Spartan Gymnastics Hosts Western Michigan on Senior Night

NO. 12 MICHIGAN STATE (12-3, 6-3 B1G) Dual Meet with Western Michigan (7-7, 3-3 MAC)
DATE	Saturday, March 5, 2022
TIME	7 p.m. ET
LOCATION	East Lansing, Mich. • Jenison Field House
VACCINE INFO	MSU Athletics Vaccination Policy for Spectators
TICKETS	MSU Tickets
TELEVISION	Big Ten Plus
RESULTS	Live Results
ROSTERS	Michigan State \| Western Michigan
MEET NOTES	Michigan State
SOCIAL MEDIA	@MSU_gymnastics \| MichiganStateUniversityGymnastics \| @msu_gymnastics

EAST LANSING, Mich. – No. 12 Michigan State gymnastics is primed for its final home meet of the season this Saturday, March 5 against Western Michigan. The Spartans will also celebrate the team's five graduating seniors, Sydney Ewing, Ashley Hofelich, Lea Mitchell, Alaina Raybon and Alyssa Wiedeman throughout the meet, which will begin at 7 p.m. inside Jenison Field House.

Fans are welcomed to attend under Michigan State's Vaccination Policy for Spectators.

LAST TIME OUT
Michigan State was outmatched, 197.075-196.850, in a dual meet at Ohio State on Saturday, February 26, despite putting up some of the best scores of the season. MSU's team score on beam ranked fourth all-time, while their 49.450 floor score was tied for the third-highest score in program history, the 10th occurrence of a 49.450 on floor.

Freshman Skyla Schulte won her third all-around title with a 39.425, her second-best all-around score this season. Fellow freshman Gabrielle Stephen came in second with a score of 39.150. Schulte set a new career-high with her beam score of 9.900, and finished in a tie for fifth-overall on bars, scoring a 9.825.

Four Spartans landed in a tie for first place on beam, with Stephen, Schulte, and sophomores Baleigh Garcia and Giana Kalefe all putting up scores of 9.900.

HOME SWEET HOME
The squad returns home after back-to-back road meets in the form of a dual meet at Ohio State and the Big Five meet in Toledo, Ohio. Home competition fares especially well for the Spartans, with two of their highest scores this season being achieved in Jenison Field House. On February 13 against Illinois, Michigan State set a new program-high team score of 197.425, MSU's first time topping 197 since 2004 against Boise State and Penn. The Spartans have also set program highs of 49.500 on beam and 49.575 on floor at home this year.

QUOTING COACH ROWE
"Senior Night is traditionally a celebration of our seniors' journeys throughout their time spent here at Michigan State as well as their academic and athletic achievements along the way. Without a doubt, this class was the beginning of change, and they were at the forefront of creating the culture that has put us where we are today. They've been through adversities, but over their time spent here, I know that they have been a crucial part of getting us to this point and leading the rest of their teammates. Being successful at gymnastics is the key to conquering adversity, and anyone who doesn't know our sport might argue that fact, but we know it to be true. I commend them for being the leaders that they are, the mentors, and the go-to teammates for our younger student-athletes. We also want to praise them for really striving to excel academically and creating a new standard which has raised us to greater heights in the classroom as well.

We are thrilled that each one of them has done their best gymnastics here at Michigan State and continued the legacy of wearing the Green and White with pride. It's bittersweet, but we're thrilled for their accomplishments as Spartans and the individual achievements they can look forward to in the future. There's nothing that can stop the Class of 2022, and they know it! For Saturday's meet, our focus, consistency, selflessness and purpose will continue to demonstrate the path we have been on this season, one step at a time."

SCHULTE NAMED BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
On the heels of Gabrielle Stephen's receiving the honor the previous week, fellow freshman Skyla Schulte was this week's B1G Freshman of the week. Both first-year gymnastics have now earned the accolade three times apiece this season.

Schulte had a strong showing for the Spartans on February 26 at Ohio State, lending a hand in MSU earning its fifth-highest team score in program history, a 196.850. She won the all-around with a final score of 39.425 to earn her third all-around title of the season. Schulte also secured a share of first place on beam with a career-high 9.900. She wrapped up the meet with scores of 9.825 on both vault and bars, and a 9.875 on floor to add to her total all-around numbers.

Schulte's all-around score was her third-best this season and the 10th highest in Spartan history. She set her career-high of 39.475 on February 13 against Illinois, and currently ranks seventh in the Big Ten along with 20th in the nation as an all-arounder.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
All five of this year's graduating gymnasts have made a significant impact on Spartan gymnastics during their time here. Throughout the season, the five have held consistent spots in the lineup each meet with their routines serving to help propel Michigan State to new heights and record-breaking team scores.

Sydney Ewing averages a 9.825 on floor and holds a career-high of 9.900 on the event, set earlier this season against Iowa. She has made an appearance in the leadoff spot on floor in every meet thus far.

Ashley Hofelich also boasts a consistent floor routine, scoring a 9.925 in the last six straight meets, averaging a team-high 9.917. Since joining the Spartans, Hofelich has worked her way into some of the top spots in the team's lineup, with her floor score currently ranking 13^th in the nation with an NQS of 9.925.

Lea Mitchell made the decision to return to the team for a fifth year, a decision that has proven to pay off tremendously. Mitchell has held a spot in the bars and beam lineup in every meet this season and has performed her floor routine in all but one meet. Across the three events, she has scored a 9.900 or better four times this year, setting a new career-high beam score in January against Bowling Green and Illinois State.

Alaina Raybon serves as one of the team's biggest 'hype-women,' and is always there to cheer on the career-best routines and big finishes. She earned a season-high score of 9.725 on the uneven bars on January 22 against Iowa.

Rounding out the senior honorees is Alyssa Wiedeman, another consistent Spartan 'beam queen,' with appearances in all but one meet this season. As a senior, she broke through for a new career-best score on the beam apparatus, a 9.875, at the Big Five meet on February 19.

IN THE RANKINGS
Entering the final weeks of the season, the Spartans rank among the top-25 on vault and bars with top-ten standings on beam and floor. MSU currently sits at No. 12 overall with a National Qualifying Score of 196.795, which helps determine seeding for NCAA Regionals beginning on March 31.

Averaging 49.108, MSU ranks 14^th on vault and 21^st on the uneven bars with an average of 49.028, respectively.

With high consistently on floor throughout the season, the Spartans rank seventh in the nation with an average score of 49.300. Their beam scores earn the Green & White a spot at sixth among all teams and the top spot in the Big Ten conference. Michigan State has scored a 49.225 or better on beam in six straight meets, with seven team titles on the apparatus.

UP NEXT
The Spartans are on the road next Friday, March 11 for their final regular season competition, a dual meet with SEC foe Kentucky. The meet, which will stream on SEC+, is set to begin at 7 p.m. inside Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky.

Spartan Gymnastics Hosts Western Michigan on Senior Night

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sydney Ewing

Baleigh Garcia

Ashley Hofelich

Giana Kalefe

Lea Mitchell

Alaina Raybon

Skyla Schulte

Gabrielle Stephen

Alyssa Wiedeman

Spartan Gymnastics Hosts Western Michigan on Senior Night

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sydney Ewing

Baleigh Garcia

Ashley Hofelich

Giana Kalefe

Lea Mitchell

Alaina Raybon

Skyla Schulte

Gabrielle Stephen

Alyssa Wiedeman

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