Spartan Gymnastics Announces 2023 Team Award Winners

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State gymnastics held its annual banquet on Friday (April 28), celebrating the team's accomplishments throughout the 2023 season.

The Spartans had a record-breaking 2023 season, breaking the team overall record twice and reaching the 198.000 mark for the first time in program history with a 198.225 in a tri-meet against Bowling Green and LIU on March 5. MSU also set the team vault (49.575), bars (49.725) and beam (49.600) records and tied the team floor record (49.675). The Spartans finished second at the Big Ten Championships and reached the NCAA Regional Finals for the second year in a row and qualified two individuals to the NCAA Championships. MSU also won the Big Ten Regular Season title in a tie with Michigan, the first in program history.

Sophomore Gabrielle Stephen was named the team's MVP after an impressive season for the Green & White. A First-Team All-Big Ten selection, Stephen posted three of the top 10 all-around scores in program history during the season, recording a career-high 39.725 vs. Northern Illinois on March 11. She also earned career highs on bars (9.975) and floor (9.975) and tied her career highs on vault (9.950) and beam (9.950). The Elgin, Illinois native won a share of the beam title at the NCAA Pittsburgh Regional, qualifying to the NCAA Championships on the event for her first-career national championship appearance. Stephen was also a recipient of the team's Perfect 10 Award for the second-straight year after earning a 9.950 on vault at a tri-meet with Eastern Michigan and LIU on March 3 and was one of two Community Service Award recipients for the Spartans.

Junior Sydney Hayashi was the second recipient of the Community Service Award for her involvement in the East Lansing community. Hayashi also earned the Scholar-Athlete Award after being recognized with the same honor at the 2023 Student-Athlete Support Services Spartan Academic Excellence Gala. Hayashi, a Kinesiology major, holds a 3.818 GPA and is a two-time Big Ten All-Academic honoree.

Freshman Nikki Smith and senior Jori Jackard also received the Perfect 10 Award, both scoring 10.000s in the Spartans' tri-meet win over Bowling Green and LIU on March 5. Smith scored a 10.000 on vault, the first 10.000 on the event for a Spartan since 2008 and third overall, before Jackard score the first-ever bars 10.000 for an MSU gymnast and fourth 10.000 overall.

Smith also received the team's Newcomer of the Year Award after a historic rookie season. The Bloomfield Hills, Michigan native broke the program all-around record with a 39.775 on March 5 and also recorded the third-best all-around score in program history with a 39.700 at the NCAA Pittsburgh Regional Final. The 2023 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Smith was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week six times during the season and earned First-Team All-Big Ten accolades.

Nikki Smith's older sister, Nyah Smith, was the team's recipient of the Unsung Hero Award and Coaches Award. Nyah was the team's leadoff performer on both vault and floor during the season, earning a career-high 9.900 on vault at the Big Five Meet on February 25 and tying her career-high 9.925 on floor in MSU's win over Eastern Michigan and LIU on March 3. The senior will return for her fifth year for the 2024 season.

Junior Delanie Harkness earned the team's Specialist of the Year Award for the second-straight year after a breakout 2023 season. Harkness, a First-Team All-Big Ten selection, won the bars title at the Big Ten Championships, becoming the first Spartan to win a Big Ten title since 2017 and first on bars since 1995. Harkness was the team's anchor performer on bars in every meet, earning six scores of 9.925 or better, and also competed in every floor lineup, earning a career-high 9.950 on two occasions. She also competed in MSU's beam lineup in the final eight meets of the season. Harkness concluded her breakout season at the NCAA Championships in April, where she qualified as an individual on floor.

Freshman Elle Beaufait earned the Most Improved Award. After suffering a leg injury in the fall, Beaufait made her way into the floor lineup in March, making her collegiate debut with a 9.825 at Eastern Michigan. She also competed on floor in MSU's 198.225 performance vs. Bowling Green and LIU and set a career-high 9.850 on the event at the Big Ten Championships.

Junior Giana Kalefe earned the Kathryn Mahoney 'Heart of a Spartan' Award. Kalefe was the leadoff performer on beam in every meet for the Spartans during the season, tying her career high with a 9.925 on two occasions. The Corona, California native also made her collegiate debut on floor during the season, competing in the floor lineup in 10 meets and recording a career-high 9.900 twice.

First-Team All-Big Ten selection Skyla Schulte was the recipient of the team's Spirit Award. The sophomore competed in the all-around in all but one meet during the season, posting a season-best 39.625 at the Big Ten Championships to collect runner-up honors. She also set career highs on vault (9.925) and floor (9.975) and tied career highs on bars (9.950) and beam (9.950). Schulte was also MSU's recipient of the 2023 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

2023 Award Recipients

MVP: Gabrielle Stephen
Spirit Award: Skyla Schulte
Unsung Hero Award: Nyah Smith
Specialist of the Year: Delanie Harkness
Most Improved: Elle Beaufait
Kathryn Mahoney 'Heart of a Spartan' Award: Giana Kalefe
Coaches Award: Nyah Smith
Perfect '10' Club: Jori Jackard, Nikki Smith, Gabrielle Stephen
Community Service Award: Sydney Hayashi, Gabrielle Stephen
Scholar-Athlete Award: Sydney Hayashi
Newcomer of the Year: Nikki Smith