Following the Cyclones’ second-place finish and their highest overall score of 196.100 in the Ameritas Master Classic, the team heads to Utah to take on No. 33 BYU and No. 34 West Virginia in the conference championship.
As the regular season matchups ended, Iowa State took sixth place in the conference with a 1-5 Big 12 record.
The Cyclones’ only conference win was against the Mountaineers.
Starting with the history between Iowa State and BYU, the Cyclones hold a 7-9-1 record against the Cougars all-time. The most recent matchup occurred on Feb. 21, where Iowa State took a loss of 195.900-194.175.
The Cyclones’ overall record is 7-11 this season compared to the Cougars’ 6-13 record. With a better overall record against BYU, Iowa State looks good, but the team will have to fight hard to dominate and secure a win.
A weapon that the Cougars have had all season is junior Kylie Eaquinto, who competes all around and leads the team. In the past matchup against BYU, Eaquinto stood her ground and came up big against Iowa State.
Stepping up big will be the Cyclones’ key to shutting down Eaquinto and the Cougars.
Moving to the history between Iowa State and West Virginia, the Cyclones hold a 20-9-1 record against the Mountaineers all-time. West Virginia sits 4-14 this season.
The most recent matchup occurred on Feb. 9, when the Cyclones took their only Big 12 victory, with a final score of 195.375-194.175.
The biggest threat West Virginia holds is junior Anna Leigh, who competes all-around. Despite the all-around title, Leigh has not competed on vault this season.
This is a matchup where a victory looks a lot more achievable. A victory could become a reality as long as the Cyclones compete to their fullest potential.
Two Iowa State gymnasts look to lead the way at the conference championships
As the regular season concluded, the post-season awards were released.
Both gymnasts, Haylee Hardin and Frederique Sgarbossa, are freshmen this season and earned recognition.
Hardin was added to the All-Big 12 Floor Team, along with earning four Newcomer of the Week awards throughout the regular season.
Hardin, along with Sgarbossa, were both named part of the Big 12 All-Freshman team. With a unanimous vote, Hardin found her spot on the freshmen team.
Earning victories in the conference championship will take an effort by the entire team.
The Cyclones are set to compete at 1 p.m. Saturday and the meet will be streamed live on ESPN+.
