The Iowa State gymnastics team completed competition in the inaugural Big 12 Championship meet on Mar. 22 in Norman, Okla.

The Cyclone gymnasts finished a solid third in the team scoring, recording the second highest mark in school history with a 195.475.

Nebraska claimed the conference title with a score of 196.200.

“I told them that if we hit beam, we’ll win the meet. We wound up getting the second highest score in school history, so it’s hard to complain about not finishing on top,” Amy Pyle, head gymnastics coach, said.

Iowa State also had a number of outstanding individual performances, highlighted by a perfect 10 in the floor exercise from senior Kim Mazza.

It was the first time ever an Iowa State gymnast scored a perfect mark in an event.

Freshman Kelli More came through for the Cyclones as she claimed a second place finish in the all-around competition, tying the school record with a score of 39.325.

More also placed second in the floor exercise, tying a personal best of 9.90 and took third on the balance beam, tying a personal best and school record with a 9.90 to lead the Cyclones.

More achieved all-Big 12 honors for her finishes in the top three in the floor, beam, and all-around.

“Kelli had a phenomenal meet. To compete as a freshman and have those types of performances in this meet is amazing. She no doubt had the best meet of the year for her,” Pyle said.

Mazza, recording the only perfect score in the competition, won the floor exercise with a spectacular performance.

“It was an amazing routine. She had a triple full in her second line and to perform that type of difficulty the way she did is tremendous. She was very determined,” Pyle said.

Equaling a personal best and school record of 9.875 on the uneven bars, Mazza tied for third place en route to a seventh place finish in the all-around (39.00). Mazza also achieved all-conference honors for her performances. She became only the second Iowa State gymnast to earn a conference title since 1978. Last season junior Libby Bell shared the top spot on the floor.

Junior Heidi Kirt led the Iowa State effort on the vault as she recorded a 9.90 to take second place honors in the competition. Kirt also earned all-Big 12 status for her performance in the event.

“I feel like Heidi had the winning vault. We were the first team up and I feel like the judges may have held back a little,” Pyle said.

The Cyclones performed a solid 48.875 on the vault in the competition.

Following Kirt’s lead, Mazza contributed a 9.800 in the event while junior Amy Wall received a 9.750 for the Cyclones.

Iowa State came back to record a 48.60 on the uneven bars behind Mazza’s 9.875. Sophomore Michelle Hladky performed a 9.850 to finish fifth in the event, while More scored a 9.80.

More led the Cyclone charge on the balance beam as ISU scored a 48.550.

Behind More’s third-place finish, Mazza performed a 9.825 and junior Shannon Herzog recorded a solid 9.775 to lead the Cyclones.

The Cyclones’ effort in the floor exercise resulted in a new school record of 49.45, with all six competitors scoring above a 9.80.

The total propelled the Cyclones to the top spot in the team competition in the event.

Iowa State claimed the top two places as More finished a tenth of a point behind Mazza with a 9.90. Bell, Herzog and Kirt all recorded a 9.850 while Wall added a 9.825 for the Cyclones.

“This was by far the best floor squad we’ve ever put up. There was a lot of pressure because if we hit on floor we would still have a chance to win, but Nebraska came through when they needed to,” Pyle said.

The ISU gymnasts now are gearing up for the NCAA Central Regional Championship meet on April 5 at Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Cyclones have appeared in the regional competition only twice prior to this season, in 1994 and 1996.

“We cannot hold back and still qualify. We wanted to use this meet as a stepping stone for regionals. Staying focused on the beam will make or break us for nationals,” Pyle said.

Mazza and More lead the Iowa State squad in the all-around competition at regionals along with several other Cyclones who have an opportunity to move on to nationals.