A record crowd of 3,429 witnessed something they hadn’t seen in Hilton Coliseum in a long time – ISU gymnastics losing to a Big 12 opponent at home.

Despite a furious comeback on floor exercise, the sixth-ranked Cyclones (4-1, 0-1 Big 12) lost to No. 5 Nebraska (5-1, 1-0 Big 12), 195.725-195.325, Friday night in the first Big 12 dual meet of the season.

Iowa State, however, certainly isn’t devastated by the loss. With national rankings determined by total season average and win-loss records only being a source of pride, the Cyclones might jump up in the national rankings due to the mistakes they corrected after Jan. 13’s dual meet against Minnesota.

“Well, we improved a lot from last meet, so the loss is hard but we weren’t really thinking of it as a loss,” said Janet Anson, the meet’s all-around champion. “We were thinking of it as a gain of what we’ve done the past week. We had a lot of people step in tonight and they did an amazing job.”

The bigger loss for Iowa State is potentially losing sophomore Ashley Kent for the season. Kent, Iowa State’s anchor on balance beam, suffered a knee injury after a rough dismount on uneven bars. The Calgary, Alberta, native struggled to stand on her feet before eventually falling backwards. Coach Jay Ronayne helped Kent walk off the mat.

“We’re not sure exactly and nothing is definitive, but it doesn’t look good,” Ronayne said of Kent’s injury. “We may have lost her for the season. It’s nearly sure that she will not be competing for the rest of the year again.”

Despite the hard landing, Kent herself didn’t believe she had suffered a serious injury until minutes after she finished her routine.

“I felt it right as I landed and once the pain kind of went away, I thought ‘Oh, I’m good,’ and then about five minutes later I was like ‘No, I’m not,'” she said.

Kent’s likely replacement on bars will be sophomore Jasmine Thompson. Thompson, who has looked strong on bars in practice, earned the Mari-Rae Sopper Outstanding Performance Award after having a career night, earning a 9.700 on vault, 9.800 on beam and 9.825 on floor exercise.

Ronayne cites Thompson’s strong performances as one of the night’s highlights.

“Jasmine is one of the big positives because she’s been struggling,” he said. “This was more of the Jasmine that we were expecting. She still has room to grow – she’s going to be much, much better.”

Thompson was pleased to win the Sopper award, but believes this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to posting high scores.

“There is a lot more to come for sure, but to start right now, it’s good,”

Kent’s replacement on balance beam will be 4-foot-11 freshman Katie Sweetin, who earned a 9.650 on beam and a 9.825 on floor exercise. Even though she’s the shortest ISU gymnast, she might have the highest self-confidence on the team.

“I actually knew I was going to nail it right before I walked on floor,” she said of her final pass on floor exercise. “It’s a little confidence thing I guess [I have] going. Having the crowd helps.”

ISU gymnasts and coaches alike were thrilled with Friday night’s record crowd. Sweetin points to the atmosphere in Hilton Coliseum as a determining factor in her decision to compete for Iowa State.

“I came to a few meets last year and my junior year and that’s part of the reason I came to Iowa State – because of the crowd and the energy here,” she said.

Ronayne helped organize a brand new premeet entrance complete with a fog-filled stage and opening video similar to those seen at football and basketball games. He was happy with the turnout for the home meet.

“I loved it,” he said. “I’m really, really proud of all these people who came out here and we’re looking forward to seeing them next time.”

Iowa State’s next competition will be on Feb. 2 against Missouri in Hilton Coliseum. she said. “I’m happy with it.”