Michigan State gymnastics shatters program records, eyes NCAA regionals next

Sophia Lada, Lansing State Journal
·4 min read

Preseason polls predicted the Michigan State women's gymnastics team would finish eighth in the Big Ten.

The Spartans had other ideas. And they're not done yet.

The Michigan State Women's Gymnastics team took second place at the Big Ten Championship on March 19, 2022.
The Michigan State Women's Gymnastics team took second place at the Big Ten Championship on March 19, 2022.

MSU added to its best season in recent memory with a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships last weekend in Columbus, Ohio. It was the Spartans' best Big Ten performance since they finished second in 2006.

MSU head coach Mike Rowe said the preseason predictions served as motivation for the Spartans.

“Since I got here in 2014, that’s been our goal, to put us back on the map,” Rowe said.

There was more evidence of MSU reaching that goal Tuesday as the Spartans earned a berth in the 2022 NCAA Championships and were named to the Seattle Regional as a No. 3 seed — the 12th seed overall. It was MSU's first NCAA berth since 2016.

The Spartans' eight-team regional will take place March 30-April 1 in Seattle, with the top two teams qualifying for the NCAA finals April 14 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Senior Alaina Raybon said the Big Ten and NCAA accomplishments are just part of what's been a long process.

"We have the talent and we’ve been putting in the work since the summer," said Raybon, who competes primarily on bars, but also does beam and floor.

The Spartans finished the Big Ten meet with 197.050 points, behind only Michigan, which captured the title with a meet record of 198.200. MSU's point total was the program's highest ever at the Big Ten Championships.

It was MSU's fourth score of 197.000 or higher this season after topping that mark just one time previously in program history. The Spartans set the school record with a 197.575 against Western Michigan on March 5.

Freshman Skyla Schulte led MSU at the Big Ten meet, placing fifth in the all-around with a final score of 39.500. She scored a 9.875 on vault and bars, a 9.850 on beam and a 9.900 on her floor routine and was named the Big Ten's Freshman of the Year.

Rowe was named the Big Ten's Coach of the Year.

As they look toward regionals, Raybon said the Spartans are ready to still reach higher.

"We have more in the tank, more to give," Raybon said.

All-around gymnast Lea Mitchell, a fifth-year senior, said her teammates also set a goal to make it to nationals. To achieve that goal, though, it wasn't just about the gymnastics. Mitchell said it's about team chemistry and having each other's backs in and out of the gym.

“Really cherishing every moment is something that’s been different this year," she said.

Lea Mitchell high fives a teammate after working on their beam routines together. This is, "the most talented team I’ve ever been on,” she said.
Lea Mitchell high fives a teammate after working on their beam routines together. This is, "the most talented team I’ve ever been on,” she said.
Lea Mitchell practices her beam routine at a Michigan State Gymnastics practice on Feb. 28, 2022.
Lea Mitchell practices her beam routine at a Michigan State Gymnastics practice on Feb. 28, 2022.

While next year's team will not include Raybon and Mitchell, the future stil looks bright. Last week, the Spartans had a school-record six gymnasts earn All-Big Ten honors — five of them were freshmen (Schulte and Gabrielle Stephen) or sophomores (Delanie Harkness, Baleigh Garcia and Giana Kalefe. In addition, the Spartans also feel good about their recruiting, headed by assistant head coach Nicole Jones.

“We do have an extremely talented ‘22 class coming in,” Rowe said.

Record season

Here is a list of some of the records and accomplishments of MSU gymnastics this season:

  • Second-highest team vault score in history set on Feb. 5 against Maryland — 49.275.

  • New highest team beam score in school history set on Feb. 13 against Illinois — 49.500, replaces previous high of 49.475 set at Northern Illinois in 2006.

  • New highest team bars score in school history set on March 11 at Kentucky — 49.500, replaces previous school high of 49.450 set at the Spartan Invitational in 1998.

  • New highest team floor score in school history set on March 5 against Western Michigan — 49.675, replaces previous program highs set this year — a 49.575 vs. Illinois on Feb. 13, a 49.475 at the Big Five meet on Feb. 19.

  • Individual all-around record broken by freshman Skyla Schulte with a 39.675 on March 5 against Western Michigan — broke the previous record held by then-senior Kristen Coleman, a 39.625 set in 2007 also against Western Michigan.

  • First occurrence of a 9.975 on floor by senior Ashley Hofelich on March 5 against Western Michigan, the top MSU score in program history, since 2003.

  • Four other new top-ten vault scores set this year.

  • Six other top-ten program beam scores set this year.

  • Top five scores all-time all set this year.

Alaina Raybon practices her floor routine at a Michigan State Gymnastics practice on Feb. 28, 2022.
Alaina Raybon practices her floor routine at a Michigan State Gymnastics practice on Feb. 28, 2022.

Sophia Lada is a news assistant at the Lansing State Journal. Contact her at slada@lsj.com or 517.377.1065. Follow her on Twitter @sophia_lada.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State women's gymnastics shattered program records this season

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