After watching a season of unprecedented national success by the ISU women’s gymnastics team, one thing is certain for Cyclone gymnastics fans — next season should not be missed.

“I thought the team was beaming with pride [at nationals],” said Big 12 and National Coach of the Year K.J. Kindler. “They’ve known, and we’ve known for a while how good they are, but to compete and turn heads the way they did, it’s something that is going to go very far for them next season.”

The Cyclones completed their second consecutive undefeated season at home, posting a 12-3 record en route to a pair of second place finishes at both the Big 12 and NCAA Central Region championships. They earned the school’s second-ever trip the NCAA national championships in Auburn, Ala.

There, the Cyclones finished eighth in the nation and walked away with two individual event medalists, with three gymnasts earning All-American honors.

“It was so overwhelming,” Kindler said about the Cyclones’ success this season. “After all of the trials and tribulations we went through this year, for the team to be so resilient and positive, to overcome all the obstacles that were put in front of them, they defiantly achieved the unexpected this season.”

Though the team’s talent may not have been a factor in limiting its success, injuries and illnesses were constant threats.

Throughout the season, the Cyclones faced nearly a dozen lineup-changing injuries. An elbow injury sidelined junior standout Krystal Carney for the entire season. The team missed the all-arounder, as she consistently earned a 9.90 on several events her sophomore year. A similar injury put sophomore all-arounder Jade Kvach out of several competitions including her best event, the uneven bars, throughout the entire second half of the season.

Additionally, various injuries limited participation by juniors Laura-Kay Powell and Jessica Oney, and sophomores Ashley Alden and Katie Lasher, at different points of the season. At one point, injuries and illnesses left the lineup so battered that the absence of one more gymnast would have forced the team to compete without a full lineup.

Senior Abigail Richey said the injuries caused the team to work better together, noting that the situations always gave another member of the team a chance to step up and prove themselves.

“I can’t imagine next year being a more difficult year,” Kindler said. “We were always scrambling, the team was always having to pull together in a pinch, and I think that is what made them such a strong team.”

The team only loses one routine from the lineup — Richey’s contribution on balance beam — which leaves it in an excellent position to improve upon this season’s record-breaking success.

Adding to the depth will be four highly qualified new recruits, including Canadian national balance beam champion Ashley Kent. Additionally, Carney and Kvach return to the lineup, most likely in top form.

“Our depth increases tenfold next year,” Kindler said. “The experience of this year will go so far next year.

“From a coaching standpoint, I can coach and coach, but without having the experience of being there [on the national stage], the team can’t progress to the next level of success.

“That’s what’s going to make the difference next year.”