Lansing Sun

Michigan State University's gymnastics team achieved a second-place finish at the Florida Quad meet in Gainesville, with season highs on bars and beam contributing to their 196.650 team score. The Spartans were narrowly defeated by Florida, who scored 196.675 in their season opener. Michigan State triumphed over Nebraska and Northern Illinois, who scored 195.600 and 191.950 respectively.

Head coach Mike Rowe expressed pride in his team's performance, stating, "This team proved tonight that they're fighters." He acknowledged a challenging start on floor but noted improvements as the competition progressed, particularly highlighting the team's strong showing on beam.

Junior Olivia Zsarmani made her second career all-around appearance, achieving a personal best of 39.425 to place third behind Florida's Leanne Wong and Sloane Blakely. Senior Gabrielle Stephen also reached a season high with a score of 39.400 for fourth place, while junior Nikki Smith tied for fifth with Nebraska's Emma Spence at 39.300.

The Spartans began the meet on floor with a score of 48.900, led by Stephen's fourth-place score of 9.850. On vault, MSU posted a score of 49.025 in the second rotation, with junior Sage Kellerman earning runner-up honors with a score of 9.875.

In the third rotation on bars, MSU tied its tenth-best program history score with a total of 49.425, featuring three scores of 9.900 or better led by Kellerman's runner-up finish at 9.925.

The final rotation saw MSU achieve a season-high beam score of 49.300, led by Zsarmani's career-high tie for second place at 9.925 and Stephen's tie for fourth at 9.900.

Despite two falls on floor from Florida gymnasts during their final rotation, they managed to secure victory over Michigan State due to strong performances from other team members.

MSU will next compete against Michigan at home inside the Breslin Center on January 17th at 6 p.m., with coverage available via B1G+ streaming service.