AMES, Iowa – Iowa State kicks off the road to Fort Worth, as they take on Western Michigan in the First Round of the NCAA Regionals. Should ISU take down WMU, they will advance to see Florida, Denver, and Ohio State in the Second Round.
The Matchup: Iowa State (9-10, 1-1 Big 12) vs. Western Michigan (7-9, 3-3 MAC)
Where: Neville Arena – Auburn, Alabama
When: Wednesday, Mar. 30 – 3:00 p.m. CT
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Cyclonestats.com
Key Storylines
- Wednesday marks the Cyclones' 14th Regional appearance in the last 15 seasons the meet was hosted.
- Three Cyclones were also selected as individual event specialists at the regional in Makayla Maxwell (vault), Emilie Hong (vault) and Maddie Diab (floor).
- This will be Iowa State's second meet inside Neville Arena this season. The Cyclones posted a 195.575 against Auburn back on Jan. 21.
- Makayla Maxwell earned the season's final Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week honor after her 10.000 on vault last weekend. It marked the sixth perfect score in school history and the 11th nationally on vault this season. She also earned All-America honors on the event, with an NQS of 9.915 to tie for 15th nationally and third in the Big 12.
- Along with Maxwell, Maddie Diab has also scored a 10.000 this season (floor). It is the first time in program history two Cyclones have tallied perfect scores in the same season. Diab also earned a share of the floor title at the Big 12 Championships, with a score of 9.950.
- At the Big 12 Championships, Maxwell scored a 9.950 to earn second place on the event. Sophia Steinmeyer earned a 9.900 for her vault at the Big 12 Championships, tying for third place honors.
- The duo of Maxwell (vault) and Diab (floor) were named to the All-Big 12 Gymnastics Team. This marks the third consecutive season a Cyclone has received All-Big 12 honors and the first time since 2015 with two Iowa State gymnasts on the team.
- Freshman Hannah Loyim has been a strong competitor for the Cyclones this season, with a score of 9.925 on floor coming against Iowa and a 9.900 on bars at the GymQuarters Invitational.