At the Big 12 women’s gymnastics championships Saturday, the ISU gymnastics team will try to continue its domination of conference opponents this season.

No. 4 Iowa State (13-3 overall, 4-0 Big 12 duals) heads into Lincoln, Neb., determined to win its second Big 12 championship and achieve the first perfect Big 12 record in school history.

“I’m excited for Saturday and anticipating a great finish,” said coach K.J. Kindler. “I’m just excited for the team because of the position that they put themselves going into this meet.”

Iowa State is no stranger to success in Lincoln’s Bob Devaney Sports Center. On March 5, Iowa State defeated Nebraska, 196.250-196.125, snapping Nebraska’s 60-meet home winning streak, which dated back to 1993.

The Cyclone gymnasts are confident about their chances of bringing home the Big 12 championship, but Kindler isn’t one to make predictions.

“I’m confident that we have the ability to win and that we’ve earned it, but I can’t predict if we’ll win,” Kindler said. “All I can think is that we’re prepared for it and we’ve earned it, but we’ve got to earn it that night. All that matters is that night.”

Winning the championship is easier said than done, however. All four Big 12 teams are currently ranked in the top 13 nationally and bring different strengths to the table. No. 6 Oklahoma averages 49.310 on vault, second best in the country. No. 11 Nebraska averages 49.120 on uneven bars, sixth best in the country. No. 13 Missouri rounds out the group, averaging 49.105 on balance beam, fifth best in the country.

However, Iowa State is the only Big 12 team nationally ranked in the top 10 in each event, led by No. 2 rankings in both floor exercise and balance beam, with average scores of 49.270 and 49.125, respectively. The team is sixth in vault and eighth on bars.

Junior Janet Anson recognizes that the competition is stiff, but notes that her team performs stronger when competing against tough opponents.

“We’ve trained really hard the past week and we’re really confident going in with our big win over Iowa,” she said. “We’ve beaten all them through the season, so we have a lot of confidence and we’re ready to go out and perform.”

Anson is no stranger to individual success. Tied for first nationally on vault with a 9.935 average, Anson is widely regarded as one of the best gymnasts in the country. She is tied for third in the country in the floor exercise with a 9.915 average and fourth all-around with a 39.445 average. Anson also currently leads the Big 12 in vault, floor and all-around, and she’s been named Big 12 gymnast of the week three times this season.

“Janet [Anson] has certainly set herself up for a good shot at being in the top three at Big 12s, if not being the all-around champ there,” Kindler said.

Cyclone gymnasts have also experienced success in the classroom. This week, four ISU gymnasts were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Gymnastics Team. Seniors Krystal Carney and Kacey Oiness were named to the first team, and senior Jessica Oney and junior Ashley Alden were named to the second team.

This weekend’s Big 12 championships will be televised via tape delay on Fox Sports. In central Iowa, the meet will be shown on Fox Sports Midwest at 11 a.m. Thursday and at noon Friday.

It’s only the second time the Cyclones have competed in a televised meet this season, and they plan on making the most of it.

“It’s nice that we’re finally being recognized on TV,” Anson said. “We’ve had a couple papers here and there, but it’s really exciting to know that people will be able to see us even though they can’t come to the meet.”

The Big 12 championship begins at 6 p.m.