Spartan Gymnastics Aims to Repeat at State of Michigan Classic
2/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Feb. 1, 2008
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State of Michigan Classic Meet Notes
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The No. 24 Michigan State gymnastics program looks to defend its 2007 State of Michigan Classic title on Saturday night at 7 p.m.. Eastern Michigan hosts the meet this season, welcoming Central Michigan, Western Michigan, No. 5 Michigan and the Spartans to Bowen Field House.
The Spartans have improved upon their team total in each of the three meets this season, capped by a 194.550 performance at Michigan last Saturday. Their improvements have increased the team average to 193.392, placing them 24th in the nation. The sophomore class, led by Nicole Curler, has led Michigan State so far this season, combining for 10 of the team's 11 individual titles. Curler has six of those first place finishes, including the all-around in the first two meets of the season.
Saturday will mark the 20th-annual State of Michigan Classic. With their win last season, the Spartans tied Michigan for the most first place finishes in the series with nine. Central Michigan won the other title. In addition, MSU has never finished outside of the top-three and has not been among the top-two on three occasions.
At last year's Classic, hosted by the Spartans, MSU posted a season-high 196.350, led by a one-two finish in the all-around by Kristen Coleman and Nicole Curler. Michigan State also took top honors on each individual event. Rochelle Robinson took the vault, followed a tie for first for Coleman and Michigan's Tatjana Thuener-Rego on the bars. Coleman and Curler shared the podium on the beam, while Robinson closed the meet with first-place honors on the floor.
MSU holds an impressive winning percentage over this weekend's opponents, aside from Michigan. The Spartans have yet to lose to Western Michigan (47-0), including a dual victory to begin 2008, while also holding a 30-1 edge on Eastern Michigan and a 34-8 advantage on Central Michigan. Meanwhile, with the loss this past weekend, MSU is 27-38 all-time against the Wolverines.
Michigan (4-0) moved up to No. 5 nationally with a season-high score of 196.750 against the Spartans this weekend. Their average of 196.033, also leads the Big Ten and the Northeast region. Junior Becky Bernard is tops the list of five Wolverines among the top-25 in the country on the bars. Bernard, who has won the event in all three meets this season, is tied for third nationally on the apparatus.
Eastern Michigan is 1-1 on the young season and ranks eighth in the Central region with a 192.287 average. EMU beat Central Michigan last weekend after opening the season with a close loss to Bowling Green. Junior Zu Vuong and sophomore Erin Grigg have led the Eagles so far in 2008, each with three individual titles. Vuong won the all-around against CMU and the beam in the opener against Bowling Green, and Grigg tied for the vault lead against the Chippewas and won the floor against Bowling Green. The pair shared the vault crown last weekend.
Central Michigan is 0-4 on the season with a team average of 188.425. CMU is coming off a dual loss to Eastern Michigan. Senior Danielle Espinoza leads the team with three first place finishes, having won the floor against EMU, the beam against Iowa and the bars against Illinois State. Junior Venessa Rodriguez has the other individual first place finish for the Chippewas, tying for first on bars last weekend.
Western Michigan is 2-2 on the season and rank ninth in the Central region with a 190.425 team average. The Broncos topped UIC and Ball State, sandwiched around losses to MSU and Northern Illinois. Senior Courtney Lesson has posted the lone first place finishes for WMU in the last two weeks, winning the vault against NIU and the bars against UIC.
Players Mentioned
