change to Jaeger, great form. Super solid Bail, great handstand there. High double layout with a tiny hop. I love her lines on this event. 9.875
Henderson (Iowa): She can deliver a big score for the Hawkeyes here. Yurchenko 1.5, gets great height and takes her time to open up for the landing – sticks it! 9.900
Lyden (Minn): Toe on to Bail with gorgeous lines and toe point. Huge, floaty, and clean double layout, but can’t quite stick it – small hop back. 9.900
Ex – Karenbauer (Iowa): Good height on a Yurchenko full, pikes down and takes a lunge back.
Ex – Stewart (Minn): Maloney to Pak, clean. van Leeuwen with nice toe point. Toe on front pike half dismount, gets a lot of distance but not much height, takes a step back. She was a big contributor to this lineup last year, but I remember her dismount being a bit of an issue – it looks like they’re playing with something different for her.
AFTER TWO: Minnesota 98.400, Iowa 98.350
The Gophers’ clean execution and attention to detail got them a season-high 49.300 on bars and a slight lead over the Hawkeyes. Iowa was solid on vault but could have used some more sticks – Henderson clearly delivered on that front. Minnesota has gone as high as 49.425 on beam this season, so I’m eager to see what it can do tonight.
Rotation 3: Minnesota BB, Iowa FX
Ostrum (Minn): BHS LOSO, small bobble. Switch leap to straddle 1/4, good positions but a little slow in the connection. Cat leap to side aerial, very nice. BHS gainer full off the side with a stick. 9.850
Tran (Iowa): Rudi to LOSO, nice twisting form, front foot maybe came up a bit on the landing. Switch ring half, hard to see the position from this angle but it looked alright. Front layout to front full, solid. Switch ring to split full, excellent split positions, a little awkward on the landing but covers it up with choreography. 9.800
Gerdes (Minn): Front aerial, small balance check. BHS LOSO, solid. Split jump to double stag jump, good positions in both. BHS gainer full on the side, stuck with an arm circle. 9.825
Turner (Iowa): Opens with a high double pike, good control on landing. Switch half to Popa to Popa, very dynamic. 1.5 to front layout, nice lift on the punch. 9.825
Moraw (Minn): BHS LOSO, slow and precise. Cat leap to side aerial, small lean but controls it well. She looks very patient and controlled. Beat jump to split jump 3/4, good split. BHS gainer full with a nice stick. 9.875
Schriever (Iowa): Big double pike with good control. Whip half to Rudi, good height, small front foot movement on landing. Switch half to wolf full to wolf full, really nice dance series. She uses a very dramatic piece of music but it suits her so well. 9.900 – that’s a new career high for her!
Rowray (Minn): BHS LOSO with a balance check. Switch leap to straddle jump 1/2, great 180 positions. Front toss to wolf jump is solid. Front gainer full off the side with a stick. Just had that bobble at the beginning and was super steady from there. 9.825
Castillo (Iowa): Front tuck through to double pike, a touch underrotated and her front foot slides forward. Double tuck, great landing on that one. Switch side half to straddle jump to Shushunova, good height. 9.825
Pearl (Minn): Solid BHS LOSO. Switch leap to straddle 1/4, very good. Minnesota is so precise on all of its dance series, it’s very refreshing. Front aerial to beat jump, good connection. BHS gainer full off the side with a stick. Really great set from her, that should be a big score. 9.900
Erb (Iowa): Double pike, small bounce back on landing. Switch side half to straddle jump, good straddle positions. 1.5 to front full, good height on the first salto but a little short on the second one, small slide back. Celebrates with a HEADSTAND? I’m loving these Iowa cellies. 9.825
Lyden (Minn): Double wolf turn is solid to start. BHS LOSO, very controlled and great form. Cat leap to switch side, nicely done. Round off 1.5 dismount, floaty in the air, small hop in place. 9.875
Henderson (Iowa): This could be a big boost to the Hawkeyes’ floor total. Huge full in to start, overcooks it a little and slides back. Switch side, Popa, straddle jump – good straddle positions and the rotations looked accurate. Front tuck through to double tuck, a touch underrotated and hops forward – maybe overcorrecting for the first pass. 9.775
Ex – Slevin (Minn): Switch leap to split jump, nice execution. BHS LOSO is solid. Double wolf turn with great control. Round of 1.5 dismount with a stick. 9.825
Ex – Tyson (Iowa): Rudi to LOSO, good height on the punch. Front double twist, diagonal step forward. Switch half to wolf full, good. 9.775
AFTER THREE: Minnesota 147.725, Iowa 147.525
Iowa put up a season-high 49.175 on floor, even with dropping Henderson’s score, but it wasn’t enough to catch the Gophers after their killer beam rotation. Pearl’s 9.900 led the charge, backed up by the pair of 9.875s from Lyden and Moraw. Beam is an event where every detail matters, and it’s clear to me that Minnesota spends a lot of time polishing those details. Floor is strong for this team, but the win isn’t secured yet – if Iowa knocks it out of the park on beam, things could be shaken up.
Rotation 4: Iowa BB, Minnesota FX
Volpe (Iowa): BHS LOSO with a bobble, but works out of it well. Switch leap to straddle jump 1/4, steady. Cat leap to front aerial, solid. She is really fighting for each landing. Round off tucked 1.5 dismount, a little underrotated and takes a step back. 9.700
Saltzmann (Minn): Opens with a big, clean double pike with a great landing. Front layout to front full, nicely done. Switch half to straddle full, clean. Third pass is a solid double tuck. I could see this becoming an anchor routine in a few years. 9.850
Rojas (Iowa): BHS BHS LOSO, very solid. Switch leap to split 3/4, good split positions. Gainer full off the side with a stick. Great routine for her. 9.875
Pearl (Minn): 1.5 to front layout, good rise and control. Switch side half to Popa, a little off on the rotations. Double pike, underrotates and lands with her chest down and a bounce forward. Just didn’t quite get the set she needed. 9.700
Looks like Henderson is out out of the beam lineup and being replaced by Maggie Ball. Hoping she’s alright!
Ball (Iowa): BHS LOSO with a small balance check. Split jump to straddle jump 1/2, shy of 180 on the straddle. BHS gainer off the side, stick but steps out of it. Good job stepping up as a replacement. 9.800
Gonsiorowski (Minn): Big full in and a really controlled landing, chooses to take the lunge. Very nice! Front tuck through to double tuck, great control again. 9.850
Tran (Iowa): Front aerial to BHS, a little slow in the connection but clean and steady. Switch leap to switch half to beat jump, excellent split positions. Gainer pike off the end with a small hop in place. Lovely lines and form throughout the routine. 9.900
Swartzmiller (Minn): Rudi to straddle jump, huge height on the jump! Switch side to Popa, great straddle positions but not accurate on the rotations. 1.5 to front layout, great height, could be more controlled on the landing. 9.900
Turner (Iowa): Gainer BHS BHS LOSO, some flexed feet and wobbles at the end but manages to hold on. Switch leap to split jump, excellent split positions. BHS 1.5 dismount, great form and stuck! Shame about the check on the acro series. 9.900 – I guess the only deduction was the wobble?
Ostrum (Minn): Front tuck through to double tuck, small loss of balance on the landing. Switch side to Popa to straddle jump, good height and 180 positions. Rudi to LOSO, excellent lift on the LOSO. 9.850
Schriever (Iowa): No matter what score she puts up here, Iowa will finish with a season high tonight. BHS LOSO, beautiful form. Front toss to beat jump, very clean. Switch leap to straddle 1/4, great positions. BHS gainer full off the side with real lift and height, lovely! And stuck. 9.775
Lyden (Minn): 1.5 to front full, great form but could use more control on landing. Switch side half to Popa, good straddle positions. 2.5 twist, really nice twisting form. 9.875
FINAL: Minnesota 197.050, Iowa 196.775
Both teams have a lot to be happy about tonight: Minnesota hit 197 for the second time this season, and Iowa beat its previous season high by 0.175. Lyden and Schriever are my chosen MVPs for each team respectively – both delivered big scores on multiple events and did it with excellent lines and attention to detail. I’d say the most impressive stat of the meet is that we didn’t see a single fall – outside of exhibition routines, everybody hit, and the lowest score was a 9.700. That says a lot about how well-prepared these athletes are at this point in the season.
Notice how every event title was one by a different athlete? It was great to see standout routines from such a variety of gymnasts coming from both teams.
VT: Ostrum (Minn), Henderson (Iowa) – 9.900
UB: Lyden (Minn) – 9.900
BB: Pearl (Minn), Turner (Iowa), Tran (Iowa) – 9.900
FX: Swartzmiller (Minn), Schriever (Iowa) – 9.900
AA: Schriever (Iowa), Tran (Iowa) – 39.400
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Live blog by Sophie Poirier
