Women's Gymnastics Opens 1999 Season on Jan. 9
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
January 4, 1999
SPARTANS OPEN SEASON JAN. 7 - Michigan States womens gymnastics team will open its 1999 season on Jan. 9 at The Summit in Lansing by hosting Missouri, Ball State and Iowa at 7 p.m. The meet will be the season debut for all three teams. The Spartans are returning from a 1998 season which saw them record 20 wins for only the second time in school history and advance to the NCAA Regionals for the fourth-straight year. The team boasts seven upperclassmen, including co-captains Mary Jo Schlicklin, a senior, and Polly Kiker, a junior. The meet will be the first time the Spartans have competed at The Summit. The building, located in the Capital Centre is located on the southwest edge of Lansing. Directions: From Lansing: Off I-96 take Lake Lansing Rd. North to the first street on the left leading into the Capital Centre complex. The Summit is the last building on the left. Turn left into the parking lot before the building.
From Grand Rapids: Take I-96 East to Lansing Rd. North to the first street on the left leading into the Capital Centre complex. The Summit is the last building on the left. Turn left into the parking lot before the building.
From Flint: Take 69 South to 127 South to 496 West to Lansing Rd. Exit. Go South on Lansing Rd. to last street on right before getting to I-96 and after the Creyts Rd. stop light.
From Detroit: Take 96 West to Lansing Rd. North. Take the first street on the left leading into the Capital Centre complex. The Summit is the last building on the left. Turn left into the parking lot before the building.
MSU VS. THE COMPETITION - Michigan State is 11-5 against Missouri. The teams faced each other three times last season. MSU has won the last two meetings. The Spartans are 8-0 against Ball State. The teams faced each other last in the Spartans 1998 season opener. MSU is 13-1 against Iowa and has won the last five in a row. The teams last met in the 1998 Big Ten Championships.
IN THE RANKINGS - The Spartans debut at No. 24 in the NCAA Top 25 Preseason poll as chosen by the coaches. Seven of the 24 teams MSU will face in the regular season are in the preseason top 25, including three top 10 teams in UCLA (No. 3), Michigan (No. 7) and LSU (No. 9). Five other teams the Spartans will face in 99 (New Hampshire, Maryland, Central Michigan, California and Towson) also received votes.
The Big Ten (Michigan, Penn State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois) and the Pac-10 (UCLA, Arizona State, Washington, Stanford, Oregon State, Arizona) both have six representatives in the first poll of the season, while the SEC has five (Georgia, Florida, LSU, Kentucky, Alabama), the WAC two (Utah, BYU), the Big West two (Boise State, Utah State) and the ACC (NC State), Big East (West Virginia) and Conference USA (Nebraska) each has one.
(1999 Preseason) Team, Points 1. Georgia, 942; 2. Florida, 873; 3. UCLA, 824; 4. Utah, 820; 5. Alabama, 816; 6. Arizona State, 743; 7. Michigan, 742; 8. Washington, 638; 9. LSU, 600; 10. Stanford, 587; 11. Nebraska, 457; 12. BYU, 435; 13. Penn State, 435; 14. West Virginia, 387; 15. Oregon State, 372; 16. Arizona, 357; 17. NC State, 305; 18. Minnesota, 253; 19. Boise State, 214; 20. Ohio State, 200; 21. Iowa State, 183; 22. Kentucky, 163; 23. Utah State, 162; 24. Michigan State, 152; 25. Illinois, 80.
Complete ranking information can be found at http://www.troester.com.