The Iowa State Gymnastics team traveled to Lexington, Ky., to face the Wildcats to finish off its regular season. The Cyclones had one thing on their mind heading into the night: to keep their chances of competing in the NCAA regionals alive.

The Cyclones fell short of a victory against Kentucky, 196.275 to 194.825.

With the Wildcats performance, it was clear they were the better team throughout the night. Iowa State’s best performance came from the uneven bars, scoring a 48.875, but that alone wasn’t enough to top the Wildcats and their consistency.

Iowa State started off the meet on the uneven bars. It was Hilary Green and Meaghan Sievers that shined with 9.850 and 9.800 performances, respectively. The team totaled a 48.757 and led Kentucky by one half of a point.

Next, the Cyclones faced the vault where they’ve struggled in the past. Freshman Sydney Converse scored a team high of 9.775. Scoring close behind her was rookie Meaghan Sievers earning a 9.750. The team lost its lead to the Wildcats and entered the second half of the meet with a 97.975 to 97.450 tally.

For a chance to regain the lead, the team went onto their floor exercises. Sydney Converse lead the team with her 9.800 score, although it wasn’t enough to lift the Cyclones up to Kentucky, which maintained a solid lead.

In its final efforts, Iowa State ended the meet on the balance beam. Alex Marasco earned first place with a 9.875, Haylee Young earned a 9.800 and Converse a solid 9.750.

The Cyclones finished the meet strong, but couldn’t overcome the deficit they took on against the Wildcats in the second round.

Moving forward to postseason action, the Cyclones will head to Frisco, Texas to compete in the Big 12 Championships this upcoming weekend. It’ll be a battle against West Virginia, Oklahoma and Denver all beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday.