Cyclone Gymnasts to Host Stanford

THIS WEEK IN ISU GYMNASTICS
> Iowa State vs. Stanford
> Sun., Feb. 10, 2 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum
> Live Stats available at cyclones.com
> Live webcast at the Clone Zone

Cyclone Notebook
> After two weeks on the road, the Cyclones return to Hilton Coliseum to play host Stanford. Iowa State is looking to earn its first win of the season after falling in its first three meets. Start time for this meet is set for 2 p.m.
> The Cyclones are in their 35th season of gymnastics. Iowa State holds a 394-424-4 all-time record and has made 12 NCAA Regional appearances in school history, including the last 11 seasons.
> Iowa State returns 12 letterwinners from the 2007 team that went 15-8-1 and tied for second place in the NCAA Central Regional. The Cyclones will try to replace four letterwinners from last season, including eight-time All-American Janet Anson. The Cyclones have added three newcomers this season: Alexandra Grant, Jacquelyn Holmes and Jasmine Swyningan.
> Iowa State has never beaten Stanford, losing both meets with the Cardinal. The Cyclones beat Oregon State and San Jose State but lost to Stanford in a four-team meet on Feb. 9, 2007. The other meeting between the two schools came on Feb. 8. 1991.
> The Iowa State gymnastics team fell out of the national rankings. This is the first time since Feb., 2003, that the Cyclones have not been in the top 25. Georgia is currently the No. 1 team in the nation.
> The Iowa State coaching staff is in its second season in Ames. Head coach Jay Ronayne guided the Cyclones to a second-place finish in the Central Region in his first season at the helm of the ISU program. Also in their second season are assistant coaches Jay Santos and TeShawne Jackson, and director of gymnastics operations Mary Ronayne. Eight-time All-American Janet Anson is in her first season as a volunteer assistant coach.
> Subscribers to the Clone Zone will have access to web casts of all the home gymnastics meets and road meets at Minnesota and Nebraska. To subscribe to the Clone Zone, go to cyclones.com. Live stats will also be available during home meets at cyclones.com.

A Closer Look at Stanford
> The Cardinal are 1-2 in their first three meets, but those losses have come to No. 1 Georgia and No. 9 UCLA. They claimed a win over No. 20 Arizona on Jan. 20.
> Stanford and UCLA will compete in the Chicago Style Invitational in Chicago on Friday, Feb. 8 before traveling to face Iowa State.
> Stanford won the South Central Regional going away last season, beating second- place Oregon State by .525. It went on to finish fifth at the NCAA Championship. It was Stanford's third trip to the Super Six in the last six years.
> The Cardinal return their entire team from their run to the Super Six from a season ago. Tabitha Yim led Stanford at Nationals, scoring a 9.900 on the vault and beam. She also led the team with a 9.850 on the bars. Carly Janiga added a 9.900 on floor.
> Stanford holds a 2-0 advantage over Iowa State in the all-time series.

Captain of the Ship
> Ashley Kent and Jasmine Thompson will serve as Iowa State captains for the 2008 season. Kent, a junior from Calgary, Alberta, was a regular on bars and beam in a freshman season that earned her the ISU Most Improved Gymnast Award. She missed most of the 2007 season after suffering a knee injury in the third meet of the year. Thompson, a junior from McDonald, Ohio, was a key contributor in all-around competition last year after redshirting her initial collegiate season. She earned the Mari-Rae Sopper Award Jan. 19, against Nebraska signifying the most outstanding and inspiring performance.

Fresh Faces
> The Cyclones return 12 letterwinners, but none of ISU's returners have competed for more than one full season at Iowa State. Ashley Kent competed as a freshman in 2006 and began competing in 2007 before ending the season with an injury just three meets into the campaign. Just three Cyclones have previous experience competing in the all-around.

Poll Position
> The Iowa State gymnastics team fell out of the national rankings. This is the first time since Feb., 2003, that the Cyclones have not been in the top 25. Georgia is currently the No. 1 team in the nation, taking that spot back from Florida two weeks ago. Big 12 teams Oklahoma (No. 6), Nebraska (No. 12) and Missouri (No. 14) are all ranked.

You Look Familiar
> Eight-time All-American and two-time Big 12 Gymnast of the Year (2006, 2007), Janet Anson is on the Iowa State coaching staff this season, serving as the volunteer assistant coach. Anson was a two-time ISU Female Athlete of the Year (2004, 2006) and in 2007, claimed the American Award, which is given to the top Division I gymnast.

On Their Way to Ames
> Michelle Browning (Houston, Texas) and Celine Paulus (Yorba Linda, Calif.) will join the Cyclones for the 2008-09 academic year after signing National Letters of Intent last semester. Browning comes to ISU from Champion Gymnastics in Houston. An all-around gymnast, she finished second on bars and 15th on beam at the 2007 Level 10 Junior Olympic Nationals. Paulus finished 11th on bars at the JO Nationals before an injury on beam prevented her from completing the meet. Paulus added top 10 finishes in all five events at the regional championships.

A Look Back at 2007
> Coming off the first Super Six appearance in program history, the Iowa State gymnastics team experienced an up-and-down 2007 campaign. The graduation of five key seniors and a coaching change in the off-season made the season a time of transition. The highs included Janet Anson earning her eighth All-America honor in addition to her second Big 12 Gymnast of the Year Award, an accolade she shared with Nebraska's Emily Parsons. Freshman Megan Barnes also represented ISU well as Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. The Cyclones just missed competing at the NCAA Championships after tying Oklahoma in at the Regional meet. The Sooners advanced by two-tenths of a point when the sixth score for each team was added.

Players Mentioned

Janet Anson

Megan Barnes

Megan Barnes

Megan Barnes

Michelle Browning

Alexandra Grant

Alexandra Grant

Jacquelyn Holmes

Jacquelyn Holmes

Ashley Kent

Ashley Kent

Ashley Kent

Celine Paulus

Jasmine Thompson

Jasmine Thompson

Jasmine Thompson

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics