Iowa State traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to face the LSU Tigers in their first meet of the season Friday night. The meet ended with a loss for the Cyclones with a final score of 197.300-194.100.
This meeting marked the 14th meeting of Iowa State and LSU. The Tigers hold a 13-1 record against the Cyclones.
Despite the close loss, the performance of Iowa State put itself in a position for a successful season.
Overall performance
LSU, which ranked second ahead of the season opener in the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA), and is coming off of a National Championship, was a competitive challenge for Iowa State, who opened up the season 32nd in the poll.
Iowa State started the night on uneven bars. Freshman Frederique Sgarbossa tied for fifth with two LSU gymnasts with a score of 9.800.
Following uneven bars, the Cyclones’ top performers on vault were sophomore Noelle Adams and senior Josie Bergstrom-Te Slaa, who tied for third and led the team with a score of 9.850.
The third event of the meet was the floor exercise. Senior Rachel Wilke landed in a three-way tie with two LSU gymnasts with a score of 9.875.
The night for Iowa State rounded out with the balance beam. Fifth-year senior Lauren Thomas was the leader for the Cyclones with a score of 9.800 and placed fifth.
Adams and Bergstrom-Te Slaa dominate all around
Before the start of the season, Adams and Bergstrom-Te Slaa were both named to the Big 12 Preseason Team.
These two both placed within the top five in all-around events. Between the duo, expectations are high regarding their performances.
Both gymnasts showed great talent on the balance beam to strengthen the team’s overall performance.
Adams placed fourth in a two-way tie with an LSU gymnast with a score of 29.475. Her best performance was a tie between vault and floor exercise with impressive scores of 9.850.
Ahead of this meet, Adams was placed on the Big 12 preseason team for vault and floor exercise. Adams also led the team in event wins last season.
Bergstrom-Te Slaa has been a consistent part of this team’s performance throughout her time as a Cyclone.
From being placed on the Big-12 Preseason Team for vault, and receiving her best collegiate performance with a score of 9.925 on vault in her junior season, Bergstrom-Te Slaa will hold a key role on this team.
Throughout the opening meet, Bergstrom-Te Slaa’s best score was 9.850 on vault. Both Adams and Bergstrom-Te Slaa look to be key parts of the team throughout the season after starting the season off with some highly skilled performances.
The Cyclones look to bounce back from this tough loss in their next meet, where they host Brown and Iowa for the Iowa State Tri-Meet on Jan. 10 from Hilton Coliseum at 6:30 p.m.
