The Cyclones hit more than just their landings Sunday.

For the past six weeks, the ISU women’s gymnastics team has focused on hitting dismount landings in an effort to eliminate the small bobble steps keeping them from a team scoring goal of 197.000.

Multiple times this season, the team has come close to the 197 mark, but has always found itself literally a step short of its goal.

The Cyclone gymnasts flew higher, flipped faster and nailed landings better than any other women’s team in school history against Minnesota, posting a 197.625 to smash the school’s team scoring record by two-tenths of a point. Iowa State beat Minnesota and earned its eighth straight victory of the season.

“Though our goal was 197, we were not saying it out loud,” head coach K.J. Kindler said. The team instead focused on hitting 23 or 24 routines, knowing when the routines were hit, the goal would come.

“It was a very confident performance — phenomenal,” Kindler said.

The Cyclones started the meet with a top-notch vault performance, despite a last-minute lineup change.

“The high point of the meet was Susan [Stock] on vault. She has been in and out of the vault lineup all season; we stuck her in at the last minute today, and she came through for us in a big way,” Kindler said.

Stock nailed her vault landing, posting a career-high 9.925, after being placed in the lineup just moments before the end of the general warmup.

The score was good enough to share first-place honors with freshman Janet Anson and to finish just above sophomore Laura-Kay Powell’s third-place vault (9.875).

The Cyclones kept the momentum going into the bars event, where they hit a season-high score of 49.325.

“We stuck every bars landing; even our exhibition routines stuck,” Kindler said. Each step is a one-tenth deduction, and eliminating the steps that have been common to the bars routines made the difference in reaching the year’s highest bars score, she said.

Sophomore Erin Dethloff led the Cyclones on the bars, taking first with a 9.925, followed by Anson, who hit a career-high 9.90 on the event to tie with Minnesota’s Mary Skokut.

Powell took charge on the competition balance beam and floor exercise, scoring a pair of 9.95s for career-best and first-place finishes on both events.

Joining Powell in first place on floor was Anson and Minnesota’s Carolyn Yernberg. In second place behind Powell on beam were senior Chee Chee Calina and Skokut, who each posted 9.90s.

Powell’s 9.95 performances helped catapult her into first place in the all-around competition with a 39.625 total, the highest by a Cyclone all season and the third highest in school history.

“[Powell] is ranked seventh in the country, and you know why,” Kindler said. Though Powell has been nursing a slight hamstring pull, Kindler said she performed a more difficult tumbling pass and proved she can win when she is at her best.

Powell said she was very happy with her performance, but was more happy to have so greatly contributed to the team’s total score.

“[Next week I want to] build on my performance and try and get a 10 on beam,” Powell said.

Powell led the Cyclone sweep of the all-around, followed in second by Anson, who set a career-high 39.6 total, and in third place by Dethloff, who posted a 39.5.

Calina said the Cyclones’ performance was “awesome” but that they could have done better yet, despite the new school record. She said it was very promising for the team’s upcoming competitions.

The Cyclones’ season-high score could not have come at a better time, as the team prepares to take on the toughest competitor of the season: No. 2 Georgia, Friday in Stegeman Coliseum.

“We’re in really good shape for going down to Georgia next weekend. You can always get better, but confidence-wise and mentally, we are ready to go. We’re feeling extremely prepared and we’re really excited to go down there,” Kindler said.

With the win over Minnesota, Iowa State moves to 8-0 on the season and may move up from its No. 6 spot in the national rankings. The Cyclones will travel to Athens, Ga., Friday to face the No. 2 Georgia Gym Dogs and their 10,000-plus home fan base.