Spartan Gymnastics Opens 2020 Season On The Road at Western Michigan Sunday

EAST LANSING, Mich - Michigan State gymnastics opens the 2020 season against Western Michigan in Kalamazoo at WMU's Read Fieldhouse/University Arena on Sunday, Jan. 5 with the meet slated to begin at 1 p.m.

Results for Sunday's meet can be found at msuspartans.com.

GYMNASTS TO WATCH . . .
Junior Lea Mitchell and freshman Nyah Smith have been named Michigan State's Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch for the 2020 season.

The Spartans were picked to finish ninth as a team in the preseason coaches' poll.

A native of Boynton Beach, Florida, Mitchell was a steady performer last season in the all-around competition as a sophomore, as she collected seven all-around scores of 39.0 or better. Mitchell also earned four all-around victories in 2019, on her way to earning All-Big Ten Second Team and Big Ten All-Championships Team honors.

"Junior Lea Mitchell has once again, raised her own bar, knowing that will contribute towards taking our program to the next level," MSU head coach Mike Rowe said. "A three-time B1G Gymnast to Watch and two-time all-around NCAA Regional Qualifier, achieving second team All-Big Ten in 2019, Lea is working upgrades that will still see the competition floor at some point this season."

Smith enters her first season of competition for the Spartans, hailing from West Bloomfield, Michigan. Smith is one of seven freshmen selected as a Big Ten Gymnast to Watch.

Smith trained at Oakland Gymnastics, where she was a two-time J.O. National Qualifier in 2017 and 2019, placing ninth all-around at the 2019 J.O. National Championships, with a ninth-place finish on beam and 12th on vault. She also placed sixth all-around at the 2019 Michigan State Championships.

"Freshman Nyah Smith has had an amazing preseason and has really taken her role and position on this team seriously," Rowe said. "She will definitely be an impact player as an all-arounder, continuing to get stronger and more dynamic with each practice. She's powerful, explosive, has beautiful lines and artistry and Spartan fans will definitely agree she's one to keep their eyes on."

GREEN AND WHITE . . .
Michigan State gymnastics opened the 2019-20 competition season with the annual Green and White Meet at Jenison Field House on December 14.

"We are ecstatic; they had a really great day," MSU head coach Mike Rowe said. "It was nice to see because we are such a young team. I've mentioned in the past that we have 10 freshmen and sophomores and five upperclassmen, so we are relying on our youth to step up and be accountable and really put up some big numbers and they did that today."

Freshman Nyah Smith took top honors in the all-around competition, posting a score of 39.025. Senior Gabriella Douglas won the vault competition with a score of 9.825. The senior also was the top gymnast on beam with a score of 9.90 and floor exercise, posting a mark of 9.95. Freshmen Jori Jackard earned the top gymnast spot on bars with a mark of 9.825.

WELCOME FRESHMEN . . .
Michigan State welcomes five freshman gymnasts to the roster this season.

Chloe Bellmore (Dewitt, Mich.), Ryanna Head (Hernando Beach, Fla.), Jori Jackard (Haslett, Mich.), Nyah Smith (West Bloomfield, Mich.) and Linda Zivat (Manhattan, Ill.) join the Spartans' rotation in 2020.

O CAPTAINS! OUR CAPTAINS! . . .
Senior Gabriella Douglas and junior Lea Mitchell will serve as the co-captains for the 2020 season.

Douglas and Mitchell are serving as co-captains for the second-straight season. The duo were both named to the All-Big Ten Second Team and gathered Big Ten All-Championships Team accolades in 2019. Also, the co-captains both competed at the NCAA Regionals in Baton Rouge, Louisiana last season.
"Ella and Lea have once again been designated as the Spartan Gymnastics Team Captains for the 2019-20 season by their teammates and coaches," Rowe said. "When it comes to leadership in the classroom and out, and especially in the arena, they complement each other by setting the standards that exemplify the values, philosophies and long-range goals of our program."

Douglas, a native of Toronto, Ontario, had a stellar season for the Spartans as a junior after missing her sophomore season with a knee injury. The two-time WCGA Scholar All-American recorded four 9.9 or better outings on floor and had six event wins on the season. The senior is also a two-time Big Ten Gymnast to Watch.

A native of Boynton Beach, Florida, Mitchell was a steady performer in the all-around competition as a sophomore, as she collected seven all-around scores of 39.0 or better. Mitchell also earned four all-around victories in 2019. Mitchell is a two-time WCGA Scholar All-American and Big Ten Gymnast to Watch.

"We are thrilled that together, they are consummate role models that have and will continue to inspire and nurture our team to a higher bar and re-defining our culture," Rowe said.

BRONCO NOTES . . .
This is the first dual meeting between the two programs since February 21, 2014. The Broncos defeated the Spartans 195.000-194.775, pulling away in the thrid rotation for the victory.

Western Michigan returns the 2018 MAC Freshman of the Year in junior Morgan Spence, along with Stacie Harrison, the 2018 MAC uneven bars champion, and Alexis Olivier, the 2019 MAC uneven bars champion.

WMU head coach Penny Jernigan is in her sixth season at the helm of the Bronco program.

QUOTABLE WITH COACH ROWE . . .
"It's been a few years since we've opened on the road but our Spartans are hungry and excited to get out there and prove something this year. The team has worked really hard all preseason, especially through the holidays, working on the smallest details and consistency in starting us out-of-the-gates strong."

"We're still not at full strength, but those not competing this weekend, whether it be on an additional event or two, have been making great strides towards increasing our depth on each event, probably more this year than in years past."

"We will be starting two All-Arounder's with junior co-captain, Lea Mitchell and freshman Nyah Smith, who were both nominated 2020's Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch. They're both capable of putting up big scores and I'm sure they'll both be fan favorites this year. It needs to be said that we have a lot of potential favorites on this year's team as each one brings not only talent, but their own unique personalities which we've done our best to nurture and showcase as much as possible. Sunday will be an exciting debut for our 2020 Spartans."

UP NEXT . . .
Michigan State gymnastics hosts a tri-meet with Central Michigan and Illinois State in the 2020 home-opener on Saturday, Jan. 11 at Jenison Field House, with the meet slated to begin at 2 p.m.

Spartan Gymnastics Opens 2020 Season On The Road at Western Michigan Sunday

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Players Mentioned

Chloe Bellmore

Gabriella Douglas

Ryanna Head

Jori Jackard

Lea Mitchell

Nyah Smith

Linda Zivat