Harkness, Stephen Head to Fort Worth for NCAA Gymnastics Championships

FORT WORTH, Texas - Michigan State gymnastics junior Delanie Harkness and sophomore Gabrielle Stephen head to Fort Worth, Texas on Thursday, April 13 for the NCAA Gymnastics Championships at Dickies Arena. The pair will compete in the first semifinal session at 3 p.m. ET, with Harkness competing on floor and Stephen competing on beam.

Live results and streaming is available on MSUSpartans.com.

Harkness and Stephen will rotate with Cal. Harkness will compete on floor at the end of Cal's lineup in the first rotation, while Stephen will compete at the end of Cal's beam lineup in the fourth rotation.

NCAA All-Americans will be determined after both semifinal sessions on Thursday. The second semifinal is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.

Thursday marks the second-straight year the Spartans have qualified an individual to the NCAA Championships after current sophomore Skyla Schulte qualified on beam in 2022. The qualification marks the first time the Spartans advance multiple individuals to nationals since 1997. Both Stephen and Harkness will make their first trip to the NCAA Championships.

Stephen finished in a four-way tie for first place on beam in the NCAA Pittsburgh Regional Second Round on March 31 with a 9.950 to secure her spot as the top individual on the event not on an advancing team. Harkness' 9.925 on floor was the best score of non-advancing team athletes on the event.

Stephen competed on beam in every meet for the Spartans this season, earning an 9.895 national qualifying score. She ranks seventh in the Big Ten and in a tie for 51st nationally on the event. Her 9.950 in the regional second round was her highest score of the season on beam and tied her career high set in 2022, and also sits in a tie for second all-time at MSU. The Elgin, Illinois native has earned four event titles on beam this season. Stephen was named First-Team All-Big Ten this season, marking her second-straight year receiving the honor.

Before heading to Texas earlier this week, Stephen recieved the Harold & Raynor Shnider Office of the Provost Award at MSU's Annual Academic Excellence Gala Monday night. The award is presented to the outstanding male and female freshman or sophomore student-athlete who embodies the characteristics promoted by MSU Student- Athlete Support Services. Emphasis is placed on academic performance, community involvement, and leadership ability.

Harkness ranks 13th in the Big Ten and ties for 51st nationally on floor with an NQS of 9.910, collecting two titles on the event this season. She appeared in the Spartans' floor lineup in every meet this season, posting seven scores of 9.900 or higher and earning a career-high 9.950 on two occasions. Her 9.950s sit in a tie for second-all time at MSU. A native of Leslie, Michigan, Harkness was named First-Team All-Big Ten this season and was named to the Big Ten All-Championships Team at after winning the bars title, the first for MSU since 1996.

At last year's NCAA Championships, then-freshman Skyla Schulte became the Spartans' first All-American on beam and fourth overall. MSU's three previous All-American honors have come on bars.

Harkness, Stephen Head to Fort Worth for NCAA Gymnastics Championships

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Players Mentioned

Delanie Harkness

Skyla Schulte

Gabrielle Stephen