Lansing Sun

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State gymnasts Baleigh Garcia, Nikki Smith, and Gabrielle Stephen have been named to the 2024 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District At-Large team, as announced by the organization on Tuesday afternoon.

Garcia and Stephen have earned their second consecutive Academic All-District honors, while Smith is a first-time honoree.

To qualify for this recognition, student-athletes must be ranked in the top 75 in at least one event in the final Road to Nationals rankings and maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50 on a 4.0 scale.

Garcia graduated with a degree in kinesiology this spring with a 3.712 GPA. She is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) Scholastic All-American. Garcia was named Second Team All-Big Ten from 2022-24 and concluded her Spartan career with the Big Ten balance beam title at the conference championships, becoming the first B1G beam champion from MSU since 1996.

Stephen holds a 3.714 GPA in criminal justice and is also a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and WCGA Scholastic All-American. In 2024, she was named First Team All-Big Ten for the third consecutive year and competed in the all-around in all but one meet.

Smith, a sophomore studio art major with a 3.75 GPA, qualified for the NCAA Championships on balance beam this season and earned WCGA Regular Season All-America honors on vault. She scored two perfect 10.000s in 2024, including the program's first perfect score on floor exercise. A two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection, Smith earned Academic All-Big Ten honors this season and was named a WCGA Scholastic All-American in 2023.

CSC Academic All-America selections will be announced on July 16.