“Pistol” Pete Maravich was one of basketball’s all-time great acrobats, but even he would have been impressed by the dizzying dives seen by the crowd in Baton Rouge, La. Friday night.

The No. 7 ISU gymnastics team achieved a third-place finish, earning 194.05 points during Friday’s Super Six Challenge, held in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

The Cyclones bested now-ranked No. 8 Louisiana State (193.90), No. 11 Auburn (193.675) and No. 14 Missouri (192.10), while narrowly falling to No. 5 Alabama (194.250) and No. 6 Nebraska (194.10).

As a result of the Cyclones strong showing, they surpassed LSU in the latest GymInfo national women’s college gymnastics rankings. The Cyclones were previously ranked No. 11 and LSU held the No. 7 spot.

“We were very impressed with our performance. It was a very good meet to start the year off with, with some of the most amazing national powerhouses in the country. It was the first time ISU has ever beat LSU, and to come up behind Alabama by .02 is a very big accomplishment,” said coach K.J. Kindler.

After finishing its four events, Iowa State led with one rotation to go. Alabama and Nebraska posted solid scores in the final rotation, narrowly edging out the Cyclones.

The season opener still proved to be a tremendous start for the Cyclones. Junior Janet Anson, a two-time All-American, led the way with a fourth-place finish in the all-around competition with a total score of 38.925.

Senior Erin Dethloff, a three-time All-American, and sophomore Jade Kvach tied for seventh, with 38.65 points each.

Iowa State achieved a meet-best 48.35 in the floor exercise, beating 2005 NCAA Championship runner-up Alabama, which attained a score of 48.30.

“I’m very excited about how we did in floor exercise. We started out on it, and it’s a difficult event to start out on,” Kindler said.

Anson led the Cyclones with a score of 9.8, attaining second place overall. Senior Laura-Kay Powell followed closely behind, with a fourth-place finish off a score of 9.75.

“I’m just glad that my score helped the team. Overall, everyone did well on the floor,” Anson said.

Junior Katie Lasher led Iowa State in the uneven bars and the vault, posting scores of 9.85 and 9.875, respectively. Her performance on the vault proved to be a career best.

“One of my struggles has been not being able to stick a vault, and when I stuck it, it was the greatest feeling,” Lasher said.

Kindler said he was proud of Lasher’s performance on the vault.

“She did the best vault I’ve ever seen her do – ever – and that includes practice,” Kindler said.

Iowa State’s weakest showing was on the beam. The Cyclones placed fifth overall with a score of 47.825. Dethloff led the Cyclones with a 9.725, but the team as a whole has room to improve.

“We were a little rough on the beam – it wasn’t what we were desiring or expecting. Talent-wise, I think beam should actually be our strongest event,” said Kindler.

The Super Six Challenge is scheduled to air Sunday at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

Iowa State returns to Ames on Friday for its home opener against the University of Illinois. The action beings at 7 p.m.