Countdown Begins for ISU Gymnasts

AMES, Iowa - The No. 17 Iowa State gymnastics team and second-year head coach Jay Ronayne met with the media Monday afternoon. The Cyclones took time out of their practice schedule to answer questions and pose for photos as the countdown winds toward their first meet of the season.

ISU begins the 2008 campaign on Friday at 7 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum against seventh-ranked Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are coming off the 2007 Big 12 Championship and a sixth-place NCAA finish.

“Nebraska is a good team, and we have a lot of tough competition this year,” co-captain Jasmine Thompson said. “Our schedule is very challenging.”

Every one of Iowa State's 2008 opponents is either ranked or receiving votes in the GymInfo Top 25 preseason poll. The Cyclones play host to No. 5 Stanford on Feb. 10, and will travel to top-ranked Georgia on March 21. All four Big 12 teams are ranked in the top 20 of the preseason coaches' poll.

While the competition will be tough, Iowa State has taken a new approach to the 2008 season, Ronayne told the media. The Cyclones are looking for fun in every workout and every competition.

“Our identity is that we are out there having fun to be successful,” Ronayne said. “That's been the approach ever since the end of last season. There was so much pressure put on them last year for various reasons. Once we decided to focus on the right reasons, that's when we became successful. We started hitting routines and the success grew from there.”

Iowa State returns a crop of underclassmen and the Cyclones will count on the youngsters to live up to their preseason rankings and beyond. None of the ISU returners have competed for more than one complete season, so the future of the Cyclones looks to be very bright.

“We've got a lot of talent this year,” Thompson said. “I think with a young team we will be in the running for years to come.”