MSU Gymnastics Teams in the Top Ten
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
March 18, 1998
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Both the men's and women's gymnastics teams at Michigan State are now ranked in the top 10 in the country. The men moved from No. 9 to No. 7 while the women vaulted from 16th to ninth in the latest poll. Both teams set school records in their last outing. The women scored 196.375 to defeat Ohio State and Western Michigan on March 14 while the men won at Michigan with a score of 229.475 on March 12.
MSU's women gymnasts now have a 23-6 record, second only to 1996's 27-3 final record. 1998 marks only the second time in school history that MSU has surpassed the 20-win mark.
Both teams travel to the Big Ten Championships this weekend. The Spartan women travel to Iowa City on March 21 for a 6 p.m. meet while the men are in Ann Arbor, Mich. on March 20 and 21st at 7 p.m.
WOMEN'S BIG TEN: Seven teams represent the Big Ten in women's gymnastics; MSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Penn State. From 1982-85 there were eight teams. Michigan State has not won the Big Ten Championships since 1981. Prior to that, MSU took home four titles. However, the championships were not sanctioned by the Big Ten until 1982. State has finished second seven times, including in 1995 and '96. Last year, MSU placed third with a score of 195.475. The lowest the Spartans have ever finished is fourth in 1983 and '94.
SPARTAN WOMEN TO WATCH: Senior Briony Lecky and junior Carolyn Hecht both set school records in the Spartans's last home meet. Lecky scored 9.975 on the floor exercise while Hecht broke her previous record on the balance beam with a 9.950 performance. Freshman Elisabeth Forshier has finished first on the vault in 10 of the 11 meets in which she has competed and hit 9.900 routines in two of her last six tries, tying her for fourth-best in school history.
MEN'S BIG TEN: The same seven teams also represent the Big Ten in men's gymnastics. The Spartans have won the Big Ten Championship once in the history of the program (1948-1998), tying for the Championship in 1968. MSU has finished second five times, most recently in 1966. Last year the team took sixth place.
SPARTAN MEN TO WATCH: Sophomore Brady Grimm set the school record on the vault with a 9.800 in MSU's last meet. He is ranked No. 3 in the nation on the vault. Freshman Tommy Housley is in the national rankings on both the floor and parallel bars. Junior Kenny Baker is ranked fifth on the pommel horse while senior Keith Douglas and sophomore Ryan Trumpinski are ranked on both the floor and the vault.