Spartans Garner Program-Record Seven All-Big Ten Gymnastics Honors

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Seven Michigan State gymnasts earned All-Big Ten Gymnastics accolades, as announced by the conference Wednesday.

MSU earned a total of four first-team selections – juniors Skyla Schulte and Gabrielle Stephen and sophomores Nikki Smith and Sage Kellerman – tying its record set in 2023, while seniors Delanie Harkness and Baleigh Garcia along with freshman MaKayla Tucker landed spots on the conference's second team. The Spartans' seven all-conference honors surpasses the program's previous high of six from the 2022 season and is the most selections by any school this season.

Schulte and Stephen join MSU associate head coach Nicole (Curler) Jones as the only gymnasts in program history to earn three All-B1G First Team nods.

The Bolingbrook, Illinois native Schulte has put together a spectacular season in the Green and White, capturing three B1G Gymnast of the Week honors. She has competed in the all-around in all but three meets and holds a season high of 39.600. Schulte has earned 17 event titles this season, the most by any MSU gymnast, including six all-around titles in eight all-around appearances. She holds season highs of 9.875 (vault), 9.925 (bars), 9.950 (beam) and 9.975 (floor) while ranking 20th in the NCAA on beam and in the all-around and 24th on floor.

Stephen, who hails from Elgin, Illinois, holds season highs of 9.925 (vault, beam), 9.950 (bars) and 9.900 (floor) while most recently setting a season-high 39.500 in the all-around for her first all-around title of the season. She has made the most all-around appearances by a Spartan this season with nine and has collected four event titles in 2024. Her all-around NQS of 39.395 ranks 34th in the NCAA.

Smith collects the second first team honor of her career to follow a record-breaking freshman season in 2023. The West Bloomfield, Michigan, native scored a pair of perfect 10.000s this season, including the program's first-ever 10.000 on floor. Primarily competing as a three-event athlete this season, she holds season highs of 10.000 on vault and floor and 9.925 on bars. She ranks 11th in the NCAA on vault.

Kellerman earns the first all-conference honor of her career after a breakout sophomore campaign for MSU. One of the most dynamic vaulters in the NCAA, Kellerman currently ranks fourth in the country with an NQS of 9.940 on the event and held the top spot in the NCAA for the first eight weeks of the season. She has scored two perfect 10.000s on the event this season, including the first of her career in MSU's season opener at the Super 16, becoming the second gymnast in the NCAA in 2024 to earn a perfect score. She has earned four vault titles this season and a pair of bars titles, posting a career-high 9.950 on that event.

Harkness, a native of Leslie, Michigan, garners her third-straight All-B1G honor and second second-team nod. A staple in the Spartan bars and floor lineups, Harkness holds season highs of 9.950 on both events while holding a season-high 9.900 on beam in four beam appearances. Her NQS of 9.910 on bars ranks 21st in the NCAA.

Garcia collects the third second-team honor of her career. The Boyton Beach, Florida, native has made an appearance in every beam lineup for the Spartans this season, setting a season-high 9.925 on three separate occasions. She holds a pair of event titles on beam this season and ranks ninth in the conference on the event.

Tucker is one of three freshmen in the B1G to earn a spot on this year's all-conference teams. She has appeared in every vault and floor lineup for the Spartans this season and is the top-ranked freshman in the conference on both events, posting career-highs of 9.925 on each event. Tucker has also made nine appearances on beam and holds a career-high 9.900 on that event. With Tucker's selection, MSU has now had at least one freshman named to the all-conference teams in the last three seasons.

MSU hosts the 2024 Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Championships on Saturday, March 23 at Jenison Field House. The Spartans will compete in the second session against Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio State at 5:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.