With the season complete for swimming and both golf teams and track and field off last week, it was a quiet week for Iowa sports. Still, the Hawkeyes in action put together strong performances.
Let's take a look.
Olympic Spotlight: Softball
Iowa softball (14-11, 2-1 Big Ten) picked up a series win over Wisconsin (12-17, 1-2 Big Ten) to kick off conference play last weekend, taking two of three from the Badgers. The Hawks won the first game 4-1 and took the second game as well, 10-4, before dropping the finale, 2-0.
The Hawks kicked off Big Ten play with a bang, putting up three runs in their first at-bats in the first game. Soo-Jin Berry continued her blistering start at the plate, smacking a two-run double before coming around to score herself. She added a sac fly in the 4th to give the Hawkeyes some insurance. Jalen Adams was again solid on the mound, giving up just a single run on three hits.
Saturday was a doubleheader day for the Hawkeyes, and the bats came out firing in the day's first game. Iowa again pushed three across the plate in the first inning when Devyn Greer hit a bases-clearing double.
Avery Jackson added a two-run double as part of a three-run third to push the lead to 6-1 after three innings. Berry drove another run in in the 4th and came around to score giving Iowa an 8-1 lead. The Badgers battled back, scoring three in the 5th, but Iowa added two more in the 6th to keep a comfortable lead and secure the 10-4 win. Greer was 4-4 on the day with a pair of doubles.
Iowa wasn't able to get the sweep in the series finale, but Jalen Adams put together another strong start on the mound. She gave up just two runs in a complete game, striking out three.
The Hawkeyes will be pleased with the series win to start conference play, a good start after an up-and-down non-conference slate. The Hawks have their eyes on a Big Ten title this season and will need to be more consistent during the conference slate than they were to start the year to achieve those goals.
Freshmen Jena Young and Soo-Jin Berry are settling in and have been on a heater at the plate over the past few weeks and their contributions will go a long way towards lengthening the lineup and putting pressure on opposing pitchers. There's a long way to go, but the Hawks took care of business last weekend.
They'll host Michigan State (12-17, 0-3 Big Ten) for a three-game set next weekend. (B1G+)
Gymnastics
Iowa gymnastics posted a 193.975 at the Big Ten Championships last weekend, placing 10th. Bailey Libby was a standout performer on floor, scoring 9.900, while Ilka Juk was a strong competitor on beam, scoring 9.850. Libby was named to the All-Big Championship team for her performance.
In yet another blow for the Hawkeyes, star performer Karina Munoz took a fall during her floor routine and pulled out of the rest of the meet, dealing another blow to a Hawkeye team plagued with injuries this season. Still, the Hawkeyes were able to qualify three individuals to the NCAA Regional meet. Munoz (all-around), Juk (beam), as well as Emily Erb (floor), each qualified individually for the regional meet.
It's been a tough year for the Hawkeyes, who had to adapt and regroup multiple times as the injuries piled up. The valuable experience will no doubt pay dividends in the future as the underclassmen continue to improve and a few individual Hawkeyes still have the chance to compete in postseason competition.
Tennis
Iowa Tennis (8-7) split their matches last weekend, beating #34 Illinois (11-6) 4-2 before falling to #35 Northwestern (13-4) 1-4. The Hawkeyes lost the doubles point to start the match against the Illini but rebounded to win singles points on the top four courts to seal the match victory. Iowa winners included Daianne Hayashida, Marisa Schmidt, Barbora Pokorna, and Pia Kranholdt. Schmidt was the lone winner for the Hawkeyes against Northwestern.
Iowa's strong weekend brings them to 3-1 in the Big Ten to start conference play. After an up-and-down start to the season, the Hawkeyes have bounced back and earned victories against multiple ranked teams. The Hawkeyes will go on the road for their next match, traveling to Wisconsin for a weekend battle (3/29, 4:00).
