Iowa State University Athletics
Gymnastics 2017 Season Review
04.24.2017 | Gymnastics
AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State gymnastics team wrapped up a noteworthy season with an individual appearance from Haylee Young in the NCAA Championships last weekend. The Cyclones fought to come back from a disappointing 2016 season, where they missed qualifying for the NCAA Regional competition for the first time in 19 years. ISU was successful in its efforts, making their way into the top-25 twice this season on their way to qualifying for the NCAA Lincoln Regional. The Cyclones finished the season tied for second most improved in the top-30 of the regular season rankings.
Best Meet
The Cyclones recorded a season-high score against No. 6 Alabama, which also serves as the highest score from an ISU team since the 2014 Big 12 Championship and the highest regular season score since 2007. ISU nearly defeated the No. 6 team in the country with a 196.600 team score. To earn the score the team recorded their highest scores of the season on vault and the uneven bars. Young led the team on all three events to earn her career high on vault, uneven bars, and the all-around. Her 39.525 in the all-around is the highest posted by an ISU gymnast since Janet Anson in 2007.
The Cyclones were leading No. 6 Alabama going into the final rotation 147.600-147.450 but the Crimson Tide put up five straight 9.900+ routines on floor to pull out the win 197.100-196.600.
Season High Event Scores
Beam
Before recording season-high vault, uneven bars and meet scores at Alabama, the Cyclones had another 196+ meet at Texas Woman's University. There, ISU tied for the fourth-highest balance beam score in school history with a 49.425 to end with a team score of 196.125, the highest score from an Iowa State team since the 2014 Regional Competition in Baton Rouge, La. Several Cyclones hit their career or season-high scores to hit the beam score, including two 9.900+ routines.
Haylee Young earned her career-high on beam with a 9.925, the highest individual score on the event from an ISU gymnast this season. She was followed closely by freshman Casandra Diaz, who recorded the first 9.900 on balance beam from a freshman since Young earned the score in 2014. Kelsey Paz and MJ Johnson both hit 9.875's to help record the 49.425, Johnson earning her career-high on the event and Paz tying her own.
Floor
The Cyclones hit three 9.900 routines against the No. 14 Hawkeyes en route to earning their highest floor score of the season. The three performances from Haylee Young, Briana Ledesma, and Kelsey Paz helped the team to a 49.300 on the event.
Ledesma earned the Cyclones' individual season-high on the event earlier in the season with a 9.925 at home against Towson and Wisconsin-Oshkosh, while Young has earned a 9.900 six times this season. Paz, however, recorded a career-high at the meet with her 9.900 routine. Hilary Green and Meaghan Sievers both hit 9.800s on floor to help round out the scoring for the 49.300.
Looking Ahead
The Cyclones won't be making many changes in the roster going into the 2018 season. With no seniors graduating in 2017, the team's current leaders in the junior class will be coming back for their final season. The Iowa State gymnastics program was also lucky enough to sign two new faces to the squad for next season, including the first Peruvian gymnast to compete in the Olympics, Ariana Orrego Martinez, and the 2017 Pennsylvania State All-Around Champion, Sophia Steinmeyer.
Iowa State returns two NCAA Championship Qualifiers in current junior Haylee Young and sophomore Meaghan Sievers. Young qualified for the NCAA Championship as an all-around competitor after leading the team in several events this season. Young holds the team's season high on beam and the all-around, and finished the season ranked fifth in the Big 12 and No. 19 in the country with an all-around RQS of a 39.370.
Sievers qualified for the 2016 NCAA Championship on vault as a freshman, making her the third freshman in Iowa State history to qualify for the competition as an individual event specialist. Sievers continued to impress on vault throughout the 2017 season, tying her career-high with a 9.925 at the West Virginia tri-meet with Maryland on Feb. 26. The sophomore also improved on her other three events this season, solidifying herself as an all-around competitor for the last few meets of the season.
A large amount of the team's potential for next season lies in the soon-to-be senior class. Kelsey Paz competed regularly in the all-around throughout 2017. The Sioux City native has shown continual improvement throughout her three seasons with Iowa State, earning or tying career-highs on every event and the all-around in 2017.
Briana Ledesma has also shown incredible improvement in both 2016 and 2017. Ledesma holds the Cyclones' individual season-highs on both the uneven bars with a 9.900 and on floor with a 9.925. Ledesma served as one of the team's captains in 2017, and performed three 9.900+ routines on the season.
Hilary Green and Courtney Middelkoop also continued as contributors for the Cyclones in 2017, both competing in every meet this season. Green has historically been one of ISU's favorites on the uneven bars, holding a career-high of 9.900 which she's hit twice in her time as a Cyclone. The Madison, Alabama native has now made herself a regular on floor and hit her career-high on beam this season with a 9.850 against Texas Woman's University.
Middelkoop is a regular in both the vault and floor lineups, alternating between the two events throughout 2017. The junior helped contribute to the Cyclones' highest score of the season at No. 6 Alabama by tying her career-high on floor with a 9.825.
There has also been noticeable improvement from the sophomore class throughout 2017. Sydney Converse made a large impact after returning from an off-season injury, earning a season-high 9.825 on balance beam and a career-high 9.850 on vault. MJ Johnson became a regular in the lineups throughout 2017 after making only three appearances in competition in 2016.
Casandra Diaz was a standout for the freshman class, competing on both floor and beam throughout the season, and earning a career-high 9.900 on balance beam against Texas Woman's University on Jan. 29. Freshman Molly Russ and Laura Burns also made their collegiate debuts in 2017, Russ on floor and balance beam and Burns on the uneven bars.
Gymnast Honors
Academic All-Big 12 First team
Academic All-Big 12 First team
Academic All-Big 12 First Team
Academic All-Big 12 Second Team
NCAA National Championship All-Around Qualifier
Players Mentioned
