As the gymnastics season winds down, Senior Night looms next for the ninth-ranked women’s gymnastics team as it goes up against the 14th-ranked University of Iowa tonight at Hilton Coliseum.

All eyes will be on the two senior co-captains Lauren Goldberg and Jessy Smith, whose careers at Iowa State are reaching an end.

Goldberg, senior in communications from Aurora, Colo., has been named to the all Big 12 academic team for the 2000 season while Smith, from Friendsville, Pa., is their model for consistency, starting the team off at meets.

Their feelings are what is to be expected when a career comes to an end. Although both are a little nervous, the excitement is not far behind.

“I think it’s going to be emotional, I am a little nervous for it,” Smith said.

The cause of such distress is the fact that they will be reflecting on a lot before and during the meet.

“You think about your whole career to that point, everything you’ve gone through,” Goldberg said.

However, the seniors are not all that concerns the Cyclone Gymnastics team. Coach K.J. Kindler said they will be looking to gain a victory over a tough Hawkeyes squad.

“Iowa is a tough team and much improved, they have some of the top all-arounders in the country,” Kindler said.

Iowa State’s all-arounders have come off two successful meets for the Cyclones against Missouri and Nebraska and will be looking to repeat their success tonight. Shelly Kringen, who won the all-around competition in both meets, said they have done everything they can this season to fill the shoes of the seniors last year.

But Goldberg is not concerned with how the team has done in the past. She said that tonight everyone will perform at their peak, regardless of record-setting performances last week.

“We can try to break the records we just broke . it’s always a fun meet and everyone is always at their best,” Goldberg said.

Kindler agrees that the Cyclones will continue to break their personal best scores, but she said the Hawkeyes will be tough because they have less to gain from tonight’s meet.

“[Iowa] is more aggressive when they have less to lose; I expect there to be a lot of pressure,” Kindler said.

Smith is less concerned with Iowa and the excitement leading up to the meet. She simply wants all gymnasts to successfully complete their routines and get good scores.

Senior Night is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.