Stay healthy, stay together and win are three goals that the Iowa State women’s gymnastics team hopes to accomplish this year.

Ranked 21st in the nation and coming off of the best season in team history with a fourth place finish at regional competition, head coach Amy Pyle is optimistic that this season’s squad can eclipse last year’s record.

“We’ve been in the gym since August, and now we’re ready to compete. We just need to get past the first few meets,” Pyle said.

Getting to the meets themselves might prove to be a challenge for the squad, as the team is dealing with key competitors’ early injuries.

Junior Kelli More, who was ranked third nationally on the balance beam last season and holds the school record on the balance beam with a score of 9.950, had surgery for bone spurs on December 19.

She said she is optimistic about returning to competition by mid-February.

Sophomore Angie Umbaugh is recovering from an impinged rotator cuff, Pyle said.

Umbaugh, an Ames native, was named Big 12 Conference Newcomer of the Year last season.

Despite the setbacks, Pyle remains confident thanks to an impressive freshman class and strong returning nucleus.

“All of our returning gymnasts are on the competitive squad and they made up a major portion of our competing team from last year. Talent-wise, we are far more advanced than last year,” Pyle said. “Only time will tell if we can compete.”

Pyle said that returning sophomore Jessy Smith and junior Sarah Stayberg have looked great in the all-around events.

Also, freshmen Shelly Kringen and Tanya Huey have looked solid in practice.

“Huey has a lot of experience in competition and has looked great, but Kringen is sort of a dark horse who came out of nowhere,” Pyle said. “She (Kringen) is an artistic and beautiful performer.”

Despite the injuries to More and Umbaugh, the team remains confident and focused on the season.

“We have a lot of talent. It’s just a matter of pulling together as a team,” Huey said. “We must start out strong and be consistent throughout the season.”

“This season will far exceed everything we’ve done in the past. We just need to put it together and do it,” Michelle Hladky, the squad’s lone senior, said.

After last season’s strong finish at regional competition, hopes are high to transcend 1998’s results.

“Winning the Big 12 would be huge. We want to make it to regionals and then hopefully nationals,” Stayberg said.

“We want to win the Big 12 and do well at regionals and nationals,” More said. “We’re not going to be happy with just getting to regionals and nationals; we want to be competitive and eliminate the small mistakes that hurt us last year.”

Competition in the Big 12 will not be a problem for the Cyclones this season, Pyle said.

“Oklahoma looks much improved this year, as does Missouri,” Pyle said. “We won’t know until a month or so what things will really look like.”

Outside of the conference, Umbaugh said that two teams in particular will provide stiff competition.

“Nebraska and Minnesota are the two we really hope to defeat because they’re great,” Umbaugh said.

The Cyclones will have the opportunity to upend the 11th-ranked Cornhuskers, as well as 25th ranked Michigan State and Winona State this Friday, as the Cyclones host their first meet of the season starting at 7 p.m.

“Our first meet will have some tough competition. If we can stay clean on the floor and on the equipment, we can build some confidence and do well,” Pyle said.