Spartans Soar South: A Florida Showdown Awaits for the Third-Ranked Team!

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The third-ranked Michigan State gymnastics team (1-0) travels for its second competition of the season on Friday, Jan. 10, competing against Florida (0-0), Nebraska (No. 23, 0-3), and Northern Illinois (0-0) in a quad meet scheduled for 6:45 p.m. at Florida’s Exactech Arena located within the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. 

This meet will be streamed live on SEC Network+.

ROTATION ORDER: Floor – Vault – Bars – Beam

HIGHLIGHTS
The Spartans approach Friday’s contest at 1-0 after achieving a season-opening triumph of 196.850-194.675 against Western Michigan in East Lansing on Jan. 4. MSU’s tally of 196.850 marks its highest-ever score for a season opener and ranks third overall for the NCAA opening weekend, trailing only preseason No. 1 Oklahoma and defending NCAA champion LSU. This No. 3 ranking is the best in the program’s history.

MSU clinched four out of five potential titles in their first competition of the season. Junior Nikki Smith secured three titles against the Broncos, clinching the all-around title with a score of 39.475, while also winning titles for vault (9.950) and bars (9.875). Additionally, she shared second place on beam (9.850) and achieved a score of 9.800 on floor. For her outstanding performance against Western Michigan, Smith was awarded the Big Ten Gymnast of the Week title earlier this week, marking her third career B1G Gymnast of the Week honor and her 12th overall conference weekly award.

Her junior teammate Sage Kellerman joined Smith in receiving the first weekly conference accolades of the season, earning the fourth B1G Specialist of the Week title of her career after securing second-place finishes against the Broncos, with scores of 9.925 on vault and 9.850 on bars.

Senior Gabrielle Stephen secured the floor title against Western Michigan with a score of 9.875. This marked Stephen’s first floor title since March 11, 2023.

Smith and Kellerman currently hold the first and fourth positions, respectively, in the NCAA on vault. As a team, MSU ranks second on vault (49.400), seventh on bars (49.150), sixth on beam (49.100), and third on floor (49.200) in the Week One RoadtoNationals standings. The Spartans also feature two gymnasts in the NCAA top 15 all-around rankings – Smith (39.475) and junior Olivia Zsarmani (39.200), who made her collegiate all-around debut against the Broncos.

THE MATCHUP
Florida is currently unranked in the Week One RoadtoNationals standings as they did not compete last weekend, however, they are placed at No. 3 in the WCGA Preseason Poll. Nebraska, ranked No. 23, posted a score of 194.475 in its season opener, finishing fourth behind Oklahoma, Auburn, and BYU at the American Gold Classic. Northern Illinois will also commence its season on Friday.

This will be the third consecutive season that the Spartans and Gators face off, having met in the previous two NCAA Regional Final appearances. Florida narrowly defeated MSU 197.800-197.650 to secure the last NCAA Championships qualifying spot in the Pittsburgh Regional Final in 2023, while the Gators finished first in their home regional last year. The upcoming meet will be the first regular-season contest between MSU and Florida since Feb. 14, 2009, which resulted in a 196.850-194.775 victory for the Gators in East Lansing.

The Gators are returning eight All-Americans with a total of 50 All-America honors and are bringing back all 24 routines from their appearance in the NCAA Championship Final.

Last season, MSU faced Nebraska twice, once during the Big Five Meet and again at the conference championships. The Huskers last outperformed the Spartans in a dual meet in East Lansing on Jan. 26, 2020, with a score of 197.100-196.550. Senior Emma Spence finished seventh in Nebraska’s season opener with a score of 39.175, currently tied for 17th nationally.

Northern Illinois set a new program record last season with a score of 196.400 on Jan. 19. Junior Kiera O’Shea qualified for NCAA Regionals on vault and secured the MAC title in that event. MSU and NIU last competed against each other on March 11, 2023, in East Lansing, resulting in a 197.800-195.225 victory for MSU.

UP NEXT
MSU will return home to commence conference competition, hosting Michigan on Friday, Jan. 17 at 6 p.m. in the Breslin Center. The meet will be available for streaming on B1G+.