No. 13 ISU Gymnasts Face Minnesota in Hilton Tonight

02.26.2010 | Gymnastics

By: cyclones.com

AMES, Iowa--After three-straight meets on the road, the 13th-ranked Iowa State gymnastics team returns to Hilton Coliseum Friday night at 7 p.m. to face Minnesota.

Live Stats: cyclones.com
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Twitter: Live scoring updates on twitter.com/iowastategymnas

Cyclone Notebook
? After competing on the road for its last three meets, the No. 13 Iowa State gymnastics team returns to Hilton Coliseum Friday at 7 p.m. to face Minnesota.
? Iowa State is in its 40th season of gymnastics. The Cyclones have a 406-455-4 all-time record.

Promotions
? Tickets are only $1.00. The first 100 students and 100 kids receive a free t-shirt.

Last Time Out
? The No. 15 Iowa State gymnastics team secured the annual Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series with a 194.475-193.825 win over Iowa last Sunday afternoon in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, as senior Megan Barnes and freshman Rebecca Ellis made their season debuts for the Cyclones.

The Series
? Minnesota leads the all-time series 36-28.
? In the last meeting between the two teams, Iowa State won 195.650-193.775 at the April 4, 2009, NCAA North Central Regional in Iowa City, Iowa.
? The last time the Gophers met the Cyclones in Hilton Coliseum, ISU won 194.600-191.475 on Feb. 20, 2009, at Iowa State's Beauty and the Beast event. The meet was the largest crowd (7,224) to ever see the Iowa State gymnastics team perform.

Cyclones Return to No. 13 in the Country
? In the latest national rankings, Iowa State matched its previous highest mark of the year, coming in at No. 13. The Cyclones were previously ranked 13th on Feb. 1.

Gymnasts Clinch Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series
? The Cyclones' Feb. 21 win over Iowa gave Iowa State two points in the annual Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series, putting the overall score at 14-9. With only four points remaining in this year's series, the gymnasts' victory secured the trophy coming back to Ames for the second time in three years.

Browning Big 12 Gymnast of the Week Again
? Michelle Browning's career-high 39.275 and first-place showing in the all-around at Oklahoma on Feb. 12 helped her garner Big 12 Gymnast of the Week honors for the second time this season. The Houston, Texas native previously won the award Feb. 2.

Ashley Automatic
? Fifth-year senior Ashley Kent has proven to be one of the most steady beam performers in the country this season. Kent has not scored lower than 9.825 on the apparatus in 2010, and delivered her best performance of the year at Oklahoma Feb. 12, scoring a 9.875. Kent is the 13th-ranked beam worker in the country.

ISU on the National Scene
? Iowa State senior Ashley Kent is 13th in the country on beam, with a 9.835 regional-qualifying score.
? Sophomore Michelle Browning is ranked 18th in the all-around with a regional-qualifying score of 39.062.
? As a team, ISU is ranked in all four events. ISU is No. 8 on beam (48.885), No. 18 on bars (48.755), 17th on floor (48.845) and No. 21 on vault (48.810).

Early-Season Vault Concerns Being Dispelled
? With injuries to three key vault performers (Megan Barnes, Nikki Dilbert and Katie Sweetin) in the preseason, the Cyclones had few options on the event. However, the vast improvement shown on the event by sophomores Shea Anderson and Celine Paulus and junior Alex Grant have allowed the Cyclones to consistently score well on the event.

Cyclones Post Highest Score Since 2007
? At Iowa State's meet at No. 1 Oklahoma Feb. 12, the Cyclones scored a 196.225, the highest ISU has scored since scoring a 196.700 on March 23, 2007, against Iowa.
? Iowa State's highest team score in program history is a 198.000, a score the Cyclones posted March 14, 2004, at Nebraska.

Cyclones Hit Hard by Injuries
? A squad that appeared to be loaded with experience heading into the 2010 campaign is now leaning heavily on its youth. Seniors Megan Barnes (knee), Nikki Dilbert (elbow) and Katie Sweetin (achilles) were seriously injured in preseason training. Junior Jasmine Swyningan (knee) will not see action this season either. ISU all-arounder Jody McKellar did not compete in the Cyclones' meet at Iowa after suffering multiple ankle injuries in the past three weeks.

Ronayne Signs Six for 2011 Campaign
? New faces will be aplenty in 2010-11 on the Iowa State gymnastics squad, as Cyclone head coach Jay Ronayne added six gymnasts from all across the map for next year's campaign. Henrietta Green (San Bernadino, Calif.), Milan Ivory (Marietta, Ga.), Hailey Johnson (Covina, Calif.), Megan McDonald (Woodbridge, Va.), Camille Santerre-Gervais (Saint-Lazare, Quebec) and Michelle Shealy (Snellville, Ga.) are set to become members of the incoming class in 2010-11.

ISU Looks to Continue NCAA Regional Run
? The 2009 Cyclone gymnastics squad qualified for the program's 13th consecutive NCAA Regional. ISU will look to make its 14th straight regional appearance in 2010.