Spartan Gymnastics Exits State to Visit Big Ten Foe Illinois
2/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Feb. 15, 2008
Head Coach Kathie Klages Weekly Press Conference
Meet Notes
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State gymnastics team leaves the state of Michigan for the first time this season, as they begin a three-meet road stretch on Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET in Illinois. The meet will be televised on a tape delay on Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network.
The Spartans moved up to No. 22 in the nation, with a 194.155 team average, after a season-high 195.925 against Maryland on Saturday. The total marked the fifth-straight week in which the Green and White set a new standard and was the 12th highest in MSU history. MSU also set season-highs on the vault, beam and floor. Their vault total of 49.275 was the second best score in program history, falling only behind the 49.375 they scored on March 24, 1996 in a tri-meet with Ball State and Texas Woman's.
MSU had four different student-athletes win individual titles against Maryland and have shown great balance throughout the season as seven Spartans have won at least one event. Also, six Spartans are ranked in the national top-100 in at least one event. As a team, the success has lied within the vault and the bars, where the Spartans rank 13th in the country on vault (48.885) and 16th on the bars (48.595).
MSU and Illinois meet for the 43rd time with the Spartans holding a 27-15 all-time lead. The Illini won both meetings last season, beginning with a 194.700-193.925 dual at Jenison and ending with Illinois placing ahead of the Spartans at the Big Ten Championships. MSU is 6-7 all-time at Illinois, but had lost the last six meetings in Huff Hall.
Illinois (2-5) is ranked 26th in the country according to GymInfo with a scoring average of 193.860. The Fighting Illini are also 22nd in the nation on the bars (48.465 average) and 25th on the vault (48.615). Freshman Allison Buckley has been the top performer for Illinois this season, tying for 24th in the country and fourth in the Big Ten on the floor (9.845), while also tying for 49th nationally on the vault (9.820). Sophomore Sarah Schmidt is fourth in the Big Ten in the all-around with a 39.050 average, also good for 37th in the country. This past weekend, the Fighting Illini posted their second highest score of the season while placing third at the IGI "Chicago Style" College Invitational.