Michigan State University Athletics
Spartan Gymnastics Celebrates Successes at Annual Team Banquet
5/3/2022 3:45:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State gymnastics held its annual banquet on Saturday (April 30), celebrating the team's accomplishments throughout the 2022 season.
It was a breakout year for the Green & White, as Michigan State qualified for the postseason as a team for the first time since 2016 and competed in the West Regionals in Seattle, Washington, making it all the way to Regional Finals and placing third. MSU broke the overall team score three times over in 2022 in addition to setting new program highs on vault, bars (49.500), beam (49.500) and floor (49.675). The grand finale for MSU was a new program best score of 197.650 set in the Regional Finals. The Spartans concluded the season with a program-best ranking of ninth in the nation, boasting a ninth-place ranking on floor, 10th on beam, 15th on bars and 19th on vault.
Freshman Skyla Schulte was named the team's MVP and Newcomer of the Year after a year in which she qualified for the NCAA Championships as an individual competitor on beam, was named Second Team All-American, and broke the MSU all-around record, to name a few of her accomplishments throughout the season.
A Bolingbrook, Illinois native, Schulte was also named First Team All-Big Ten and was the 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Schulte was a five-time B1G Freshman of the Week and a Gymnast of the Week, while also being named a 2022 Gymnast to Watch prior to the start of the season. She has earned career-highs of 9.950 on bars, beam, and floor, with a personal-best 9.900 scored on vault. In her rookie season with the Green & White, Schulte amassed four all-around titles and a team-high nine individual event crowns, including three wins each on bars and beam, two on vault and one on floor. The freshman holds the top (39.675) all-around score in Michigan State history, as well as a tie for the second-highest beam score (9.950) and third-highest bars score (9.950).
Fifth-year gymnast Lea Mitchell earned the Scholar-Athlete, Commmunity Service and Spirit awards. In addition to her many accolades through five seasons as a gymnast with the Green & White, Mitchell also boasted a perfect 4.0 and was named Academic All-Big Ten. She earned the Scholar-Athlete award on behalf of the team from MSU Student-Athlete Support Services at the Spartan Academic Excellence Gala. Mitchell is a two-time All-Big Ten honoree, a WCGA Scholastic All-American and twice competed as an individual all-arounder at NCAA Regionals. She also the inaugural inductee into the MSU 1,500-point club.
Junior Tori Loomis was named Most Improved and also earned the Kathryn Mahoney 'Heart of a Spartan' Award. A 2021 transfer from Utah State, Loomis made an immediate impact for the Green & White as a consistent performer on the uneven bars. She began the season with a score of 9.650 on the apparatus, and by the end of the year had set a new career-high with three straight scores of 9.850, culminating in a new career-best score of 9.875 set at the Seattle Regional Finals.
Senior Ashley Hofelich received the Coaches Award. Hofelich was the anchor for the floor squad in every meet this season, boasting a career-high of 9.975, a tie for the highest floor score in MSU history. Hofelich first set a new career-best of 9.925 on January 15 and went on to score six straight 9.925s before breaking through for a score of 9.975 on March 5, recieving a perfect 10 from one of two judges. Hofelich capped off the year with a 9.950 at Seattle Regionals in the second round and a 9.900 in the finals. She scored a 9.900 or higher on floor in all but one meet, and was named Second Team All-Big Ten at the conclusion of the season.
Another Second Team All-Big Ten selection, Delanie Harkness earned the Specialist of the Year Award. Competing primarily on bars and floor, with two appearances as an all-arounder, Harkness boasts career-bests of 9.950 on bars, 9.925 on floor, 9.875 on beam and 9.775 on vault, all of which were achieved this season. She put up six scores of 9.900 or better on the uneven bars and seven 9.9s or higher on floor. Harkness was named the Big Ten Specialist of the Week on February 15 for her performance against Illinois, which included a 9.900 on bars and a career-best 9.925 on floor.
Freshman Gabrielle Stephen earned the Perfect 10 Award, specifically for her vault performance on January 22. Stephen scored a 9.950 on the event, considered a 'perfect' score as she matched the start value of her routine and earned the maximum score possible. Stephen was a First Team All-Big Ten selection this year and competed all-around in the first eight meets, with spots in the lineup on vault, bars and beam all season long. She owns career-highs of 9.950 on vault and beam, 9.850 on bars and 9.900 floor.
Senior duo Alyssa Wiedeman and Alaina Raybon both earned the Unsung Hero Award. Wiedeman achieved new career-highs of 9.850 on vault and 9.875 on beam this year, competing in the leadoff beam spot throughout the season. Raybon competed on bars in four meets this season and boasts a career-high of 9.900. Both played integral parts in MSU's success this season both on and off the competition floor.
2022 Award Recipients
MVP: Skyla Schulte
Spirit Award: Lea Mitchell
Unsung Hero Award: Alaina Raybon, Alyssa Wiedeman
Specialist of the Year: Delanie Harkness
Most Improved: Tori Loomis
Kathryn Mahoney 'Heart of a Spartan' Award: Tori Loomis
Coaches Award: Ashley Hofelich
1,500-Point Club: Lea Mitchell
Perfect '10' Club: Gabrielle Stephen
Community Service Award: Lea Mitchell
Scholar-Athlete Award: Lea Mitchell
Newcomer of the Year: Skyla Schulte
Players Mentioned
