Gymnastics Travels to Ohio State Saturday

MICHIGAN STATE (12-2, 6-2 B1G) Dual Meet at Ohio State (6-4, 6-2 B1G)
DATE	Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022
TIME	4 p.m. ET
LOCATION	Columbus, Ohio • Covelli Center
VACCINE INFO	Ohio State Athletics COVID-19 Updates
TICKETS	Tickets
STREAMING	B1G+
RESULTS	Live Results
ROSTERS	Michigan State \| Ohio State
MEET NOTES	Michigan State \| Ohio State
SOCIAL MEDIA	@MSU_gymnastics \| MichiganStateUniversityGymnastics \| @msu_gymnastics

EAST LANSING, Mich. – No. 10 Michigan State gymnastics is on the road again this weekend, this time for a dual meet with Ohio State on Saturday, Feb. 26. Competition is set to begin at 4 p.m. inside the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio. Information on Covid-19 protocols while inside the arena can be found here.

LAST TIME OUT
The Spartans had an impressive showing on night two of the Big Five Meet in Toledo, Ohio, coming out on top ahead of fellow conference teams Nebraska, Minnesota, Penn State and Rutgers.

Michigan State took first place with a final score of 196.975, just short of their second 197 score of the season. Event-high scores of 49.200 on vault and 49.300 on beam as well as another consistent showing on floor propelled the Spartans to the victory.

Spartan freshman Gabrielle Stephen placed second in the all-around competition, tallying a career-high 39.475 and finishing just one-tenth of a point behind the all-around winner, fifth-year Minnesota senior Lexy Ramler. Stephen tied for second place on vault with a 9.875 and posted 9.900s on beam and floor, good for spots at third and fifth place, respectively.

Senior Lea Mitchell tied for second overall on the uneven bars event, scoring a season-high 9.875. In the grand finale on floor, four Spartans posted scores of 9.900 or better, highlighted by a second-place finish for Ashley Hofelich with her 9.925 in the anchor routine.

The Spartans currently sit in a tie with Ohio State for second place in the Big Ten standings and await seeding and scheduling for the Big Ten Championships on March 19, following this weekend's results.

STEPHEN EARNS THIRD B1G FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONOR
For the second week in a row and the third time this season, freshman Gabrielle Stephen was the recipient of the Big Ten Freshman of the Week Award on Feb. 22.

Stephen played an important role in the MSU victory at Saturday's Big Five meet. With team-high scores on vault and beam, she finished second overall in the all-around with a 39.475, the fifth-best all-around score in Spartan history and a personal best for the freshman.

Stephen's average on beam ranks third in the Big Ten and eighth in the nation, while her vault scores rank fifth and ninth, respectively. In her first season with the Green and White, she has claimed three vault and three beam titles each, both with high scores of 9.950.

The Spartans have collectively earned five Freshman of the Week accolades this season with Stephen claiming three and fellow first-year Skyla Schulte receiving the honor twice. Both were also named Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch prior to the start of the season. The pair are currently ranked 16th and 17th, respectively, in the nation all-around.

QUOTING COACH ROWE
"Our final Big Ten dual meet this weekend will bring closure to what has been a fantastic 2022 conference challenge and experience for this year's team. We are sitting at 6-2 in the Big Ten currently and are focused on making it 7-2. In a year of numerous program records both individually and as a team, our challenges and goals remain the same and this is just one more enticing weekend." Without dwelling on last year, our season ended right after returning from Ohio State. We would like to take advantage of this opportunity to reset once again and not only continue with the improvements we have focused on this week in the gym, but keep moving forward with last Saturday's success in the rear-view mirror. This weekend will determine our placement in the Big Ten Championships, back in Columbus, hosted by Ohio State, and we are still gunning for a spot in the evening session on Saturday, March 19^th, so this will be great preparation and a big step toward that goal."

SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
No. 16 Ohio State also holds a 6-2 record in conference action, vying for a second-place spot in the B1G standings alongside the Spartans.

The Buckeyes saw success this past weekend when they finished second in night one of the Big Five meet. Split into two sessions, the first day of Big Fives was a showdown between Michigan, Maryland, Iowa, Illinois and Ohio State. OSU took second place with a season-best score of 196.600 in the meet. Five gymnasts posted career-highs, with sophomore Jojo Warga earning the beam title with a score of 9.925.

BEAM QUEENS
As a team, Michigan State ranks seventh in the nation on beam, averaging a score of 49.216 with a season-high 49.500. They rank second among Big Ten teams behind No. 1 Michigan.

Individually, Stephen ranks eighth in the country with a season-high score of 9.950 on the beam apparatus. Teammate Baleigh Garcia ranks tenth, having posted a career-best 9.925 three times this season. The two have combined for seven beam titles this year, sharing the top podium spot in the last home meet against Illinois each with a 9.925.

The Spartans also rank ninth in the nation on floor with an average score of 49.281, and are tenth on vault.

UP NEXT
The Spartans return to East Lansing for their final home meet of the season on Saturday, March 5. The rematch against Western Michigan will include a Senior Day celebration for the five graduating members of the team, Sydney Ewing, Ashley Hofelich, Lea Mitchell, Alaina Raybon and Alyssa Wiedeman. Competition will begin at 7 p.m. inside Jenison Field House.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sydney Ewing

Baleigh Garcia

Ashley Hofelich

Lea Mitchell

Alaina Raybon

Skyla Schulte

Gabrielle Stephen

Alyssa Wiedeman