In contrast to the month of March, the Iowa State gymnastics team went out like a lion, finishing second at this past weekend’s Big 12 Championship.

With a score of 195.650, the Cyclones achieved the third highest score in school history.

Nebraska took first at the meet with a score of 196.750.

Head coach Amy Pyle said the second-place finish was decent, considering how the team began the meet.

“For the second year in a row, we started on floor,” Pyle said, “which is the worst possible place to begin because scores tend to get higher as the night goes on.

“Winning was a possibility, but we started weak on floor; Sarah [Stayberg] fell, Angie [Umbaugh] went out of bounds and Lauren [Goldberg] did possibly her worst routine of the year.”

Junior Kelli More and freshman Sissy Huey led the Cyclones with several top three finishes.

More tied for first on the balance beam with a season-high of 9.925.

She also tied for second on the floor exercise, tying her career high with a score of 9.90.

Huey tied for first on the uneven bars with a score of 9.875 and third in the all-around competition with a career-high score of 39.225.

She also tied for fifth on the balance beam with a 9.875.

Junior Sarah Stayberg tied for third on the uneven bars, scoring 9.85.

Sophomore Jessy Smith placed fifth in the all-around with a 39.175 and sixth on the vault with a 9.825.

Overall, Pyle said that she was pleased with her team’s performance.

“We did very good, especially coming back after starting so weak,” Pyle said. “Those that did perform well did very, very well. We were very pleased.”

Another high point for the Cyclones at the Big 12 Championship was the return of freshman Shelly Kringen, who competed on the vault.

Kringen was injured on March 5 when she chipped a bone in her ankle.

“It was great to see her back in action. She is definitely a key variable for us,” Pyle said.

One last obstacle faces the Cyclones as they bid to compete in NCAA National competition: the NCAA Regionals.

The Cyclones must place in the top two at Regionals in order to qualify for National competition as a team.

Regionals will be held on April 10, and Pyle said that the Cyclones will be competing at Utah State University.

Now ranked 16th nationally with an overall record of 10-5 (2-3 in conference), Pyle said that the team must now concentrate on the small but important items that can make or break the team.

“We are trying to add some difficulty to our routines, clean up our landings on tumbling and work on our bar and beam dismounts,” Pyle said. “Those are the little things that add up.”