Maryland and Minnesota at Iowa

Note: Minnesota joined this meet late due to the cancelation of its dual with Michigan State due to COVID in the Spartans’ program.

Recap

The Big Storyline: What a rematch! The Gophers and Hawkeyes have developed a bit of a friendly rivalry so far this year, trading wins over three meetings. Each has been a thriller, with huge numbers and records falling. Maryland wasn’t left out of the party, debuting a new bar set from freshman Tayler Osterhout. Four judges flashed 10s in this one: two for Ona Loper on vault, one for Lexy Ramler on beam and one for JerQuavia Henderson on floor.

Implications: This one is a weirdo, because Minnesota was added late after its Michigan State dual was postponed. Iowa will count the win over Maryland in its Big Ten record—and the Terps will count the loss—but it’ll be technically out of conference for the Gophers and not affect their conference standing. (Are you lost yet? The Big Ten is giving us a real headache this year!) That aside, this is exactly the away performance Minnesota needed heading toward March 1—NQS day.

Records: Iowa’s 39.600 on floor is a program record. Henderson’s 9.975 on floor ties the program record. Loper is the first Gopher in program history to score a 10.0 on vault.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 12 Minnesota and No. 29 Maryland at No. 9 Iowa

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: Iowa is on a roll. The Hawkeyes have hit mid or high 196s meet after meet, without a miss. They’re in the midst of something special. Maryland has had some ups and downs, but has the potential to put up a big score. The Terps have been unable to get through a meet without counting a fall. Is this the week? AND we get a Minnesota at Iowa rematch?! The Gophers will be looking for revenge after blowing their lead and losing to Iowa last weekend after counting a fall on beam.

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Don’t take your eyes off Iowa’s floor rotation. It’s stellar from top to bottom, with exciting skills—a triple full and three full-ins—and some of the best choreography in the country. Maryland has a big triple full of its own, courtesy of Collea Burgess, and some of the best Yurchenko fulls outside of the top 10. Don’t miss any of Ona Loper or Lexy Ramler’s gymnastics, just as a rule of thumb.