Over the years, streaks have defined sports between Iowa State and the University of Iowa.

Usually people remember the winning streaks in football, basketball or wrestling.

However, the second-longest current streak for either side is occurring in gymnastics.

The Cyclone gymnasts extended their number of victories in a row to 17 Saturday when they defeated the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.

The 195.250-193.175 victory followed up a slim loss to Nebraska the week before.

“It’s really exciting,” sophomore Gabby Layne said. “It makes me feel like we deserve to win more.”

During the home opener, the ISU gymnasts struggled on the vault apparatus, giving an early edge to the Cornhuskers.

While the Cyclones improved on their team vaults in this meet, the squad’s numbers were noticeably lower on the balance beam, where they only received one score higher than a 9.7.

In the Nebraska meet, junior Courtney Sarrett hurt her ankle just before the competition.

Against Iowa, the Cyclones had no such misfortune.

“I think that not having any kind of surprises helped us keep our focus,” sophomore Chee Chee Calina said.

This time, the situations were a little different as well.

While the first rotation seemed to subdue the Cyclones last week, the struggles in Iowa City came on the last rotation of the meet, with Iowa State up by more than two full points.

Even though the match seemed well in hand, players and coaches still wanted to finish strong.

“They just weren’t sharp on beam,” head coach K.J. Kindler said of her squad. “To me, it looked like they were trying to just stay on instead of being aggressive.”

Despite the apparent slack shown by the team, the Cyclones total effort during the meet helped lift the team to its highest ranking ever.

Monday’s GymInfo poll lists the ISU team sixth in the country.

Currently, the Cyclones are ranked above 2001 NCAA qualifier Michigan and defending national champion UCLA.

“We’ve never been ranked that high before so that let’s us know that we’re up there with those top teams,” Calina said. “It gives us extra confidence that we are up there with the top teams.”

Individually, senior Sissy Huey won the all-around with a score of 39.350, gaining two first places on the floor and uneven bars.

Senior Shelly Kringen tied Huey for first on floor and tied for first on vault.

Layne reached a personal high, scoring a 9.85 on floor. It was only her second time competing in the event for the Cyclones, but she was motivated from past experiences.

“It was my personal goal to compete floor, because my senior year of high school, I tore my [anterior cruciate ligament],” she said. “When I finished, [my performance] made me want to go out there and do it again.”

The team will have a rare week off before hosting Missouri on Feb. 8. The Tigers are ranked 16th in the nation and Kindler expects a tough match. However, she is also very confident about her team’s chances.

“I think we’re really proving ourselves,” she said. “We feel we’ve put a good foot forward for the beginning of the season.”

Gymnastics Schedule

Feb. 8

vs. Missouri 7 p.m.

Feb. 15

vs. Minnesota 7 p.m.

Feb. 23

at Minnesota 7 p.m.

March 1

at Florida 7 p.m.

March 3

at Oklahoma 2 p.m.

March 8

vs. Iowa 7 p.m.

March 10

at Nebraska/Cal Berkeley 1 p.m.

March 17

at Missouri 2 p.m.

March 23

Big 12 Championships, at Lincoln, Neb. 7 p.m.