Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Michigan
No. 15 Gymnastics Takes Down No. 10 Michigan with Season-High 197.525
2/1/2026 8:55:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - No. 15 Michigan State gymnastics scored a season-high 197.525 to defeat No. 10 Michigan, 197.525-197.425, Sunday afternoon in Ann Arbor. Â
MSU moves to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten, while Michigan drops to 4-2 and 1-2 in the conference. The Spartans earned their fourth-straight dual meet victory over the Wolverines with Sunday's win.Â
The Spartans scored team season highs on every event and won at least a share of three out of four possible individual event titles. Junior MaKayla Tucker won the all-around title, the first of her career.Â
"We feel amazing," said head coach Mike Rowe. "We always have a good time here and always have one of our best meets here. We're back. We had some struggles at the beginning of the season and now things are starting to settle in. We've still got more fuel in the tank, so we're happy it happened like it did. Our motto for this week of practice was to be undeniable and they carried it through with them to every event. I'm so proud of them."Â
The Spartans used a season-high 49.275 on bars to sit just 0.05 behind Michigan after the first rotation. Three Spartans either tied or set season highs, led by senior Sage Kellerman in the anchor spot with a 9.925 to earn a share of the event title with Michigan's Ava Jordan. Senior Olivia Zsarmani also scored a season-high 9.900 in the fifth spot to finish third on the event and senior Nikki Smith went 9.850 for a season high in the No. 4 spot. Junior MaKayla Tucker posted a 9.825, while senior Naya Howard and freshman Lilia Cosman scored 9.775s.Â
MSU took a 98.700-98.450 lead after the second rotation after its second-straight season-high event score with a 49.425 on vault. Kellerman took home her second event title of the day with a near-perfect 9.975 in the anchor spot, earning a 10.000 from one judge. Zsarmani added her second season-high of the meet with a 9.925 in the fifth spot to finish second. Freshman Korynne Marquart and Tucker added 9.850s, with Marquart scoring a career-high, while Smith scored a 9.825.Â
A third season-high event score with a 49.475 on floor for MSU helped the Spartans maintain a 148.175-147.875 lead over the Wolverines after three rotations. The Spartans put up four scores of 9.900 or better, with all four of those scores marking either a career or season high. Smith anchored with a season-high 9.950, earning a 9.900/10.000 split from the judges, to earn runner-up honors. Tucker scored a career-high-tying 9.925 for the second-straight meet and sophomore Cady Duplissis and junior Gabi Ortiz each posted career-high 9.900s. Cosman earned a 9.800.Â
MSU put the meet away in the final rotation with its final season-high score of the day, scoring a 49.350 on beam. Tucker and Zsarmani tied Michigan's Carly Bauman and Kayli Boozer with 9.900s to earn a share of the event title, each scoring a season high on the event. The title was the first of both Tucker and Zsarmani's careers on the event. Competing in the lead off position for the first time in her career, junior Kendall Abney scored a 9.850 alongside teammates Smith, Cosman and junior Isabella Trostel.Â
Tucker captured her first-career all-around title with a 39.500. Smith posted a season-high 39.475 to finish second.Â
Up next, MSU stays on the road to face Penn State on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. on B1G+.Â
Players Mentioned
