TUCSON, AZ -- At 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21, Arizona gymnastics conquered Iowa State during their second home meet of the 2017 season. Iowa State earned a 194.325 while Arizona came up with a big score of 195.850. Entering Pac-12 conference meets next week, the Gymcats now hold a record of 5-1.  

"The team faced incredible adversity this week, and we were so proud of them for rising up", said head coach Tabitha Yim. "Our staff put together a strong game plan for this weekend, and the team was able to fill their roles beautifully with confidence and poise. We took great strides as a team as we head into Pac12 conference play next week."

The GymCats started off strong on vault with a team score of 48.575. Freshman Jenny Leung and Heather Swanson helped kick off the meet with outstanding vaults. Leung earned a season and career high of 9.750 and Swanson scored a 9.775.

On the second rotation Arizona really shined. They earned a team score of 49.225 on the uneven bars where Sophomore Haylie Hendrickson and freshman Christina Berg both earned new career highs of 9.875. Danielle Spencer was also a big contributor to the team with a 9.850. It is obvious how much effort Arizona has put into bars to perfect their routines.

Assistant coach David McCreary said, "It was an aggressive and gritty performance on bars tonight, and I am incredibly proud of our girls. The team had a "next man up" mentality that helped ensure the win. Now we just maintain that energy and confidence as we prepare for our next competition at Stanford!"

Entering third rotation Arizona held the lead with a score of 97.800 to Iowa State's 96.825. Sophomore Skyler Sheppard came up big when she earned a new season and career high on beam with a 9.850. Senior Krysten Howard who constantly shows consistency on beam, was also a big contributor with a score of 9.825.

Finishing strong, on the last rotation Arizona hit a 9.775 or higher on every floor routine. Krysten Howard and Kennady Schneider both came up with a 9.875 which would help secure a victory over Iowa State. Freshman Maddi Leydin and sophomores Lauryn Mattson and Skyler Sheppard were also huge contributors to the team floor score of 49.075.

When asked about the overall floor routines, assistant coach John Court said, "The team has worked extremely hard in the gym all season on floor. The performance and level of difficulty is higher than last season and it was a great team effort."

The Gymcats hope to continue this momentum next Sunday, Jan. 29, where they will face off against Pac-12 rival Stanford University, who was voted third in the Pac-12 coaches preseason poll. Entering the meet, Arizona will hold a Pac-12 record of 0-0 and Stanford will have Pac-12 record of 0-1. Live links to the meet will be available this upcoming week.

Join the GymCats for the rest of the 2017 season! Tickets for Arizona Gymnastics' home meets are on sale through the ticket office (520.621.2287), located on the south side of McKale and can be purchased online at ArizonaWildcats.com. Fans can keep up with the GymCats via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.