Two-thirds of the way through her freshman season, it’s evident Janet Anson will likely have a lasting impact on Cyclone women’s gymnastics.

A frontrunner for 2004 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors, Anson is consistently a top-three finisher in the all-around competition, has received a near-perfect 9.975 on vault and has been named both Big 12 and Inside Gymnastics’ Gymnast of the Week.

Head coach K.J. Kindler said Anson has great potential, although it’s too early to say how high she’ll fly.

“If it goes on the way it has been going, she could definitely be one of the best gymnasts the team has ever seen,” Kindler said. “She is very comparable to Sissy Huey and Erin [Dethloff].”

Both Huey and Dethloff exploded onto the collegiate gymnastics scene as freshmen, qualifying for nationals as individual all-arounders. Last season, Dethloff topped off her freshman campaign with Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and All-American honors.

“[Winning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year] was my goal coming into this year, besides having the team go to nationals,” Anson said. “It’s one extra thing that you can say later on. People will know that you were the best at the time, and it would be a memory that I’d be able to keep forever.

“Following in Erin’s footsteps would be nice, and [so would] having two Iowa State gymnasts receive the honor in a row.”

Dethloff, the third Cyclone to win the award in the past six seasons, offers Anson extra support during competitions.

“It was a great honor, especially since there were a lot of freshmen in the Big 12,” Dethloff said. “It’s something people look at as a big honor.”

Anson said she draws confidence from Dethloff through a tradition the duo has developed while competing next to one another in the team’s lineup.

Before competition, especially before bars, the duo exchange a quick, “You ready?” to help get the other pumped up and focused.

“It’s become a ritual before bars,” Dethloff said.

Anson said she likes to perform relaxed, and the quick comment always helps take her mind off the event for a moment, allowing her compete better.

Anson said her biggest aspirations — above individual goals — lie in building the future success of her team. Anson said her main focus has been on helping the Cyclones achieve their 2004 team goal of qualifying as one of the 12 teams in the NCAA Nationals.

“It would be great for the seniors to end on a bang and for [the freshman recruiting class] starting out for our four years,” Anson said.

She said the experience would set a high standard of achievement for subsequent teams to follow and would help the freshman class guide future Cyclones in the coming years.

“We want to get big so that it will help people know us,” Anson said. “[Making nationals] is one step closer to getting us on the map.”

With the help of her class, the team’s current leadership and the upcoming recruiting classes, Anson hopes her performances will help the team establish Iowa State as a powerhouse in women’s collegiate gymnastics.

“We’re looking toward the 10,000 fans that Georgia has,” Anson said.

“Fans play a huge part in college gymnastics.”

She said the team hopes to build a reputation over the coming years that will lead to that type of crowd following, and she knows this year’s Cyclones can set that vision in motion. Anson said she vividly remembers her last trip to nationals as a club gymnast, where she announced, along with regional teammates Jade Kvach and Katie Lasher, that she was attending Iowa State.

“All three of us finished in the top 20, and the other colleges were like ‘Oh wow! They just picked up three of the top 20.'” Anson said.

Anson said the team’s success this year has given the gymnasts confidence that the best years of Cyclone women’s gymnastics are just beginning to start.

“We’re such a young team, which helps,” Anson said. “We each bring something different to the table — strong vault, strong beam, strong bars and/or strong floor. Everyone plays a role, and there aren’t two of us that stick out.

“Other teams don’t have the depth that we have. We can all post the scores and the depth after all of those spots are filled is great. We would still have an excellent showing, even if some people were out with injuries.”

Though many teams try, they often have trouble finding leaders like Anson. Though very humble, easy going and bubbly, Kindler said Anson is also very “cutthroat.”

“She’s very goal-oriented,” Kindler said.

“If she wants something, she makes sure she gets it.”

Several of the biggest challenges of Anson’s first campaign are still ahead, including Friday’s matchup against the second-ranked Georgia Gym Dogs, the Big 12 Championships March 20 in Des Moines, and regional and national competitions in April.

“What she can do from here on out, we’ll just have to sit back and watch,” Kindler said.