The No. 23 Iowa State gymnastics team will have two meets at home this weekend against Northern Illinois University on Friday, while the second meet will be Sunday against No. 1 Oklahoma.

Iowa State will look for its second win of the season against Northern Illinois. The 8-2 Cyclones team have been on a tear as of late, taking home six straight wins over their opponents. 

Last time Iowa State and Northern Illinois faced off, the Cyclones came away with a 196.575-195.500 victory. The Cyclones set a season high in score during that meet, also taking down Illinois State in the triple team meet. 

After starting the season 2-2, the Cyclones grabbed some momentum with that win over Northern Illinois and have not looked back since. A second win over NIU would put the Cyclones in a good spot for a potential upset over the first ranked Oklahoma Sooners on Sunday. 

There will be many storylines following the Cyclones into this final weekend. Addy De Jesus has been on fire lately leading the team and picking up event wins left and right. Her efforts combined with Natalie Horowitz’s career season have led the Cyclones to back to back event sweeps.

Another big point of interest for the upcoming weekend will be how well the Cyclones matchup against the No. 1 ranked team in the country. The 17-0 (4-0 Big 12) Sooners have been dominating the opposition.

Oklahoma won the Metroplex Challenge Feb. 13 when Iowa State had to withdraw due to a COVID-19 outbreak. The Sooners scored 198.225 during the meet which is their current season high. 

The Cyclones will have to bring their best effort in order to beat the undefeated Sooners. 

There will be a lot to prove and a lot on the line for Iowa State this weekend. A win over the top team in the nation will draw a lot of eyes to the Cyclones for the RoadToNationals rankings.

The action begins Friday night at 6 p.m. in Ames and will continue at noon on Sunday also in Ames. Adding wins this weekend will be tremendously important to improve the Cyclones rank on the season.