Gymnastics Hosts No. 24 Central Michigan and Ball State
2/26/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Feb. 26, 2003
The Michigan State gymnastics team opens the month of March with a tri-meet against Ball State and No. 24 Central Michigan on Saturday (March 1) at 7 p.m., in Jenison Field House. It is the first time this season that the Spartans have competed at home in back-to-back weeks.
It is also the first time this season that the Spartans' meet will be televised. Comcast Cable (Channel 17 in Lansing and Channel 13 in East Lansing) will air the meet live.
SPARTANS WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT SPARTAN INVITATIONAL
Michigan State captured the 2003 Spartan Invitational, presented by Country Markett, for the fourth consecutive year, defeating Illinois, 194.900-193.600, on Saturday (Feb. 22) in Jenison Field House. The score matched the fifth-highest team total in the 14-year history of the Spartan Invitational. MSU improved to 30-6 lifetime at the annual event.
S IS FOR SCORES, SARAH AND SIMPSON
MSU had a season-best score on the floor and matched a season-best total on the uneven bars. The Spartans posted a 49.275 on the floor, surpassing the previous season mark by .300. The score was also just .215 off of the school record, which was set in 1997.
Michigan State received a career-best all-around score of 39.350 from freshman Sarah Alexander - shattering the previous Spartan Invitational record of 39.175. Alexander's score was just .100 off of the school record score of 39.450 - set in 1996 by Carolyn Hecht.
Sarah Alexander won the vault (9.750) and beam (9.850) events, while finishing in a three-way tie for first on the floor exercise (9.875). Not finishing lower than second on any event, Alexander finished in the No. 2 spot on the uneven bars (9.875).
Sophomore Lauren Simpson posted the fourth-highest all-around score in Spartan Invitational history, with a 39.125 finishing third in the complete event standings. Simpson posted third-place finishes on the vault (9.700) and beam (9.775), while finishing second on the uneven bars (9.850). She also garnered a 9.800 on the floor exercise.
NEWS FROM THE GYM
The Spartans had just two gymnasts slated in the all-around competition (compared to the four from Illinois), yet Sarah Alexander and Lauren Simpson posted two of the top three scores of the day, including the top score.
Michigan State went 1-2-3 on the vault. Behind Sarah Alexander's first-place score on the event, Anna Hunsinger placed second, while Nicole Anderson and Simpson tied for third.
Four MSU gymnasts posted the top two scores on the floor exercise, en route to setting the highest team score of the season on that event. Sarah Alexander, Anna Hunsinger and Julie Devaty posted the top score of 9.875, while Diana Crea finished in a tie for fourth with a 9.850.
MOVING FORWARD
Six Spartans tallied new career high scores over the weekend, led by freshman Sarah Alexander, who matched her top scores on the beam and floor, while setting a new best in the all-around.
Senior Diana Crea matched her best score on the floor with a 9.850, while classmate Julie Devaty matched her personal best on the bars (9.825) and equaled her season-best score on the floor (9.875).
Sophomore Anna Hunsinger tied her personal best on the floor with a 9.875, while Lauren Simpson scored a new best in the all-around and on the bars. Jennifer Yarbrough saw her first action of the season, with a personal-best bars score of 9.800. Kristin Merritt matched two season-best scores - posting a 9.650 on the vault and a 9.700 on the beam.
SENIOR STREAK
For the eighth straight year, a member of the MSU senior class has won an event at the Spartan Invitational. Senior Julie Devaty continued the tradition on Saturday, finishing in a three-way tie for first on the floor exercise with a season-best score of 9.875. The streak of a Spartan senior winning at least one title at the Spartan Invitational began in 1996, when Carole McMenamy and Siri Larsen both earned event titles.
1996 Carole McMenamy BB Siri Larsen FX1997 Jamie Elwell AA1998 Briony Lecky FX1999 Carolyn Hecht AA, FX2000 Polly Kiker FX2001 Melissa Green UB2002 Jane McIntosh BB2003 Julie Devaty FX
MORE RECORDS IN TACT
No member of the Spartans' senior class has lost a Spartan Invitational and with Saturday's victory over Illinois, Ilene Cohen, Diana Crea, Julie Devaty, Christy Linder, Kristina Petersen and Maurella Walls are a perfect 10-0 at the invite.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A MONTH MAKES
The Spartans opened the season with a record of 0-4, but since the calender turned from January to February, Michigan State has rolled off eight wins compared to just one loss. Michigan State has also accumulated three invitational titles since that time - winning the State of Michigan Classic, the Fox Run Invitational and the Spartan Invitational.
BIG TEN BUSINESS
MSU freshman Sarah Alexander is placing her name throughout the Big Ten season statistics. Alexander holds three top-ten rankings, including a fifth-place ranking on the balance beam. She also stands in a fifth-place tie on the uneven bars and has the tenth highest regional qualifying score in the conference in the all-around.
As a team, the Spartans are currently ranked fourth in the conference on the uneven bars, while holding onto fifth-place on the balance beam. MSU is ranked sixth on both the vault and team total. The Spartans are currently in seventh on the floor exercise.
DEVATY NAMED CO-BIG TEN GYMNAST OF THE WEEK
Senior co-captain Julie Devatywas named the Co-Big Ten Gymnast of the Week on Tuesday, Feb. 5. Devaty matched her career-best mark of 9.925 on the balance beam to capture the event title at the State of Michigan Classic on Feb. 2. She also finished tied for second on the floor with a season-best mark of 9.875 and matched her personal-best score of 9.825 on the uneven bars to post the fourth-highest score of the day on that event. Devaty tied for the weekly honor with Calli Ryals of Michigan.
MSU EARNS STATE BRAGGING RIGHTS
The Spartans returned to Jenison Field House with a bang on Sunday, Feb. 2, winning the State of Michigan Classic. Michigan State posted a 195.075 to finish first, ahead of Central Michigan (194.900) and No. 11 Michigan (193.900). Eastern Michigan (192.525) and Western Michigan (192.000) rounded out the five-team event. MSU claimed the highest team score on the bars and beam, setting season-high marks on both.
ENDING A STREAK
With the victory at the State of Michigan Classic, Michigan State became the first Big Ten Conference team to defeat Michigan in over four years. Until the Spartans topped the No. 11 Wolverines on Feb. 2, Michigan had not lost a meet against a conference rival since Jan. 15, 1999. Since that date, Michigan had recorded 40 consecutive wins over conference rivals.
SPARTANS INK FIVE
The Michigan State gymnastics team signed five student-athletes to National Letters of Intent on Nov. 25. Kristin Coleman, Chayla Hill, Victoria Iakounina, Jaclyn O'Brien and Jenna Rivers will join the Spartans in 2004. The quintet brings a wealth of experience to the MSU lineup -an all-around champion at two Provincial Tour Selections, a nation floor champion, a Region V Athlete of the Year, a Michigan Level 10 state champion and the 2002 Empire Games all-around champion.
THE LEADERS OF THE PACK
The Michigan State women's gymnastics team announced that seniors Christy Linder and Julie Devatyhave been selected as the captains for the 2003 season.
GAZE INTO THE FUTURE
The Spartans hit the road for a trip to Piscataway, N.J., on Saturday, March 8, when they compete against Rutgers. The first flip is slated for 1 p.m. Michigan State will continue on the road the following week with a meet at Pittsburgh on Saturday, March 15. The Spartans return home for the regular season finale on Saturday, March 22. Michigan State will entertain Pittsburgh and instate rival Michigan at 7 p.m., at Jenison Field House.
Players Mentioned
