A strong team means a strong outlook for the season.

The ISU gymnastics team hopes to improve from its poor showing at the NCAA Regional competition last season with a stronger team this year.

“To get us stronger, faster, quicker, we kept up with our cardio and conditioning,” said junior Hailey Johnson. “I think that really gave us a jump start for the preseason strengthwise.”

Iowa State concluded its 2011 season with a last-place finish at its regional meet in Salt Lake City.

“Things progressed just as we had planned all the way through the season up until the NCAA [regional] tournament,” said ISU coach Jay Ronayne. “The wheels fell off. It was not exactly what we had anticipated for ourselves. We had a rough showing on balance beam that knocked us out immediately.”

Although the season does not begin until Jan. 9, 2013, when Wisconsin-La Crosse visits Ames, the team has some competition experience with intrasquad meets.

The gymnasts have participated in two intrasquad meets already this year and will conclude their preseason with a final one Friday, Dec. 7.

“This intrasquad is going to be a little different than our previous two because it’ll be in Hilton — it’ll be close to what a meet situation feels like,” said senior Elizabeth Stranahan. “It helps us control those nerves and get out there and be before a crowd.”

This season, the Cyclones have set their sights on an appearance at the NCAA Championships. Getting to the championship meet is a feat ISU gymnastics has only accomplished three times before, its last appearance occurring in 2006.

“Only 12 teams in the country make it into the finals,” Ronayne said. “It’s usually about the same teams that always go, and every once in a while somebody else sneaks in. We want to be one of those sneaking in.”

Getting to the championship meet, however, will not be easy since Iowa State will face seven teams that finished the 2012 season ranked in the top 25.

But Ronayne said his team will reach the NCAA championship with its strength.

“We have some returners, veterans, upperclassmen, that are way stronger than they were last year, physically and competitively,” Ronayne said. “They’re just better, so that’s going to help us.”