Three Spartan Gymnasts Named CSC Academic All-District

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State gymnasts Baleigh Garcia, Nikki Smith and Gabrielle Stephen earned spots on the 2024 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District At-Large team, the organization announced Tuesday afternoon.

Garcia and Stephen earn their second-consecutive Academic All-District nod, while Smith is a first-time honoree.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be ranked in the top 75 in at least one event in the final Road to Nationals rankings and maintain at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale.

Garcia, who graduated with a degree in kinesiology this spring with a 3.712 GPA, is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) Scholastic All-American. She was named Second Team All-Big Ten from 2022-24 and ended her Spartan career with the Big Ten balance beam title at the conference championships, becoming the first B1G beam champion from MSU since 1996.

Stephen holds a 3.714 GPA in criminal justice and is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and WCGA Scholastic All-American. In 2024, the junior was named First Team All-Big Ten for the third straight year and competed in the all-around in all but one meet.

Smith, a sophomore studio art major with a 3.75 GPA, qualified for the NCAA Championships on balance beam this season and earned WCGA Regular Season All-America honors on vault. She scored a pair of perfect 10.000s in 2024, including the program's first 10.000 on floor. A two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection, Smith earned Academic All-Big Ten honors this season and was named a WCGA Scholastic All-American in 2023.

CSC Academic All-America selections are announced July 16.

Players Mentioned

Baleigh Garcia

Nikki Smith

Gabrielle Stephen

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