Michigan State University
NCAA Regional Second Round
Spartans Advance to NCAA Gainesville Regional Final
4/5/2024 4:42:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - No. 10 Michigan State gymnastics scored a 197.475 in the NCAA Gainesville Regional Second Round to finish second behind No. 5 Utah and advance to its third-straight regional final Friday afternoon in Florida's Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
MSU moves to 29-4, reaching its best win total in program history. Head coach Mike Rowe also surpassed 100 career wins with MSU's second-place finish.
Utah earned a 197.825 to win the session, while Maryland (196.350) finished third and Towson (195.050) took fourth.
Sophomore Nikki Smith put together a spectacular performance for the Green and White, taking the top all-around spot in the session with a 39.675 in only her third all-around appearance of the season and first since week three of the season on Jan. 19. Georgia's Lily Smith put up a matching 39.675 in the second session of the meet to tie Smith for the regional all-around title.
"Really happy with the results today," said Rowe. "We didn't need to be perfect today, but I think we did a good job of just doing what we needed to do to get it done and be ready for Sunday."
MSU took an early lead over second-place Utah (49.225 on vault) with a 49.375 on floor in the first rotation. Junior Skyla Schulte led the Spartans in the anchor spot with a 9.900 to finish in a tie for second on the event. Smith, junior Gabrielle Stephen and senior Delanie Harkness each scored a 9.875 in the three spots before Schulte. Sophomore Elle Beaufait earned a 9.825 in the leadoff position and freshman MaKayla Tucker scored a 9.850 in the second spot.
A 49.450 on vault helped MSU maintain the lead at the halfway point, with the Spartans holding a 98.825-98.800 edge over the Red Rocks. MSU earned three scores of 9.900 or better, led by sophomore Sage Kellerman in the anchor spot with a 9.925, who finished second overall. Smith and sophomore Olivia Zsarmani scored 9.900s. In the leadoff, Schulte scored a 9.775, followed by Tucker with a 9.850.
Utah took a 148.400-148.175 lead after the third rotation with a strong performance on beam, but a 49.350 from the Spartans on bars kept MSU safely in qualifying position ahead of third-place Maryland (147.175). Smith continued her impressive afternoon with a season-high 9.950 to lead the Spartans, who earned another trio of 9.900-plus scores. Kellerman added a 9.925 in the third spot and Harkness scored a 9.900 in the anchor position, while Schulte led off the rotation with a 9.825. Smith's 9.950 tied Utah's Amelie Morgan for the top score in the session on the event.
Smith led the Spartans with another 9.950 to help MSU to a 49.300 in the final rotation on beam. Her 9.950 was a career high and second-best score of the session on the event. Stephen and Tucker added 9.900s, with Tucker's score tying a career high. In the leadoff spot, senior Giana Kalefe scored a 9.850.
Smith's 39.675 in the all-around is the best all-around score for a Spartan this season and tied for the fourth-best score in program history. Stephen and Schulte also competed in the all-around, with Stephen finishing in a tie for fourth (39.400) and Schulte finishing fifth (39.200).
MSU will compete against Utah, No. 4 Florida and No. 13 Missouri in the NCAA Gainesville Regional Final on Sunday, April 7 at 5 p.m. The top two teams from Sunday's regional final will advance to the NCAA Championships. The meet will stream on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
