Spartans Gymnastics Hosts Iowa for Big Ten Opener Saturday

MICHIGAN STATE (4-0, 0-0 B1G) Dual Meet with Iowa (2-0, 0-0 B1G)
DATE	Saturday, Jan. 12, 2022
TIME	7 p.m. ET
LOCATION	East Lansing, Mich. • Jenison Field House
VACCINE INFO	MSU Athletics Vaccination Policy for Spectators
TICKETS	MSU Tickets
STREAMING	Big Ten Network+ {WATCH LIVE}
RESULTS	Live Results
ROSTERS	Meet Flipcard
MEET NOTES	Michigan State \| Iowa
SOCIAL MEDIA	@MSU_gymnastics \| MichiganStateUniversityGymnastics \| @msu_gymnastics

EAST LANSING, Mich.- No. 15 Michigan State gymnastics is back at home on Saturday, January 22 to host Iowa in the Spartans' Big Ten season opener. The meet is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start inside Jenison Field House.

The Spartans are returning to Jenison for their second straight home meet, which will also serve as the 15^th Annual Jan Howard Breast Cancer Awareness pink meet. Fans who arrive wearing pink will receive free admission to the event.

Fans are welcomed back to Spartan gymnastics under Michigan State's Vaccination Policy for Spectators. Fans are also encouraged to arrive early and consider parking at the Kellogg Center and IM West to avoid traffic from Saturday night's 6 p.m. hockey game.

LAST TIME OUT
The Spartans move to 4-0 after a victory at home against Bowling Green and Illinois State on Jan. 15. Michigan State took first place with a 196.472, their sixth-best team score in school history. Illinois State finished second with a score of 192.625, while Bowling Green was third with a 192.400.

MSU took the top spot in all four events and the all-around, highlighted by several career-highs and record-setting scores. The Spartans' 49.300 team score on beam was tied for the fourth-best ever for the Spartans.

Baleigh Garcia earned the aforementioned beam title with a 9.925, which is tied for 10th-best in MSU history. Lea Mitchell and Gabrielle Stephen both set career-best marks with matching 9.990 scores to finish tied for second. Four Spartans either tied or surpassed personal bests in the floor event as well, led by Ashley Hofelich with a career-high 9.925.

Stephen took home the all-around title with a score of 39.425 while also earning a win on vault.

JAN HOWARD BREAST CANCER AWARENESS PINK MEET
Saturday is MSU's annual Jan Howard Breast Cancer Awareness pink meet, and fans are encouraged to wear pink while watching and cheering on the Spartans!

The 15th Annual Breast Cancer Awareness meet presented by Sparrow Health Systems is dedicated in memory of Jan Howard, mother of alumni gymnast (1990-1995) and current Director of Student-Athlete Development with MSU Athletics Student-Athlete Support Services, Angela Montie.

While the gymnastics meet is a wonderful tribute to Jan Howard, her family would like fans to honor her and to honor those survivors and everyone that has been touched by the dreaded disease and that is to raise awareness and early detection of breast cancer and ultimately find a cure.

Help is needed to understand the importance of regular screening for early detection of breast cancer. Michigan State gymnastics and Spartans everywhere aim to stand together in hopes of ultimately finding a cure.

MESSAGE FROM JAN HOWARD'S FAMILY
"It is an immense honor for our family that my mother, Jan Howard's, name is associated with this meet. We are very appreciative to Michigan State Athletics, Coach Rowe, and the entire Spartan gymnastics program for linking her name with this event to keep her memory and spirit going.

Individual health is very important and Jan would want to ensure that everyone stays current with their regular check-ups.

Our family is proud to represent and honor all of the families who have had loved ones affected by breast cancer. While we may bleed Green & White as Spartans, we're all united in pink for this wonderful event." – Angela Montie

COACH ROWE QUOTE
"It's been a great week in the gym with the Spartans honing in on the details while continuing to compete for lineup spots daily. Every individual on this team is crucial to our success, and fortunately, we've had a few different individuals step up the past couple of weeks when we've needed them.

We have been eagerly anticipating the start of our Big Ten season, and opening this Saturday with Iowa will be a night of some great gymnastics. Iowa is the reigning regular season champion and they have always been a tough opponent. The bar has been raised for our program and this year's Spartans are ready for any challenge. The re-emergence of veterans Lea Mitchell, Nyah Smith, Alaina Raybon and Alyssa Wiedeman will enhance all events with their competitive experience and strength in leadership.

The Big Ten continues to grow stronger and more competitive on the national stage each year, and the next five weekends will present a lot of different challenges us, making each meet exciting yet unpredictable. Remember to wear PINK to get in FREE!"

STEPHEN RECIEVED BI1G FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONORS
Gabrielle Stephen was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week earlier this week for her performance in Saturday's meet. It was the second straight Freshman of the Week award given to the Spartans, with Skyla Schulte having received the honor in week one.

In just her second meet as a member of the MSU gymnastics team, Stephen won the all-around and earned the vault title at the Jan. 15 tri-meet with Bowling Green and Illinois State. Stephen posted a 39.425 all-around, tied for seventh in MSU history with Sarah Alexander, who achieved the feat twice in 2003.

The Elgin, Illinois native won the vault title for the second straight week, scoring a 9.850. She also improved upon her previous bars and beam scores from last week's meet, scoring 9.775 and 9.900, respectively. Stephen's scores helped lead MSU to a 196.475 and first-place victory over the visiting Falcons and Redbirds.

Stephen's all-around score ranks ninth in the league and 46th in the nation, while her vault average is tied for fifth in the Big Ten, 32nd nationally.

UP NEXT
Michigan State heads to Ann Arbor to take on in-state rival Michigan on Sunday, January 30. The meet is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start inside the Crisler Center.

Spartans Gymnastics Hosts Iowa for Big Ten Opener Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Baleigh Garcia

Ashley Hofelich

Lea Mitchell

Alaina Raybon

Skyla Schulte

Nyah Smith

Gabrielle Stephen

Alyssa Wiedeman

Spartans Gymnastics Hosts Iowa for Big Ten Opener Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Baleigh Garcia

Ashley Hofelich

Lea Mitchell

Alaina Raybon

Skyla Schulte

Nyah Smith

Gabrielle Stephen

Alyssa Wiedeman

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