6 Gymnasts To Watch As Iowa Faces Maryland In Big Ten Battle

6 Gymnasts To Watch As Iowa Faces Maryland In Big Ten Battle

On Thursday, FloGymnastics will stream a Big Ten battle that pits the No. 42 Iowa Hawkeyes against the No. 35 Maryland Terrapins.

Jan 23, 2018 by Justine Kelly
6 Gymnasts To Watch As Iowa Faces Maryland In Big Ten Battle

Correction: This article previously stated that FloGymnastics is broadcasting the Iowa vs Maryland meet, but that event will be exclusively shown by the Big Ten Network.

Thursday night gives us a Big Ten battle as No. 42 Iowa takes on No. 35 Maryland in College Park. The teams are currently close in the rankings and it will be an exciting to see who comes out on top. 

The Terrapins have competed three times this season and posted their highest score so far this year on Friday with a 195.55, edging out No. 32 Penn State for only the second time in history. The Terps are especially strong on beam this year, where they are ranked No. 26 in the nation.

The Hawkeyes are right up there with Maryland and also seem to be improving week after week. They posted their highest score of the year last weekend as well, totaling a 195.725 to beat No. 36 Ohio State. 

We’ve highlighted some of the teams’ best gymnasts to keep an eye out for during this Thursday’s competition.



1. Charlotte Sullivan | Iowa

Charlotte Sullivan has had a successful start to her career at Iowa. The sophomore hails from New Zealand and competed for the national team there, and she has competed in the all-around in every meet so far this season. Sullivan had one of her best meets last weekend when she tied for first place in the all-around with a 39.1.

2. Alecia Farina | Maryland

Sophomore Alecia Farina competed in the all-around a few times for Maryland last season. So far this year, she has competed all-around in every meet and has posted some huge scores for the team. She scored a season high of 9.875 on bars in the second meet of the year and a 9.9 on floor last weekend. 

3. Melissa Zurawski | Iowa

Senior Melissa Zurawski is a three-event specialist for Iowa, competing on vault, bars, and floor. She’s improved vastly since the start of the season, and she scored 9.8 or above on each event she competed last weekend, including a 9.875 on bars — the highest bars score of the meet.



4. Audrey Barber | Maryland

Freshman Audrey Barber was previously a successful J.O. gymnast and has continued that success at Maryland. She competes in the all-around for the Terps, and had one of her best showings at last weekend’s meet when she placed second with a 39.275. Her season highs so far this year include a 9.8 on vault, 9.875 on bars, and 9.85 on both beam and floor.

5. Clair Kaji | Iowa

Clair Kaji is a senior at Iowa this year and has competed on bars, beam, and floor for the team this season. Last season, Kaji scored a huge 9.9 on beam at the Big Ten championships and has a career high of 9.95 in her freshman season during regionals. This year, Kaji has season highs of 9.85 on bars, beam, and floor and will be one to watch as the season progresses.

6. Karrie Thomas | Maryland

Karrie Thomas is another freshman star for Maryland and has competed on bars, beam, and floor for the team this season. Thomas has put up a 9.8 on beam twice this year and scored a 9.85 on floor in her first competition for the Terps. 

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