MSU Record Six Gymnasts Earn All-Big Ten Accolades

EAST LANSING, Mich. - A record total of six Michigan State gymnasts were named to the All-Big Ten team for their performances throughout the 2022 season, the conference announced Tuesday afternoon.

Freshmen duo Skyla Schulte and Gabrielle Stephen received first-team honors, while sophomores Delanie Harkness, Baleigh Garcia, Giana Kalefe and senior Ashley Hofelich all were named second-team All-Big Ten.

2022 marks the first time the Spartans have received six All-Big Ten awards in a single season, doubling the previous total of three first-team All-B1G selections in 1996. The last time Michigan State placed gymnasts on the All-Big Ten list was 2020 when Ella Douglas and Lea Mitchell were honored.

Schulte hails from Bolingbrook, Illinois began the season 2022 Big Ten Gymnast to Watch, going on to win five Freshman of the Week honors and a Gymnast of the Week award in her rookie season with the Green & White. She boasts a career-high of 9.950 on bars, beam, and once floor, with a 9.900 on vault. Competing all-around in ten meets this season, Schulte owns a NQS of 39.420 and is the ninth-best all-arounder in the conference. On March 5 against Western Michigan, she broke the Michigan State individual all-around record set by senior Kristen Coleman in 2004, a 39.625, and replaced it with her own career-high 39.675.

The freshman holds the top and third-highest all-around scores in Michigan State history, as well as a tie for the second-highest beam score (9.950) and third-highest bars score (9.950). Schulte has racked up four all-around titles and nine individual titles: three on beam, three on bars, two on vault and one on floor, over the course of the season.

Fellow first-year Stephen also came to Michigan State from Illinois and is an Elgin native. Along with Schulte, she was named a 2022 Gymnast to Watch prior to the start of the season, and has earned Freshman of the Week accolades three times this year. Primarily as an all-arounder, Stephen has competed in all 11 meets this season, setting a career-best all-around score of 39.475 on Feb. 19 at the Big Five Meet. Two of Stephen's all-around scores rank in the top 10 all-time for Michigan State.

Stephen wrapped up the regular season with four individual titles on beam, three on vault and one all-around crown. On Jan. 22 against Iowa, she posted a career-best 9.950 on vault, tying for the third-highest score on the apparatus in MSU history. She claimed a career-high also of 9.950 on beam Feb. 5 against Maryland, tying the second-highest beam score in Michigan State's record books. Stephen's beam scores combined are the fourth-highest in the B1G and 23rd-best in the nation.

Harkness, a sophomore from Leslie, receives her first All-Big Ten selection. After competing all-around in the first two meets of the season, she held consistent spots in the lineup on bars and floor with the occasional appearance on beam.

Harkness is a resident bars star for the Green & White, boasting a career-high of 9.950 with five event titles under her belt. On floor, she has posted four scores of 9.900 or better and set her career-high of 9.925 on Feb. 13 against Illinois. On Feb. 15, she was named the Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week for her performance in that meet, which also included a 9.900 score on bars and two event titles.

A sophomore from Boynton Beach, Florida, Garcia also earns her first All-B1G award. Garcia has been a consistent presence on beam for the Spartans this season, posting eight scores of 9.900 or better on the apparatus. Her career-high of 9.925 was set on Jan. 15 and has since been tied three times and is the third-highest beam score for MSU all-time. Garcia owns eight career beam titles, five of which she has earned this year. In MSU's abbreviated 2021 season, she was named a preseason Gymnast to Watch and was the Week One Freshman of the Week.

Fellow sophomore Kalefe hails all the way from Corona, California and picks up her first All-B1G accolade. Kalefe started out the season with a bang, posting a 9.900 on beam in her debut and earning the event title. Since then, she has scored a 9.900 or better on beam five time, with a career-high 9.925 being earned twice. She owns a total of four beam titles, all earned this season, and holds a NQS of 9.895.

Senior gymnast Hofelich has made an appearance in the lineup for every meet this season, primarily competing on vault and floor. The Novi native is a force to reckon with on the floor, with nine scores of 9.900 or better achieved. She earned a new career-high of 9.925 on Jan. 15 and proceeded to score a 9.925 on her routine in six straight meets. On March 5, she wowed the judges with a near-flawless routine, scoring a 9.975 and receiving a perfect 10.0 from one of two judges. The senior's new career-best ties for the best floor score in MSU history and is just the fifth time ever that a Spartan gymnast has achieved the score.

Hofelich ranks seventh in the Big Ten and 19th in the nation on floor with a NQS of 9.925. She has earned five floor titles this season to add to her eight career crowns. She also earned one vault title this season when she posted a career-high 9.925 on Feb. 5 against Maryland.

Hofelich is also this year's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree for Michigan State.

Next up for MSU is the Big Ten Championships held in Columbus, Ohio. No. 12 Michigan State will compete as part of the second session of the Championships on Saturday at 5:30 p.m., alongside No. 3 Michigan, No. 8 Minnesota, and No. 16 Ohio State inside the Covelli Center.

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Players Mentioned

Baleigh Garcia

Delanie Harkness

Ashley Hofelich

Giana Kalefe

Lea Mitchell

Skyla Schulte

Gabrielle Stephen

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