ISU gymnastics coach Jay Ronayne is relishing the fact that his team is considered an underdog as it prepares to travel to the West Coast this weekend.

“We are [the underdog] and I like that,” he said. “Nobody should even be looking at us. We get to sneak up and win it without anyone even noticing.”

The 11th-ranked Cyclones (5-1) leave the frigid cold of Iowa to compete in sunny Stanford, Calif., on Friday. The competition meeting them, however – No. 5 Stanford (4-1), No. 16 Oregon State (2-2) and unranked San Jose State (3-4) – ensures that this certainly isn’t a relaxing vacation for Iowa State.

Stanford’s average team score, 196.170, is higher the Cyclones’ season-high score of 195.725. Iowa State’s average of 195.294 is better than Oregon State’s 194.906 average, but Oregon State’s season high of 195.825 tops the Cyclones’ high score.

Recent history shows that the Cyclones have Oregon State’s number. Iowa State last competed against Oregon State at last season’s NCAA championships, besting the Beavers, 196.250-195.150, en route to an appearance in the Super Six Finals.

Despite previous successes against the Beavers, Ronayne and his team know better than to overlook Oregon State and focus on Stanford. In fact, he would rather his team not focus on their opponents at all.

“I’m trying not to have our team look at the other teams and worry about what they’re going to do because we have no control over what they can do,” Ronayne said. “We only control what we are doing.”

Beyond the team level, this could be the Cyclones’ toughest meet of the season, as far as individual competition is concerned. Senior Janet Anson, who is ranked 16th in the nation in the all-around and has won three all-around titles this season, faces a field of four other top-25 gymnasts, two of whom are ranked in the top 10. It was announced Wednesday, however, that 10th-ranked Stanford standout Tabitha Yim will not be competing because of a wrist injury.

A team player throughout her career, Anson maintains that her focus is on her team and not on individual competition

“Individual [competition] is just a perk,” she said. “I just go out and do the same thing every meet for my team to help them out. I don’t really think about the other individuals who compete in the all-around.”

Ronayne notes that despite Anson’s humbleness, an all-around win this weekend would cement her place as one of the nation’s best gymnasts.

“I think it’s analogous to NASCAR,” he said. “Whoever wins that day has really done something because these are all the best drivers in the world on the same track all the time.”

“It really will say something [if she wins].”

When speaking about this weekend’s meet, Ronayne can’t help but share his excitement for the opportunity the Cyclones have ahead themselves.

“It’s kind of cool; we get to see a school like Stanford, who can get walk-ons the caliber of Janet Anson just because it’s Stanford,” he said. “But, it’s also not that their team is so much better than us – they’re not. We’re very, very close to them and any given day we can beat them.

“The best scenario is we go out there and do just a little better than we did last week. We score well. Stanford makes a mistake or two and we walk out with a win.”

ISU freshman Megan Barnes certainly isn’t a stranger to the competition the Cyclones face this weekend. A native of Salt Lake City, Barnes has had previous encounters with each school before coming to Iowa State.

“I was actually recruited by all three of the schools we’re competing against this weekend,” she said. “They were definitely the top schools that I was looking at, but Iowa State was always my number one choice.”