Spartans Ready For Regional Competition

April 3, 2006

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Bound For Baton Rouge -

With an all-around qualifying score of 194.180 Michigan State has advanced to regional competition for the fourth-time in the last five years, and the eighth time in the last 11 seasons. The Spartans will travel to Baton Rouge, La., to compete in the Central Regional Championships, Friday, April 7 at 6 p.m.

Joined by top-seed Oklahoma, host Louisiana State, the University of Kentucky and Big Ten rivals Penn State and Ohio State, the Green and White will battle for one of the top-two team positions and the right to attend the NCAA Championships, in Corvallis, Ore., April 20-22. The top-two indivdual all-around competitors not competing for either of the qualifying teams, will also be invited to nationals.

Michigan State last qualified for regional competition as a team in 2004, finishing fifth with a score of 195.025, also at LSU. This weekend's action will mark the fourth time the Spartans have competed in a regional hosted by Louisiana State.

Fresh Faces -

Only four members of the 2006 Spartan roster have prior experience in regional competiton. Senior Sarah Alexander and juniors Kristen Coleman, Chayla Hill and Victoria Iakounina were all a part of MSU's fifth-place finisher at the 2004 regional in Baton Rouge. Alexander also reached regional competition as a freshman during the 2003 season, while Hill was an individual qualifier on vault and floor a year ago.

Sophomore Bethany Little and six Spartan newcomers, sophomores Rhiannon Banda-Scott and Megan McNally and freshman Briana Dicus, Dani Fanning, Katlyn Roggensack and Jenna Russell will get their first tastes of NCAA post-season competition this weekend.

Three For All -

Junior Chayla Hill is the lone Michigan State gymnast to compete at regionals in each season of her career. The Spartans did not qualify for NCAA Regionals as a team in 2005, but Hill did so individually on vault and floor exercise.

Hill posted a 9.650 on vault and a 9.600 on floor exercise at last season's South East Regional, hosted by the University of Alabama. As a freshman, the Hudson, Ohio, native garnered a 9.800 on vault, a 9.725 on beam and a 9.775 on floor exercise, leading the Spartans to a fifth-place overall finish.

Scouting The Competition -

Top-seeded Oklahoma enters the competition fresh off of a third-place finish at the Big 12 Championships a week ago. The Sooners, who are coached by former U.S. Olympic coach Steven Nunno, enter the regional with a team qualifying score of 196.335 and boast talented all-arounders Haley DeProspero and Kiara Redmond.

Second-seeded host Louisiana State wrapped up the regular season with a 10-8 overall record and recently posted a fourth-place finish at the Southeastern Conference Championships. In their final regular season meet, LSU posted a season-high 196.825, in a win over UCLA, thanks in large part to senior April Burkholder who captured event titles on vault, bars and floor exercise en route to the all-around championship.

Penn State enters the Central Regionals seeded third overall, following a third-place finish at the Big Ten championships, on March 25. Senior Jennifer Orlando placed fourth in the all-around at the conference meet, while junior Corissa Pirkl and freshman Katie Perret captured vault and bar titles, respectively.

Fourth-seeded Kentucky opened the 2006 season with a 192.775-189.225 victory over Michigan State. Since then the Wildcats have built a 14-12 overall record and managed a seventh-place finish at the SEC Championships. Junior Krystle Cook leads UK and ranks 36th nationally in the all-around, 20th on vault and 14th on the uneven bars.

The Spartans and the Ohio State Buckeyes are meeting for the third time this season; MSU captured a 193.075-192.400 victory in Columbus, on Jan. 21, and again defeatued OSU at the Big Ten Championships, on March 25. The Buckeyes are led by a trio of talented all-arounders in Brittany Brown, Maalika Moore-Thomas and Kaylin Schlecht.

National Rankings -

The Central Championship boasts one of the deepest fields in regional competition this season. The Sooners are the top ranked team in the Regional, ranking sixth nationally. LSU follows close behind in seventh position, while Penn State sits in a tie for 16th, Kentucky is 20th, MSU sits 28th and Ohio State ranks 32nd.

Hosts With The Most -

Paced by junior Kristen Coleman's runner-up all-around finish (39.100) the Spartans posted a 194.975 to place second at the 2006 Big Ten Championships, matching the highest conference finish in MSU history and marking Michigan State's first trip to the Big Ten podium since 1996.

Junior Chayla Hill garnered a 9.800 on vault to finish in a five-way tie for first place in the event. Freshman Briana Dicus added a third-place beam peformance, netting a new career-high 9.825, while Hill and senior Sarah Alexander added a pair of 9.850's on floor exercise, tying for sixth-place.

Minnesota claimed top-honors, netting a 195.150, to snap a recent string of Michigan dominance atop the conference. Penn State finished third (194.925), followed by Michigan (194.475), Ohio State (193.525), Iowa (193.425) and Illinois (192.500).

All Big Ten Honors -

Prior to the conference championship, Junior Kristen Coleman and classmate Victoria Iakounina were named to the All-Big Ten first and second teams, respectively. The honor was Coleman's first All-Big Ten selection, while Iakounina also earned second-team honors and was named freshman of the year in 2004. Senior Sarah Alexander was also recognized as Michigan State's sportsmanship award honoree.

Coach Of The Year -

Spartan head coach Kathie Klages was named the Big Ten Co-Coach of the Year, at the post-championship awards ceremony on Saturday, March 25. It was the third-such honor, and the second in three seasons, for coach Klages, who led the Spartans to an 11-7 overall record in 2006, despite a roster that features just 11 total gymnasts.

Klages also earned Coach of the Year accolades in 1996 and 2004. In 1996, she led the Spartans to a 27-3 record and second-place finish in the Big Ten Championships. The 2004 season saw MSU boast an 18-10-1 mark and its third-straight trip to NCAA Regional competition.

Big Ten Success -

Following a highly competitive Big Ten Championship meet, at Jenison Field House on March 25, six of the conference's seven teams qualified for an NCAA Regional. Only Iowa failed to do so.

Peaking At The Right Time -

The Green and White has continuously improved throughout the season, posting its top three scores of 2006 in its last four competitions. Michigan State has cracked the 193.000 plateau in four-straight meets, and six of its last seven.

Familliar Faces -

Veterans Sarah Alexander, Kristen Coleman, Chayla Hill and Victoria Iakounina have anchored the Michigan State rotations in 2006. The quartet has combined to capture 54 top-three finishes and 14 trips to the podium in all-around competition this season. Big Ten Chamipionship competition saw Hill tie for first-place on vault with a score of 9.800, while Coleman placed second in the all-around competition, scoring a 39.100.

Road Warriors -

Just four of Michigan State's regular-season meets took-place in the friendly confines of Jenison Field House. In the meantime, the Spartans were forced to endure two-separate four-meet road trips. The Green and White posted a 7-6 road record during the regular season.

Comeback Kids -

Just two days after dropping a dual-meet decision at North Carolina State (3/03), Michigan State rebounded to post a season-best team score of 196.250 in a win over Norther Illinois (3/05). Juniors Kristen Coleman (39.300) and Victoria Iakounina (39.175) finished first and second in the all-around competition, respectively. The Spartans who also set season-highs on bars (48.900) and beam (49.475).

Balancing Act -

Michigan State's 49.475 balance beam performance vs. Northern Illinois set a new Spartan benchmark, as the highest team score on beam in program history. Senior Sarah Alexander and junior Chayla Hill led the way, each scoring a season-best 9.925, tying for first-place honors.

Captain Obvious -

Prior to the 2006 season, senior Sarah Alexander was named co-captain of the Michigan State gymnastics team for the third consecutive season. Alexander, who has been a team leader on and off the mat from the moment she arrived in East Lansing, is the only three-year captain in school history. Junior Chayla Hill joins Alexander, serving as a co-captain for the first time in her career.

Fanning The Flames -

Michigan State freshman Dani Fanning has become a regular member of the Spartan line-up on uneven bars and floor exercise this season, despite enrolling at MSU just days before the spring semester. Fanning graduated from Paradise Valley High School in Glendale, Ariz., last December and competed in her first collegiate meet days later, on Jan. 6 vs. Kentucky.

Good Things Come In... -

Due to graduation and injury the Spartans returned just five letterwinners this season in senior Sarah Alexander, juniors Kristen Coleman, Chayla Hill and Victoria Iakounina and sophomore Bethany Little. Central Michigan transfer, sophomore Rhiannon Banda-Scott brings additional collegiate experience to the roster, while walk on Megan McNally and freshmen Briana Dicus, Dani Fanning, Katlyn Roggensack and Jenna Russell round out the roster of just 11 student-athletes.

Measuring Stick -

By the end of the 2006 regular season, the Spartans should have a good handle on how they stack up against elite competition. Eleven of Michigan State's 18 regular season opponents qualified for NCAA Regional action in 2005, while two managed to advance to the NCAA Championships (Penn State and Michigan).

Consistent Winners -

In its 30-year history, MSU has never had a losing season. The program's .710 winning percentage (460-187-3) is the highest of any Spartan athletic program. The Spartans have twice eclipsed the 20-win plateau (1996 and 1998), and have won at least ten meets each year since the 1982 season when the Green and White posted a 9-2 overall record.