With a final score of 196.225 to 196.425, the Cyclones were defeated at Hilton Coliseum to in-state rival Iowa Hawkeyes in a Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. It was a meet that went down to the final performance of the final event, but the Hawkeyes hung on to claim the victory. With this loss Iowa State moves to 8-7 overall on the season.

It was back and forth the entire night and the Cyclones led after bars. However, that would change once Iowa State competed on beams.

The Cyclones would have two gymnasts fall of the beam, causing them to score significantly lower than normal.

“Sometimes the beam gods are a little mean,” Head Coach Jay Ronayne said.

Iowa State would end with a 48.475 on the beam. If it were not for the falls on the beam, Iowa State would have been looking at a score well above 197.

Despite the setbacks on beam, the Cyclones would go out and finish very well on the floor. Iowa State would end with a score of 45.450 on the floor, which is one of the highest scores the Cyclones have seen in a long time.

Led by junior Andrea Maldonado, who finished with a 9.950, Iowa State would have four gymnasts end with a score of 9.900 or above. 

Even with the phenomenal performances on the floor, Iowa State would still come up short. It is a loss that stung for everyone on the team, but the the way Iowa State battled back is a win in Ronayne’s book.

“It shows me a lot that we can fight through what we did,” Ronayne said. “If we can do that same performance on floor and stay on beam, that’s exactly what we are looking for.”

When it comes to a loss like this, the players and coaches will use it as a learning experience to get better moving forward. While Iowa State may not have won, it came away with valuable lessons that can be used to make the team better.

Mistakes will be made, but it is how you bounce back from those mistakes that prove what kind of team you are. 

If the Cyclones are able to perform how they know they are capable of performing on beam, they could pose a threat when it comes time to compete in the post season.

“It is not about the mistakes you make it is about how you finish, and I think that says a lot about our team,” senior Sydney Converse said. “Win or lose, fall or make, I could not be more proud of our team and what we did.”