For the ISU gymnastics team, a combination of the emotions involved with Senior Night and time off over Spring Break proved be exactly what Iowa State needed to motivate them to a season-high team score.

The 17th-ranked Cyclones (12-5) capped off their final home meet of the year by defeating No. 16 Denver (13-7) and Iowa (8-11), 196.700-195.700-194.500.

“We have a new attitude now,” said senior Ashley Alden, who returned Friday after being sidelined by an ankle injury for almost two months. “We were getting a little burnt out from the season. We came back last week [from Spring Break] and we had a whole new attitude in the gym. Everyone came to this meet knowing we were going to win and knowing we were going to hit and it was the best meet.”

Alden was one of four ISU seniors, also including Janet Anson, Jade Kvach and Katie Lasher, who were competing for the final time in Hilton Coliseum.

“I couldn’t ask for anything more from our team,” said Anson, who remarkably took first place in all but one event. “We just had fun tonight and it all came together. It was emotional and exciting – I mean, there were so many emotions, you can’t really explain it.”

For Kvach – an Ames native who has spent most of her career training in Beyer Hall as part of the Cardinal Gymnastics Academy and now the Cyclones – the night was very significant because it was the culmination of many important things in her life.

“There were definitely a lot of emotions flowing just because you’re finishing up your gymnastics career here at Hilton and school’s coming to an end,” Kvach said. “There’s a lot of things going through your head.”

Despite the underlying theme of the night being to honor the seniors, including specialized pre-meet entrances and post-meet tribute videos dedicated to the group, the foursome points to their younger counterparts for much of Friday night’s success.

“I was really thankful that our team knew it was an important night for us, so I think they put their extra effort out there and really helped us to have a really good meet,” Lasher said.

For ISU coach Jay Ronayne, the meet was significant beyond the Senior Night festivities. His team reached scores of 49 or higher on all four events for the first time this season – proof that some of his recent coaching changes have had a positive response.

“I told them that the way we were handling things before – mainly the way I was handling things – was creating an atmosphere that wasn’t conducive to winning, so we made some conscious changes,” he said.

Up next for the Cyclones is the Big 12 Championship on Saturday. Ronayne said there isn’t a better time for Iowa State to begin its recent swing in momentum, especially when competing against top-10 teams Nebraska and Oklahoma.

“It’s pretty obvious it’s huge [to have this momentum],” he said. “I mean, it’s kind of hard to stop the train now.”

As for the seniors, competing in their last home meet isn’t so much sad as bittersweet.

“It was sad, but exciting at the same time because we’re moving on to the next chapter in our lives,” Alden said.

Anson has her own reasons behind her bittersweet feelings toward her final college competitions.

“I mean, we’re 22-years-old. You’re not supposed to do gymnastics after like 16,” she said.