Season-High Scores Lead Cyclones to Win

AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State gymnastics team earned its highest score of the season on the way to winning its first home meet of the season. All-around gymnasts sophomore Haylee Young and freshman Meaghan Sievers highlighted the meet, with Young taking first place in the all-around (39.225), and Sievers earning team high scores on vault (9.850) and bars. Sievers and Hilary Green tied for first on the uneven bars with season-high 9.900's.

Those weren't the only season records set for Iowa State, as they reached team-high scores on vault, beam, and bars on the way to score a season-high 195.650 overall. This put them in first place in front of NC State, who took second with 194.475, and Lindenwood, who placed third with 194.250.

“We did have mistakes that we can still work on,” head coach Jay Ronayne said. “But I really liked how the team stayed focused on every event. They were competitors today, and that's exactly what we've asked them to be. I think that's what Cyclone fans expect from them. It's a glimpse of what's to come in the future.”

Floor Exercise
Iowa State continued it's four-meet streak of excellent floor performances, bringing in the highest score of the meet on the event with a 49.075. Haylee Young and Briana Ledesma showed their strength on the event with a 9.850 each. In her career debut on floor, and first event competing this season, Courtney Middelkoop showed some real potential and brought in a 9.825 for her efforts. Kelsey Paz also earned a 9.825, and Meaghan Sievers contributed a 9.725 to a solid overall performance for the Cyclones on floor.

Assistant coach Kristen Maloney:
“I thought floor went well. There were a few spots here and there I feel like we need to improve on, however, I still feel like floor's going really well this year. I'm happy with how they did.”

Uneven Bars
The Cyclones earned a season-high event score of 49.025 on the uneven bars, with both Meaghan Sievers and Hilary Green earning team-high 9.900's. The two student-athletes tied for first place on the event, and Meaghan Sievers received the Mari-Rae Sopper award for her performance. Kelsey Paz earned the next-highest score with a solid 9.775, and Haylee Young and Briana Ledesma both contributed 9.725's.

Head coach Jay Ronayne:
“Bars showed more promise. I'd say this week is the closest to what we see in the gym. So, that is exactly how I want them to compete, to keep going after it and leave any reservations at home. That's more of what they did today, and I think the results really speak for it.”

Vault
Iowa State stepped up their game on vault this week, bringing in a season team-high score with a 48.875. Freshman Meaghan Sievers earned the highest score on the event with a 9.850, followed by sophomores Haylee Young and Briana Ledesma, who both score 9.800's. Sydney Converse and Sara Townsend also contributed with a 9.750 and 9.675, respectively.

Volunteer coach Danielle Guider:
“I was very pleased with vault. I think that all the work we did in the gym on landings and stuff really paid off. I think that there's still room to get even better, which makes it exciting.”

Balance Beam
Another season-high event score came for the Cyclones on balance beam. Senior Alex Marasco brought in the best score for the team on the event with a 9.875, tying her career high. Young came in close behind with a 9.850. Sievers, Converse, and Paz also contributed on the event, scoring a 9.700, a 9.650, and a 9.600, respectively. The team's efforts added up to an event score of 48.675.

Assistant coach Katie Minasola:
“I thought today went pretty well. There were a few mistakes, but I think overall the team did a really good job. They got up and did what we've been practicing. We still have things to fix, but we're going to work on them.”

All-Around
Iowa State had three all-around competitors for its first home meet of the season: Haylee Young, Meaghan Sievers, and Kelsey Paz. The trio did well, with Young placing first in the all-around with 39.225 and Sievers tying for second with 39.175. Paz had a good meet with a 9.825 on floor being the highlight on the way to earning an all-around score of 38.850.

Up Next
The Cyclones will be hosting another meet next weekend, this time against a conference opponent, West Virginia. The meet will be on Friday and will start at 6:30 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Sydney Converse

Hilary Green

Briana Ledesma

Alex Marasco

Courtney Middelkoop

Kelsey Paz

Meaghan Sievers

Sara Townsend

Haylee Young

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics