For the season’s final home meet, No. 40 Iowa State will be put under severe pressure against tough competition as it hosts No. 18 NC State and No. 19 Denver on Friday.
Following a brutal loss to BYU, in which the Cyclones had one of their worst performances of the season, it will be integral for Iowa State to get a rebound win over tough ranked opponents Friday.
The history between the Cyclones and the Wolfpack is split evenly at 3-3, dating back to 2000. Iowa State will have to pull off its best scores of the season to reclaim the victory column over NC State.
Throughout the meetings between the Pioneers and the Cyclones, it’s clear that the Pioneers know how to hunt their prey. With a 33-10 record over Iowa State, Denver will be a tough test.
Moving to this season, the Cyclones now sit at 4-8, which is not necessarily the best position to secure an easy victory.
Compared to NC State’s 5-5 record, the numbers make this competition look comparable; however, the competitors the Wolfpack have faced are much stronger than the competitors of the Cyclones.
Denver has dominated all season, with a 10-3 record. The Pioneers are ready to test the Cyclones and the higher-ranked Wolfpack.
The top performers to push Iowa State in a position to win are its all-around gymnasts.
Two of those who compete all-around are senior Josie Bergstrom-Te Slaa and sophomore Noelle Adams.
These two will need season-high performances to keep the Cyclones in the competition.
Iowa State has three main threats going into this meeting.
Sophomore Madison Ulrich, who competes all-around, is the powerhouse for Denver. Coming off a season-high 9.9500 on uneven bars, Ulrich will push Iowa State to put its all into uneven bars.
Two gymnasts for the Wolfpack lead the team, and set high expectations for how the team will perform.
Junior Meg Adler, who competes on vault, beam and floor, leads NC State this season, following a career-high 9.875 on vault, which was earned last season against Iowa State, Florida and LIU.
Alder looks to be a gymnast that the Cyclones can compete with and potentially even beat on vault.
Graduate student Chloe Negrete, who competes in vault, beam and floor, leads the team this season. Last season with a 9.925, Negrete earned a season and career high on vault. This happened in a meet against Iowa State, Florida and LIU.
With both Negrete and Adler producing career highs against Iowa State, some tension is put between the Cyclones and the Wolfpack. Iowa State can hopefully turn that tension into energy to win with the right mindset.
The combination of three stellar opposing gymnasts is the motivation for Iowa State to come up big in an intense situation.
This meet is set to start at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Hilton Coliseum and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
