Spartan Gymnastics Travels To No. 20 West Virginia
2/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Feb. 22, 2007
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
The Michigan State gymnastics team continues the 2007 regular season this Friday at No. 20 West Virginia. Friday's meeting in Morgantown marks the third time the two teams will have faced each other this season. The Moutaineers defeated MSU, 193.150-192.150, on Jan. 19 at the Pittsburgh Quad Meet, while the Spartans responded with a 194.00-193.075 win over the Mountaineers on Feb. 10 at the Fox Run Invitational.
Illinois Meet Recap
Rochelle Robinson was the only Spartan tumbler to garner an individual first-place finish (9.850, vault) in last Saturday's loss to fellow Big Ten competitor Illinois. MSU's Kristen Coleman tied for second as the top Spartan finisher on the uneven bars with a 9.800, Robinson finished tied for third on the balance beam with a season high 9.750, and Coleman and Robinson matched scores of 9.800 to finish tied for second on the floor exercise. Robinson closed a solid all-around effort with a second-place mark of 38.825, while Katlyn Roggensack turned in another consistent all-around performance with a third-place finish of 38.800. Illinois tumbler Nicole Cowart won the all-around title with a 39.025.
Scouting The Mountaineers
West Virginia last competed at the Hearts Invitational, hosted by N.C. State on Feb. 17, posting its top road score of the season with a 194.700. The Mountaineers were led by Shelly Purkat (9.825) and Kara Weaver (9.650), who turned in solid balance beam scores to secure a second-place finish by the Mountaineers at the event. West Virginia has several notable wins this season, including two wins versus both Maryland and George Washington.
National Spotlight
At this point in the season, the GymInfo Top 25 Poll is based on team and individual RQS scores. State does not currently hold a RQS - regional qualifying score - due to a lack of away meets thus far in 2007. MSU has dropped from the poll this week, and will not hold a national ranking until it records its third away meet score this weekend at West Virginia. A RQS is based on a team's top six regular-season scores, with three scores coming from away meets. To obtain the RQS, the team's or gymnast's highest score is dropped and the remaining five scores are averaged.
Consistent "All-Around"
Michigan State sophomore Katlyn Roggensack has been one of the most consistent performers for the Spartans in the all-around this season. The Wheaton, Ill., native has three top-three finishes in the event, including a career high 38.975 at the State of Michigan Classic on Feb. 3.
History Maker
Rochelle Robinson's perfect 10.0 on vault at the Fox Run Invitational on Feb. 10 marks the first flawless score ever recorded by a Spartan gymnast. The Chesapeake, Va., native now holds the top three spots all-time on vault. She set the previous Spartan benchmark with a 9.950 at the Flip For the Cure Meet on Jan. 27.
Kudos "All-Around"
Michigan State has swept the top three spots in the all-around competition just one time this season. Kristen Coleman won her third straight all-around title with a 39.375, while Robinson (38.875) and Katlyn Roggensack (38.775) finished second and third, respectively, at the Fox Run Invitational on Feb. 10.
This And That
Through the first six meets of the 2007 season, the freshmen class has accounted for 14 first-place individual event finishes and one top score in the all-around competition. At least two freshman have competed in each event at every meet for the Spartans this season. The exception falls in the all-around competition, where only one freshman competed on all four events in the season opener versus Arizona, and again last week against Illinois.
Big Ten Gymnast`S' Of The Week
After not receiving a Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honoree since the 2005 season, Michigan State has earned the honor four times thus far in 2007. Freshman Rochelle Robinson earned her second Gymnast of the Week accolade after becoming the first gymnast in Michigan State history to record a perfect score when she posted a 10.0 on vault at the Fox Run Invitational on Feb. 10. She also claimed second place in the all-around competition with a 38.875. Robinson currently holds the top three vault scores on the MSU all-time record chart. She shared the Feb. 14 weekly honor with Michigan's Tatjana Thuenor-Rego
Robinson garnered her first career Gymnast of the Week honor on Feb. 7 for her outstanding performance at the State of Michigan Classic on Feb. 3. She claimed top honors on vault and floor exercise with a pair of 9.925 scores, and also matched teammate Kristen Coleman's first-place finish on the uneven bars with a mark of 9.825. Robinson helped the Spartans claim the State of Michigan Classic team title, their first since the 2003 season.
Kristen Coleman won the weekly league laurel on Jan. 31 for her record-breaking performance at the Jan. 27 Flip For The Cure Meet. Coleman set a new Spartan benchmark with a 39.525 in the all-around competition, adding first-place finishes on the bars (9.950) and balance beam (9.850), while she tied with teammate Nicole Curler for first place on the floor exercise (9.850).
Freshman tumbler Nicole Curler earned her first-career Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honor on Jan. 17. Curler picked up the weekly honor after winning both the balance beam (9.925) and floor exercise (9.875), while also tying for first in the all-around against No. 16 Arizona on Jan. 12. The Bay City, Mich., native tied with teammate Kristen Coleman in the all-around competition, tallying a mark of 39.400. Curler helped MSU achieve its highest team mark on the uneven bars since the 2000 season and the third-highest in Spartan history (49.325).
Career Performances
Several Spartans have posted career highs in 2007, including senior Kristen Coleman, who has set four this season. Her 9.950 on the uneven bars at the Flip For the Cure Meet (1/27), her balance beam routine that scored a 9.950 at the Fox Run Invitational (2/8) and her floor exercise score of 9.900 at the State of Michigan Classic (2/3) were all career-bests for the Cornwall, Ontario, native. In addition, her all-around mark of 39.525 at the Flip For The Cure Meet set a new Spartan benchmark in that category. Sophomore Katlyn Roggensack has also posted four career highs in 2007. Her most recent highs came at the State of Michigan Classic on Feb. 3. She earned a 9.825 on the floor exercise and compiled an all-around mark of 38.975, setting career highs in both categories.
Three Strong
Freshman Rochelle Robinson claimed three individual titles at the prestigious State of Michigan Classic on Feb. 3. She claimed top honors on the vault and floor exercise with a pair of 9.925's, while matching teammate Kristen Coleman for first place on the uneven bars with a mark of 9.825.
Fox Run Invitational Recap
Behind Rochelle Robinson's perfect 10.0 on vault, MSU won its second straight meet with a team score of 194.000 at the Fox Run Invitational on Feb. 10. Robinson's flawless score was the first perfect 10 in Spartan gymnastics history. Host New Hampshire took second with a 193.925, followed by No. 22 West Virginia (193.075) and Brown (184.500).
State Of Michigan Classic Recap
Michigan State won its first State of Michigan Classic since the 2003 season on Feb. 3 at Jenison Field House, posting a season-best team score of 196.350. State defeated then-No. 9 Michigan, who finished second with a score of 195.775, followed by Central Michigan in third (193.475), Eastern Michigan in fourth (193.125) and Western Michigan (191.975) in fifth. Spartan tumbler Kristen Coleman claimed her second consecutive all-around crown with a mark of 39.450, while MSU's Nicole Curler finished second with a score of 39.350.
Flip For The Cure Meet Recap
Despite a school-record and first-place performance of 39.525 by Kristen Coleman in the all-around competition, the Michigan State gymnastics team suffered a 194.850-194.425 defeat to Ohio State on Jan. 27. UIC also competed in the Flip For The Cure Meet, which benefited the American Cancer Society Strides For Breast Cancer cause, finishing third with an overall score of 190.125. Coleman took first-place honors on the uneven bars (9.950) and balance beam (9.850), and finished tied for first on the floor exercise with teammate Nicole Curler with a mark of 9.850. Coleman's all-around tally was the highest Spartan mark since the 1996 season.
Head Coach Kathie Klages
Kathie Klages is in her 17th season at the helm of the Michigan State gymnastics program in 2007. She is a three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year award winner, and has been named Central Region Coach of the Year four times. Klages' teams have been consistently successful, as she has posted a winning record in each of her previous 16 seasons leading the Green and White. In 2006, Klages guided MSU to a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championship Meet, mentored the 10th Big Ten individual event champion in school history (Chayla Hill, vault) and led State to its 15th appearance in NCAA Regional competition.
Scoring Rundown
Unlike other collegiate athletic rankings, collegiate gymnastic rankings are not based on wins and losses or votes. Gymnastic teams are ranked by their meet scores alone. Teams are ranked by their highest score during the opening portion of the season and are then ranked by their total season average. The teams finish the dual-meet season ranked by their Regional Qualifying Score (RQS). A RQS is based on a team's top six regular-season scores, with three scores coming from away meets. To obtain the RQS, the team's or gymnast's highest score is dropped and the remaining five scores are averaged.
Spartan Gymnastics Signs Two For 2008
Two gymnasts have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Michigan State, beginning with the 2007 fall semester. Nicole Argiros (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson High School/Michigan Academy of Gymnastics) and Kathryn Mahoney (Western Spring, Ill./Lyons Township High School/Illinois Gymnastics Institute) will don the Green and White for the 2008 season.
Players Mentioned
