Saturday, March 11
East Lansing, Mich.
7 p.m.
Michigan State University
vs
Northern Illinois
Photo by: Kelly Branigan
No. 10 Michigan State Hosts Northern Illinois on Senior Night Saturday
3/10/2023 4:46:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
EAST LANSING, Mich. -Â No. 10 Michigan State hosts Northern Illinois in its regular season finale on Saturday, March 11 at Jenison Field House at 7 p.m. Live results are available on MSUSpartans.com with streaming on B1G+.
Following a four-meet stretch in eight days, Saturday's meet will be the first for the Spartans since a home win against Bowling Green and LIU on Sunday, March 5.
Saturday's meet will serve as the Spartans' senior night. Seniors Jori Jackard, Tori Loomis and Nyah Smith will be recognized following the conclusion of the meet.Â
THE MATCHUP
The Spartans enter Saturday's meet at 13-2 (8-1 B1G) following a record-setting performance on March 5 against Bowling Green and LIU. MSU posted a 198.225 for the win, topping Bowling Green's 196.200 and LIU's 196.100. The Spartans' 198.225 was a program record, smashing the previous record of 197.675 set on Feb. 25 this season at the Big Five Meet. With its performance on March 5, MSU became the eighth team in the NCAA this season to surpass the 198.000 mark. The 198.225 was also the highest score in the NCAA during Week 8 (Feb. 27-March 5).
MSU moved to 10th in the Week 9 Road to Nationals rankings this week, posting a national qualifying score of 197.455. In the national event rankings, the Spartans rank fourth on vault (49.380 NQS), 11th on bars (49.355 NQS), 12th on beam (49.335 NQS) and ninth on floor (49.460).
NIU (8-4, 3-3 MAC) posts a 195.525 NQS, ranking 45th nationally. The Huskies are led by 12th-year head coach Sam Morreale.
LAST TIME OUT
In addition to its program-record overall team score, MSU also set team vault (49.575), bars (49.550) and beam (49.600) records on March 5. Â The vault and bars records marked the second time the Spartans have broken the records this season, previously breaking the vault record at the Big Five Meet and the bars record only two days prior at Eastern Michigan on March 3.Â
The Spartans also swept the individual event titles against Bowling Green and LIU. Freshman Nikki Smith became the third Spartan in program history to score a 10.000 on vault for the event title. Senior Jori Jackard followed Smith's record-setting performance in the second rotation with a 10.000 of her own on bars, recording the first 10.000 on the event in program history and fourth 10.000 overall for an MSU gymnast. Junior Baleigh Garcia won beam with a 9.950 and junior Delanie Harkness won the floor title with a career-high 9.950. Smith also set MSU's all-around program record with a 39.775, breaking teammate Skyla Schulte's record of 39.675 set on March 5, 2022.
SMITH, JACKARD EARN B1G WEEKLY AWARDS
MSU swept the March 8 Big Ten Weekly Awards, with Nikki Smith taking home Gymnast and Freshman of the Week honors while Jori Jackard collected the Event Specialist of the Week award. The honors marked Smith's fifth Freshman of the Week award and second Gymnast of the Week award this season, also marking the second time this season the rookie earned both Gymnast and Freshman of the Week awards in the same week. Jackard collected her second-career Event Specialist of the Week award, her first coming during her freshman campaign on Feb. 18, 2020.
Smith is the only freshman in the NCAA to earn a 10.000 on vault this season and one of 11 gymnasts overall. Jackard is one of eight gymnasts in the NCAA to score a 10.000 on bars this season.
UP NEXT
MSU travels to Coralville, Iowa for the Big Ten Gymnastics Championships on March 18 at Iowa's Xtream Arena. MSU, the No. 1 overall seed, will face Michigan (No. 2 seed), Iowa (No. 3 seed) and Ohio State (No. 4 seed) in the evening session of the championships, set for 5:30 p.m. ET.
Following a four-meet stretch in eight days, Saturday's meet will be the first for the Spartans since a home win against Bowling Green and LIU on Sunday, March 5.
Saturday's meet will serve as the Spartans' senior night. Seniors Jori Jackard, Tori Loomis and Nyah Smith will be recognized following the conclusion of the meet.Â
THE MATCHUP
The Spartans enter Saturday's meet at 13-2 (8-1 B1G) following a record-setting performance on March 5 against Bowling Green and LIU. MSU posted a 198.225 for the win, topping Bowling Green's 196.200 and LIU's 196.100. The Spartans' 198.225 was a program record, smashing the previous record of 197.675 set on Feb. 25 this season at the Big Five Meet. With its performance on March 5, MSU became the eighth team in the NCAA this season to surpass the 198.000 mark. The 198.225 was also the highest score in the NCAA during Week 8 (Feb. 27-March 5).
MSU moved to 10th in the Week 9 Road to Nationals rankings this week, posting a national qualifying score of 197.455. In the national event rankings, the Spartans rank fourth on vault (49.380 NQS), 11th on bars (49.355 NQS), 12th on beam (49.335 NQS) and ninth on floor (49.460).
NIU (8-4, 3-3 MAC) posts a 195.525 NQS, ranking 45th nationally. The Huskies are led by 12th-year head coach Sam Morreale.
LAST TIME OUT
In addition to its program-record overall team score, MSU also set team vault (49.575), bars (49.550) and beam (49.600) records on March 5. Â The vault and bars records marked the second time the Spartans have broken the records this season, previously breaking the vault record at the Big Five Meet and the bars record only two days prior at Eastern Michigan on March 3.Â
The Spartans also swept the individual event titles against Bowling Green and LIU. Freshman Nikki Smith became the third Spartan in program history to score a 10.000 on vault for the event title. Senior Jori Jackard followed Smith's record-setting performance in the second rotation with a 10.000 of her own on bars, recording the first 10.000 on the event in program history and fourth 10.000 overall for an MSU gymnast. Junior Baleigh Garcia won beam with a 9.950 and junior Delanie Harkness won the floor title with a career-high 9.950. Smith also set MSU's all-around program record with a 39.775, breaking teammate Skyla Schulte's record of 39.675 set on March 5, 2022.
SMITH, JACKARD EARN B1G WEEKLY AWARDS
MSU swept the March 8 Big Ten Weekly Awards, with Nikki Smith taking home Gymnast and Freshman of the Week honors while Jori Jackard collected the Event Specialist of the Week award. The honors marked Smith's fifth Freshman of the Week award and second Gymnast of the Week award this season, also marking the second time this season the rookie earned both Gymnast and Freshman of the Week awards in the same week. Jackard collected her second-career Event Specialist of the Week award, her first coming during her freshman campaign on Feb. 18, 2020.
Smith is the only freshman in the NCAA to earn a 10.000 on vault this season and one of 11 gymnasts overall. Jackard is one of eight gymnasts in the NCAA to score a 10.000 on bars this season.
UP NEXT
MSU travels to Coralville, Iowa for the Big Ten Gymnastics Championships on March 18 at Iowa's Xtream Arena. MSU, the No. 1 overall seed, will face Michigan (No. 2 seed), Iowa (No. 3 seed) and Ohio State (No. 4 seed) in the evening session of the championships, set for 5:30 p.m. ET.
Players Mentioned
All-Around
/ Women's Gymnastics
All-Around
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UB, BB, FX
/ Women's Gymnastics
All-Around
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