The ISU gymnastics team does not have any native Iowans on the roster, but the rivalry with Iowa is still a more important meet than most for the Cyclones.

Iowa State (4-6, 0-2 Big 12) will travel to Iowa (6-5, 2-5 Big Ten) on March 8, 2013. The Cyclones will then go to UCLA to compete in a four-team meet on March 10.

“We like beating the Hawkeyes. We like that a lot. It’s kind of the highlight of the year,” said ISU gymnastics coach Jay Ronayne. “If we lose to them it’s painful. It cuts deep. Everybody feels it.”

Last season the Cyclones and Hawkeyes split in their two meetings.

“[Iowa] is probably our favorite meet to compete at. We probably get the most joy and reward from beating them,” said junior Henrietta Green. “We’re all really excited to go to Iowa and kind of redeem ourselves from last year.”

The difficult weekend continues for Iowa State on March 10. The Cyclones will travel to Los Angles to take on California, No. 3 Michigan and No. 6 UCLA.

Iowa State is coming off a bye week and a win against then-No. 12 Minnesota on senior night. Ronayne said that because of the upset and the time off the Cyclones are “feeling pretty good” about the upcoming meets.

Iowa State said their goal for both meets is an overall team score of 196, a score Iowa State has not received this season. The Cyclones said to score that high, they will need to improve the details of their routines.

“We’re always chasing that 195 or 196 team score,” said senior Elizabeth Stranahan. “Our skills across the board are pretty well even with those top ranked teams. So it’s the little details. It’s the little sticks. It’s the little landings.”

Although Iowa State said they are prepared for this weekend, there is concern that competing in two meets and traveling to both may have an impact on the team’s performance.

“[Traveling is] a little harder than normal. We get more tired. We just have to make sure we’re eating right and sleeping enough to make sure we’re able to perform our best both days,” Green said. “But it’s also exciting to be able to do that.”