Gymnastics Hits the Road to Take On No. 24 Iowa

Jan. 12, 2017

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The No. 26 Michigan State gymnastics team travels to Iowa City on Friday for its first road meet of the season, and will take on the No. 24 Hawkeyes at 7 p.m. ET in Carver Hawkeye Arena. The meet will be streamed live on Hawkeye All-Access, and fans can follow livestats at msuspartans.com.

Michigan State is coming off a successful season-opener in which the Spartans registered a team score of 194.175 in defeating UIC last weekend. Freshman Gabriella Douglas earned a pair of event titles in her first collegiate meet -- on floor exercise and balance beam -- while senior Nicola Deans (vault) and junior Hailee Westney (bars) took the other two victories. MSU took the top five spots on bars, resulting in a 49.025 team score -- just outside a top-25 all-time score for the Spartans. Deans and Douglas were MSU's two All-Around performers, registering scores of 38.475 and 38.325, respectively.

Four different Spartans competed for the first time in the Green and White vs. UIC (1/6), as freshmen Gabriella Douglas and Alexandra Hoyer, along with sophomore Brittini Chappell and Lindsey Lemke made their MSU debuts..

MSU looks to pick up where it left off after a strong finish to the 2016 season in which the Spartans were the 28th-ranked team in the final national poll. The Spartans finished the 2016 regular season 10-10 overall and 4-5 in the conference, highlighted by a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Regional Championships at the University of Georgia. MSU's 195.350 team score at the NCAA Regional was its second-highest score ever at an NCAA Regional, just shy of 2015's score of 195.375. MSU had improved throughout the season, as MSU's 196.300 team score at the Big Five meet was tied for sixth-best score in program history.

Klages is in her 27th season at the helm of the Spartan program and is the longest-tenured head coach in the Michigan State athletic department. Assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Mike Rowe is in his third year with the program after coaching for nine years at the University of Pittsburgh, while assistant coach Nicole Curler is in her fourth year with the program after a standout career as a Spartan gymnast.

Senior Kira Frederick and junior Anna Gamelo were named the Spartans' Gymnasts to Watch in the Big Ten, while the team was picked to finish eighth in the Big Ten preseason coaches' poll.

Frederick missed three meets in 2016 as she battled injuries, but still was able to contribute to MSU's success, particularly on floor exercise where she owned an RQS that ranked 10th in the Big Ten. The Academic All-Big Ten selection placed fourth on floor at the Big Ten Championships.

At the end of last season, the program announced its leadership council for the upcoming year, consisting of seniors Kira Frederick, Elena Lagoski and Holly Ryan, along with junior Anna Gamelo, sophomore Jessica Ling, and incoming freshman Gabriella Douglas.

At the Big Ten Championships last season, Lagoski (floor) and sophomore Hailee Westney (bars) each earned a spot on the All-Big Ten Championship Team with top-three finishes.

Lagoski has been the Spartans' anchor on floor throughout her career. She was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection and with her second-place finish, was named to the All-Championship team at the B1G Championships. With a floor RQS that ranked fourth regionally and 24th nationally, Lagoski owns five of the top 15 floor scores in Spartan history.

Sophomore Hailee Westney was a bars specialist who also contributed on beam last season. Her career-best 9.900 on bars at the Big Ten Championships earned her not only a third-place finish, but also a spot on the B1G All-Championship team.

The Spartans return home next weekend where they will host Minnesota as part of the Tumbles and Takedowns event at Jenison Field House, paired with the MSU wrestlers who will take on Central Michigan.