Sunday, March 9
Huntsville, Ala.
5 PM ET/4 PM CT
Michigan State University
vs
Alabama
Photo by: Amir Prellberg
No. 8 Gymnastics Competes at Elevate the Stage for Final Regular Season Road Meet Sunday
3/7/2025 1:23:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -Â No. 8 Michigan State gymnastics heads to Huntsville, Alabama for its final regular season road meet of 2025 at Elevate the Stage, taking on No. 6 California, No. 14 Alabama and No. 24 North Carolina at 5 p.m. ET inside Propst Arena.
The meet will air on ACC Network with Olympians Bart Conner (play-by-play) and Bridget Sloan (analyst) on the call.
NOTABLES
The Spartans enter Sunday's meet at 11-2 after scoring a 197.150 to finish first at the Big Four Meet on March 2 ahead of host Iowa, Penn State and Washington. MSU concluded the Big Ten portion of its schedule at 8-1, earning a share of second place and a spot in the Saturday evening session at the Big Ten Championships later this month.
MSU ranks eighth, its ninth-straight week inside the top 10, in the Week 9 RoadtoNationals rankings with an NQS of 197.220. In the national event rankings, MSU ranks fourth on vault (49.405), fifth on bars (49.385), 15th on beam (49.180) and in a tie for 12th on floor (49.345).
For the fourth time this season, MSU won at least a share of every event title in a meet at Big Fours. Junior Sage Kellerman won the vault title outright (9.925) and a share of the bars title (9.925) alongside senior Gabrielle Stephen. Junior Nikki Smith won the first beam title of her career with a season-high 9.925 and scored a 9.900 on floor to share the event title with senior Skyla Schulte. Kellerman was named Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week for the third time this season and sixth time in her career earlier this week for her performance at the Big Four Meet.Â
Five Spartans have combined for seven NCAA top-25 individual rankings after Week 9 of the season. MSU has three gymnasts in the top 15 on vault - Smith (No. 3), Kellerman (No. 7), and Zsarmani (No. 12), while Kellerman is also ranked in the top 10 on bars (No. 4). Schulte's 9.915 NQS on floor puts her in a tie for 12th on the event. The Spartans also have a pair of all-arounders in the national top 15 - Smith (No. 16) and Stephen (No. 19), who also rank second and fourth in the conference all-around standings.
THE MATCHUP
The Spartans are the second-highest ranked team in Sunday's meet behind the No. 6-ranked Cal Bears (15-2, 5-0 ACC), who MSU will be facing for the fourth time in the last three seasons. MSU and Cal last met on Jan. 13 last season at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate quad, where the Bears finished first (197.875) and the Spartans finished second (196.725). Prior to last season, the two teams faced each other in the 2023 NCAA Pittsburgh Regional, with Cal finishing ahead of MSU in both the second round and regional final.
The Bears are the 2024 NCAA Championships runners-up and have already clinched the 2025 ACC regular season title.
No. 14 Alabama is 4-6 (1-6 SEC) this season and most recently set a season-high 197.650 in a win over Arkansas
last week. The Tide are another familiar foe for the Spartans, who most recently fell to Alabama in Tuscaloosa in the 2023 season opener, 196.975-196.550. The two schools also met in the 2022 NCAA Seattle Regional second round and final.
Alabama finished eighth at last year's NCAA Championships semifinals.
No. 24 North Carolina is 6-5 (2-3 ACC) this season. Sunday will be the Spartans' first meeting with the Tar Heels since the 2002 NCAA Southeast Regional, where UNC finished fourth and MSU finished sixth.
UP NEXT
MSU hosts Bowling Green for its final regular season meet and Senior Day on Sunday, March 16 at 2 p.m. inside Jenison Field House.
The meet will air on ACC Network with Olympians Bart Conner (play-by-play) and Bridget Sloan (analyst) on the call.
NOTABLES
The Spartans enter Sunday's meet at 11-2 after scoring a 197.150 to finish first at the Big Four Meet on March 2 ahead of host Iowa, Penn State and Washington. MSU concluded the Big Ten portion of its schedule at 8-1, earning a share of second place and a spot in the Saturday evening session at the Big Ten Championships later this month.
MSU ranks eighth, its ninth-straight week inside the top 10, in the Week 9 RoadtoNationals rankings with an NQS of 197.220. In the national event rankings, MSU ranks fourth on vault (49.405), fifth on bars (49.385), 15th on beam (49.180) and in a tie for 12th on floor (49.345).
For the fourth time this season, MSU won at least a share of every event title in a meet at Big Fours. Junior Sage Kellerman won the vault title outright (9.925) and a share of the bars title (9.925) alongside senior Gabrielle Stephen. Junior Nikki Smith won the first beam title of her career with a season-high 9.925 and scored a 9.900 on floor to share the event title with senior Skyla Schulte. Kellerman was named Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week for the third time this season and sixth time in her career earlier this week for her performance at the Big Four Meet.Â
Five Spartans have combined for seven NCAA top-25 individual rankings after Week 9 of the season. MSU has three gymnasts in the top 15 on vault - Smith (No. 3), Kellerman (No. 7), and Zsarmani (No. 12), while Kellerman is also ranked in the top 10 on bars (No. 4). Schulte's 9.915 NQS on floor puts her in a tie for 12th on the event. The Spartans also have a pair of all-arounders in the national top 15 - Smith (No. 16) and Stephen (No. 19), who also rank second and fourth in the conference all-around standings.
THE MATCHUP
The Spartans are the second-highest ranked team in Sunday's meet behind the No. 6-ranked Cal Bears (15-2, 5-0 ACC), who MSU will be facing for the fourth time in the last three seasons. MSU and Cal last met on Jan. 13 last season at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate quad, where the Bears finished first (197.875) and the Spartans finished second (196.725). Prior to last season, the two teams faced each other in the 2023 NCAA Pittsburgh Regional, with Cal finishing ahead of MSU in both the second round and regional final.
The Bears are the 2024 NCAA Championships runners-up and have already clinched the 2025 ACC regular season title.
No. 14 Alabama is 4-6 (1-6 SEC) this season and most recently set a season-high 197.650 in a win over Arkansas
last week. The Tide are another familiar foe for the Spartans, who most recently fell to Alabama in Tuscaloosa in the 2023 season opener, 196.975-196.550. The two schools also met in the 2022 NCAA Seattle Regional second round and final.
Alabama finished eighth at last year's NCAA Championships semifinals.
No. 24 North Carolina is 6-5 (2-3 ACC) this season. Sunday will be the Spartans' first meeting with the Tar Heels since the 2002 NCAA Southeast Regional, where UNC finished fourth and MSU finished sixth.
UP NEXT
MSU hosts Bowling Green for its final regular season meet and Senior Day on Sunday, March 16 at 2 p.m. inside Jenison Field House.
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