Photo by: Stephen Brashear
MSU Gymnastics Coaching Staff Receives WCGA Honors
4/7/2022 12:00:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
EAST LANSING, Mich. - After guiding the team to the 2022 NCAA Regional Finals and their highest finish since 1998, Michigan State gymnastics head coach Mike Rowe was voted the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) Region Four Coach of the Year, while assistants Nicole Jones and Whitney Snowden were named Region Four Assistant Coaches of the Year on Thursday afternoon.
The honor is the first of Rowe's career and the fifth all-time for an MSU gymnastics head coach, the first nod given to the Spartans since 2000. Rowe was also named the 2022 Big Ten Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the regular season.
Associate head coach Nicole Jones and assistant coach Whitney Snowden teamed up for their first Assistant Coach of the Year awards and the fifth in Spartan history, marking the first time MSU has received the award since 1996.
Rowe and his staff led the Spartans to a third-place finish in the NCAA Regional Finals in Seattle, Washington, while freshman Skyla Schulte was chosen as an individual qualifier for the NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas on April 14, competing on beam.
Michigan State fought hard in the finals on April 2 after making it through the second round of regionals on March 31 ahead of BYU and host Washington. Despite falling behind championship qualifiers Utah and Alabama, the Spartans put up their highest team score in program history, a 196.650. The team's score on vault (49.400) was also the highest in MSU history, appropriately capping off a record-shattering season for the Green & White.
This season, MSU broke the overall team score three times over, eclipsing the 197.000 mark on five occasions in addition to setting new program highs on vault, bars (49.500), beam (49.500) and floor (49.675). The Spartans concluded the season ranked ninth in the nation, boasting a ninth-place ranking on floor, 10th on beam, 15th on bars and 19th on vault.
A total of six gymnasts were named to the All-Big Ten team this year, with freshman duo Skyla Schulte and Gabrielle Stephen earning First Team marks and sophomores Delanie Harkness, Baleigh Garcia, Giana Kalefe and senior Ashley Hofelich being named to the Second Team. In addition, Schulte was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
The MSU coaching staff led the Spartans to a first-place finish at the Big Five meet on Feb. 19 and second-place finishes at the Big Ten Championships and NCAA Regionals Second Round to advance to the Finals, taking third place overall. The Green & White first set their new program-best team score on Feb. 13 against Illinois with a 197.425, going on to improve the record with a 197.575 mark against Western Michigan on March 5 and concluding the season with a 197.650 in the team's finale at Regionals.
Individually, the staff guided several gymnasts to record-setting scores throughout the season. Schulte broke the all-around record on March 5 with a 39.675, topping the previous record set by Kristen Coleman of 39.625 in 2007. Schulte holds five all-around scores in the top-ten of the Spartan record book. A tie for the top floor score in program history was achieved by Ashley Hofelich, a 9.975, on March 5, the first 9.975 on floor for a Spartan since 2003.
Jones is in her 10th season with the Spartan coaching staff and fifth season as associate head coach. A former MSU gymnast and four-time All-Big Ten honoree, Jones began as a volunteer assistant in 2011 before moving to the assistant coach and eventually associate head coach positions. She primarily works with Spartan gymnasts on beam.
Snowden began her third season as assistant coach this year, joining Michigan State from being an educational clinician and consultant for USA gymnastics. She primarily works with MSU gymnastics on the leg events, vault and floor.
The Spartans are also assisted by volunteer coach Alina Cartwright, another former Spartan gymnast who is in her first year coaching. She designed the choreography for MSU's floor routines and assists in coaching floor events as well as videography for the Green & White. She joined Michigan State after serving as an assistant coach at Alaska-Anchorage for three seasons.
The honor is the first of Rowe's career and the fifth all-time for an MSU gymnastics head coach, the first nod given to the Spartans since 2000. Rowe was also named the 2022 Big Ten Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the regular season.
Associate head coach Nicole Jones and assistant coach Whitney Snowden teamed up for their first Assistant Coach of the Year awards and the fifth in Spartan history, marking the first time MSU has received the award since 1996.
Rowe and his staff led the Spartans to a third-place finish in the NCAA Regional Finals in Seattle, Washington, while freshman Skyla Schulte was chosen as an individual qualifier for the NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas on April 14, competing on beam.
Michigan State fought hard in the finals on April 2 after making it through the second round of regionals on March 31 ahead of BYU and host Washington. Despite falling behind championship qualifiers Utah and Alabama, the Spartans put up their highest team score in program history, a 196.650. The team's score on vault (49.400) was also the highest in MSU history, appropriately capping off a record-shattering season for the Green & White.
This season, MSU broke the overall team score three times over, eclipsing the 197.000 mark on five occasions in addition to setting new program highs on vault, bars (49.500), beam (49.500) and floor (49.675). The Spartans concluded the season ranked ninth in the nation, boasting a ninth-place ranking on floor, 10th on beam, 15th on bars and 19th on vault.
A total of six gymnasts were named to the All-Big Ten team this year, with freshman duo Skyla Schulte and Gabrielle Stephen earning First Team marks and sophomores Delanie Harkness, Baleigh Garcia, Giana Kalefe and senior Ashley Hofelich being named to the Second Team. In addition, Schulte was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
The MSU coaching staff led the Spartans to a first-place finish at the Big Five meet on Feb. 19 and second-place finishes at the Big Ten Championships and NCAA Regionals Second Round to advance to the Finals, taking third place overall. The Green & White first set their new program-best team score on Feb. 13 against Illinois with a 197.425, going on to improve the record with a 197.575 mark against Western Michigan on March 5 and concluding the season with a 197.650 in the team's finale at Regionals.
Individually, the staff guided several gymnasts to record-setting scores throughout the season. Schulte broke the all-around record on March 5 with a 39.675, topping the previous record set by Kristen Coleman of 39.625 in 2007. Schulte holds five all-around scores in the top-ten of the Spartan record book. A tie for the top floor score in program history was achieved by Ashley Hofelich, a 9.975, on March 5, the first 9.975 on floor for a Spartan since 2003.
Jones is in her 10th season with the Spartan coaching staff and fifth season as associate head coach. A former MSU gymnast and four-time All-Big Ten honoree, Jones began as a volunteer assistant in 2011 before moving to the assistant coach and eventually associate head coach positions. She primarily works with Spartan gymnasts on beam.
Snowden began her third season as assistant coach this year, joining Michigan State from being an educational clinician and consultant for USA gymnastics. She primarily works with MSU gymnastics on the leg events, vault and floor.
The Spartans are also assisted by volunteer coach Alina Cartwright, another former Spartan gymnast who is in her first year coaching. She designed the choreography for MSU's floor routines and assists in coaching floor events as well as videography for the Green & White. She joined Michigan State after serving as an assistant coach at Alaska-Anchorage for three seasons.
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