No. 11 Utah Holds Off Upset-Minded No. 21 ISU

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah?A sense of uneasiness rustled through the crowd of 12,605 Friday evening at the Huntsman Center, as the No. 21 Iowa State gymnastics team had the 10-time NCAA champion, Utah, on the ropes for the duration of the meet. In the end, a strong final rotation by the Utes pushed them to a 196.300-195.350 victory.

"It's the type of score we expected from our preseason workouts at this stage of the season," ISU head coach Jay Ronayne said. "I think last week's score fired us up a little bit to focus on what's important. We still have a long ways to go before we'll be able to contend for a Big 12 title, but this is definitely a step along the way of getting there."

The Cyclones (1-1) started on bars and put up a season-best score of 48.900. Iowa State saw career-bests from Michelle Browning (9.775), Celine Paulus (9.750) and Alex Grant (9.750). Seniors Jody McKellar and Ceilia Maccani led the Cyclones with scores of 9.850 and 9.800, respectively. The Utes (1-1) scored a 49.175 on vault to narrowly lead after the first event.

Ronayne was impressed with how the Cyclones dealt with one of the most imposing gymnastics environments in the country.

"A potentially intimidating crowd didn't play a factor, which as a coach is all I can ask from my student-athletes," he said. "I ask them to focus on themselves and keep external factors out of the picture."

The vault proved to be even better than bars for the Cyclones as they scored a 48.950. Paulus led the ISU vault squad with a career-best 9.900. Browning (9.825), Grant (9.775) and Maccani (9.755) also tallied strong scores the Cardinal and Gold. With Utah scoring a 48.900 on bars, the Cyclones inched closer at halftime, as the score was 98.025-97.850.

For the third event, ISU moved to floor and scored a 48.800. Paulus continued her stellar night with a career-high 9.825. Browning (9.775), Anna Robey (9.775), Anderson (9.725) and Melanie Tham (9.700) also tallied solid scores for the Cyclones. After the third rotation, the score was 147.025-146.650, with Utah in the lead.

The final event saw the Cyclones on beam and the Utes on floor. ISU scored a 48.700 on the apparatus. Ashley Kent led the beam squad with a 9.825. Tham (9.750), Browning (9.750) and Maccani (9.725) also put in quality efforts for the Cyclones.

Utah's Jamie Deetscreek won the all-around with a 39.426. Browning was the top Cyclone all-arounder with a 39.125, good for third place.

"Michelle is getting better, but she's just shy of where I know she can be," Ronayne said. "Celine Paulus gave us a glimpse of greatness, and Ashley Kent did her job as always tonight."

Iowa State's next meet will mark the start of Big 12 Conference action. The Cyclones travel to No. 15 Missouri Jan. 22 for a 7 p.m. meet.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Michelle Browning

Michelle Browning

Michelle Browning

Ashley Kent

Ashley Kent

Ceilia Maccani

Ceilia Maccani

Jody McKellar

Jody McKellar

Jody McKellar

Celine Paulus

Celine Paulus

Celine Paulus

Anna Robey

Anna Robey

Melanie Tham

Melanie Tham

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics