Lansing Sun

In East Lansing, Michigan, the Michigan State University (MSU) gymnastics team achieved a notable victory against the University of Michigan in their Breslin Center debut. The No. 6 ranked Spartans secured a win over the No. 20 Wolverines with a score of 197.500 to 196.975 on Friday evening, in front of a record crowd of 6,251.

The Spartans' victory improved their season record to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten Conference, while the Wolverines fell to 3-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play. This win marks MSU's third consecutive dual meet victory over Michigan and their fifth win out of six meetings since 2023. The team's score of 197.500 is their highest ever for Week 3, surpassing last year's record set at Penn State.

Head coach Mike Rowe expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance, stating, "I'm ecstatic. I was just saying to the team that we have to be so proud of what we did today."

Junior Nikki Smith led MSU by winning the all-around competition with a season-high score of 39.525. Senior Gabrielle Stephen followed closely with a second-place finish at 39.450, while Michigan's Jahzara Ranger took third place with a score of 39.325.

The Spartans started strong on vault with a score of 49.350, giving them an early lead over Michigan after the first rotation. Smith tied her season high with a vault score of 9.950 to win the event title.

On bars, MSU extended their lead with a score of 49.325 at halftime, led by Sage Kellerman who shared the event title with Michigan's Sophia Diaz and Carly Bauman.

MSU maintained their advantage on beam with another strong performance, taking a lead into the final rotation thanks to scores from Giana Kalefe and others.

The Spartans sealed their victory on floor exercise with a season-high team score of 49.500. Smith and Skyla Schulte both scored matching 9.925s to share the event title.

Reflecting on the atmosphere during the meet, Rowe noted: "It's just what I imagined it would be but times ten."

Looking ahead, MSU will continue their conference schedule on January 24th against Ohio State.