Your Guide to the Big Ten Gymnastics Championships

The most exciting meet of the regular season is coming, and it’s coming RIGHT here in Iowa City. Watch Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Illinois, and Ohio State compete for the Big Ten title, each team with extraordinary talent.

So who is there to watch? Who is the favorite? You’ve come to the right place!

The meet is divided up into two sessions: one at 1 p.m., and another at 6 p.m. The first session features the no. 5-no.8 seeds. These teams are:
#5: Michigan
#6: Illinois
#7: Iowa
#8: Michigan State

The second session is the no. 1-no. 4 seeds. These include:
#1: Nebraska
#2: Penn State
#3: Ohio St.
#4: Minnesota

Each session is $10, or $15 for an all day pass.

The Big Ten also recently announced their all-conference teams, with Nebraska dominating the first team all big-ten.

FIRST-TEAM ALL-BIG TEN

Kelsey Joannides, ILL

Jessie DeZiel, NEB

Lora Evenstad, NEB

Janelle Giblin, NEB

Emily Wong, NEB

Sarah Miller, OSU

Sharaya Musser, PSU

SECOND-TEAM ALL-BIG TEN

Amber See, ILL

Alina Weinstein, ILL

Tesla Cox, IOWA

Katie Zurales, MICH

Taira Neal, MSU

Jamie Schleppenbach, NEB

Whitney Bencsko, PSU

Madison Merriam, PSU

Obviously, the favorite team to take home the gold is Nebraska, who is ranked 6th nationally. The Cornhuskers are led by freshman Jessie DeZiel, a former elite gymnast from Minnesota who decided to take her talents to the NCAA. She’s ranked third in the nation in the all-around (impressive for a freshman), 9th on vault, and 9th on floor. Nebraska has tremendous depth in sophomore Emily Wong, and superb vaulter Janelle Giblin.

Penn State is another team to keep an eye on. Led by the outstanding junior Sharaya Musser, who is ranked 2nd nationally in the all around, Penn State looks to give Nebraska a run for their money. Musser really has some beautiful gymnastics, so make sure not to miss her performances. Other Nittany Lion performances not to miss? Senior Whitney Bencsko and junior Madison Merriam.

As for the “home” team, don’t let the #7 ranking fool you. If Iowa stays on beam, performs like they have been on bars, lands their vaults, and really gives it their all on floor, they can definitely land in the top four or five.

Tesla Cox performs on the uneven bars. Photo from the Iowa Women's Gymnastics Facebook page.

Make sure to watch Jessa Hansen, the senior from Clive, Iowa who has been extremely consistent all season long. Her unique vault is something not to miss, and her powerful floor routine is one you have to see. Junior Maya Wickus has a beautiful yurchenko full vault that you’ll want to see. Junior Emma Stevenson has a great bar routine for the Gymhawks, along with all the other bar routines in the lineup. On floor, be sure to watch senior Rachel Corcoran’s crowd-pleasing, dance-beat floor routine, along with Emma Willis’s floor routine that nearly her entire team mimics on the sidelines.

More of my favorite gymnasts in the big ten include Katie Zurales of Michigan,  Jenny Covers of Minnesota, Alina Weinstein of Illinois, Amber See of Illinois, and Joanna Sampson of Michigan.

I expect to see Jessie DeZiel and Sharaya Musser battle it out for an all-around title, with Emily Wong, Kelsey Joannides of Illinois, and Alina Weinstein of Illinois also in contention.

Watch Sharaya Musser’s fabulous performance last year at the Big Ten Championships below:

The big-ten is no SEC when it comes to gymnastics, but it sure does have some GREAT talent. This is a great meet for first-timers or seasoned gymnasts alike to watch. Remember, Iowa competes in the 1 o’clock session on Saturday, $10, and FREE parking in Carver-Hawkeye Arena! See you there!

Make sure to comment your thoughts and predictions below!

Photo Credit: Iowa Women’s Gymnastics Facebook (make sure to ‘Like’ them and show your support!)

Iowa puts up a 194.5 in quad meet at Denver

Minnesota (196.225) won the four-team meet at Denver University (196.200) on Saturday night, while Iowa finished in third with their 194.5. Arizona State placed fourth with a mark of 194.225.

Iowa began in beam, where once again, they experienced some trouble, posting only a 47.650. The ever-consistent Jessa Hansen led the Hawks with her 9.8, and Annie Szatkowski finished in 14th with a 9.7. Tesla Cox put up a 9.7. Iowa put up a 48.675 on floor, with a few athletes stepping out of bounds.

Vault was a success for Iowa, where they posted a 49.05. Emma Stevenson led the way with a 9.875, followed by Hansen with a 9.85. Rachel Corcoran, Maya Wickus, Tesla Cox and Emma Willis finished in a four-way tie for 14th, each recording a 9.775.

Bars is pulling away to be the Gymhawks best event, and Saturday was no exception. They posted a solid 49.125, led by Cox’s and Jordan Eszlinger’s 9.850s.

This was the last regular season meet for Iowa, as we host the 2012 Big Ten Gymnastics Championships this coming Saturday. Even if you are not a gymnastics fan, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you stop by Carver-Hawkeye Arena and check out the action! With the addition of Nebraska, there are eight big ten teams, and all are full of talented athletes. Iowa will be competing in the first session at 1 p.m. on Saturday and tickets are only $10. Parking is free, and you can buy your tickets HERE! Now you have no excuses, so check it out!