Friday, April 5
Gainesville, Fla.
1 PM
Michigan State University
vs
NCAA Regional Second Round
Photo by: Rachel Short/Rachel Noel Studios
No. 10 Gymnastics Set for NCAA Gainesville Regional
4/3/2024 10:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -Â No. 10 Michigan State gymnastics (27-3, 9-0 B1G) begins its road to the NCAA Championships on Friday, April 5 at the NCAA Gainesville Regional at Florida's Stephen C. O'Connell Center. MSU will compete against No. 2 seed Utah, Towson and Maryland in the first session of the second round at 1 p.m. as the No. 3 seed in the region.Â
All NCAA Gymnastics Regionals will stream on ESPN+.
The top two teams from each of Friday's second round meets (top-seeded Florida hosts No. 4 seed Missouri, Georgia and the winner of a play-in meet between Iowa State and Clemson in the second session at 7 p.m.) advance to Sunday's regional final at 5 p.m. The top two teams from the regional final will advance to the eight-team NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, beginning April 18.
NOTABLES
MSU enters Friday's meet at a national qualifying score of 197.625, its highest NQS in program history. The Spartans are coming off of their first Big Ten Championship on March 23, where junior Gabrielle Stephen delivered a clutch 9.875 in the anchor spot on beam to secure a 197.600 win for the Spartans over second-place Minnesota. MSU swept the conference regular season and championship titles this season.
Junior Skyla Schulte became MSU's first Big Ten all-around champion at the conference championships, tying a season-high 39.600 for her seventh all-around title of the season. She also earned a share of the floor title with a 9.950 and finished third on bars (9.900) alongside sophomore teammates Nikki Smith and Olivia Zsarmani. Schulte is the first MSU gymnast to win multiple event tiles at the Big Ten Championships since 1988.
Senior Baleigh Garcia won a share of the Big Ten beam title to become MSU's first conference beam champion since 1996.
THE MATCHUP
MSU will face Utah for the first time this season and second time in three years at the NCAA Regionals. The Red Rocks are currently ranked fifth in the NCAA with an NQS of 197.895 and most recently won the last Pac-12 Championship. In 2022, MSU finished third behind Utah and Alabama at the NCAA Seattle Regional Final.Â
The Spartans and Terrapins will meet for the third time this season on Friday. MSU defeated Maryland, 197.550-195.525, at home on Feb. 18 this season. Maryland won the first session at the Big Ten Championships with a 196.775 to finish fifth overall.
Towson ranks 21st in the NCAA with an NQS of 196.935. The Tigers won the EAGL Championships on March 23 with a 197.300.
SPARTANS AT NCAA REGIONALS
MSU is making its third-straight appearance at the NCAA Regionals in 2024 after last qualifying as a team in 2016 prior to 2022. The Spartans have finished third in the regional finals the last two seasons.
In 2022, MSU finished third behind Utah and Alabama at the NCAA Regional and narrowly missed out on the national championships in 2023 with a third-place finish behind Cal and Florida, finishing just 0.150 out of second place at the NCAA Pittsburgh Regional. If Florida, Utah and MSU advance to Sunday's regional final, MSU will be facing two of its last six regional final opponents.Â
Despite missing team qualification, MSU has sent at least one individual to the NCAA Championships the previous two seasons. In 2022, current junior Skyla Schulte advanced to the national championships on beam, eventually finishing in a tie for seventh to collect Second Team All-American honors. Current junior Gabrielle Stephen (beam) and current senior Delanie Harkness (floor) earned individual berths to last season's NCAA Championships, marking the first time MSU sent multiple individual qualifiers to the NCAA Championships since 1997. MSU's only team appearance at the NCAA Championships came in 1988, where the Spartans finished 12th.
UP NEXT
The NCAA Championship semifinals will take place at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday, April 18 at 4:30 and 9 p.m. CT, while the finals are set for Saturday, April 20 at 4 p.m.
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All NCAA Gymnastics Regionals will stream on ESPN+.
The top two teams from each of Friday's second round meets (top-seeded Florida hosts No. 4 seed Missouri, Georgia and the winner of a play-in meet between Iowa State and Clemson in the second session at 7 p.m.) advance to Sunday's regional final at 5 p.m. The top two teams from the regional final will advance to the eight-team NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, beginning April 18.
NOTABLES
MSU enters Friday's meet at a national qualifying score of 197.625, its highest NQS in program history. The Spartans are coming off of their first Big Ten Championship on March 23, where junior Gabrielle Stephen delivered a clutch 9.875 in the anchor spot on beam to secure a 197.600 win for the Spartans over second-place Minnesota. MSU swept the conference regular season and championship titles this season.
Junior Skyla Schulte became MSU's first Big Ten all-around champion at the conference championships, tying a season-high 39.600 for her seventh all-around title of the season. She also earned a share of the floor title with a 9.950 and finished third on bars (9.900) alongside sophomore teammates Nikki Smith and Olivia Zsarmani. Schulte is the first MSU gymnast to win multiple event tiles at the Big Ten Championships since 1988.
Senior Baleigh Garcia won a share of the Big Ten beam title to become MSU's first conference beam champion since 1996.
THE MATCHUP
MSU will face Utah for the first time this season and second time in three years at the NCAA Regionals. The Red Rocks are currently ranked fifth in the NCAA with an NQS of 197.895 and most recently won the last Pac-12 Championship. In 2022, MSU finished third behind Utah and Alabama at the NCAA Seattle Regional Final.Â
The Spartans and Terrapins will meet for the third time this season on Friday. MSU defeated Maryland, 197.550-195.525, at home on Feb. 18 this season. Maryland won the first session at the Big Ten Championships with a 196.775 to finish fifth overall.
Towson ranks 21st in the NCAA with an NQS of 196.935. The Tigers won the EAGL Championships on March 23 with a 197.300.
SPARTANS AT NCAA REGIONALS
MSU is making its third-straight appearance at the NCAA Regionals in 2024 after last qualifying as a team in 2016 prior to 2022. The Spartans have finished third in the regional finals the last two seasons.
In 2022, MSU finished third behind Utah and Alabama at the NCAA Regional and narrowly missed out on the national championships in 2023 with a third-place finish behind Cal and Florida, finishing just 0.150 out of second place at the NCAA Pittsburgh Regional. If Florida, Utah and MSU advance to Sunday's regional final, MSU will be facing two of its last six regional final opponents.Â
Despite missing team qualification, MSU has sent at least one individual to the NCAA Championships the previous two seasons. In 2022, current junior Skyla Schulte advanced to the national championships on beam, eventually finishing in a tie for seventh to collect Second Team All-American honors. Current junior Gabrielle Stephen (beam) and current senior Delanie Harkness (floor) earned individual berths to last season's NCAA Championships, marking the first time MSU sent multiple individual qualifiers to the NCAA Championships since 1997. MSU's only team appearance at the NCAA Championships came in 1988, where the Spartans finished 12th.
UP NEXT
The NCAA Championship semifinals will take place at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday, April 18 at 4:30 and 9 p.m. CT, while the finals are set for Saturday, April 20 at 4 p.m.
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