2009 Gymnastics Season Preview
12/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Dec. 17, 2008
The Michigan State University gymnastics team returns 11 letterwinners from last year's squad which finished No. 18 in the country. Despite losing Rhiannon Banda-Scott, a First Team All-Big Ten selection, the Spartans welcome back two other All-Big Ten team members - juniors Nicole Curler and Rochelle Robinson - along with two seniors and six sophomores, while adding three talented freshmen.
"Last year's team was the first team that was ever seeded in the top 18," said head coach Kathie Klages. "We want to try and improve upon that accomplishment and be ranked higher, hopefully getting into the top 12, which is a very difficult feat to do in gymnastics. It's a pretty hefty goal but I feel with the confidence built from last season's performance, it is attainable."
This season, the team invites national powerhouses Florida and Auburn to East Lansing as well as facing West Virginia, Missouri and Boise State on the road, all of which were ranked in the preseason coaches' poll. The Big Ten continues to be competitive, with six teams in the conference ranked in the top 25, and Michigan and Illinois scheduled to compete in the first home meet of the season.
"We are excited that we are competing against some of the stronger teams in the nation this season," said Klages. "I think it's a very good opportunity for our student-athletes to see Florida, which has been at national championships yearly. It will provide us an opportunity to see how far away we are from that program. Last year we traveled to Auburn and Arkansas for the same reasons.
"As for the Big Ten, Michigan has dominated the conference for many, many years. I think the Big Ten is getting stronger and stronger each year and will be more competitive than it even was last year when there were five teams in the top 25."
SENIORS
Klages returns two seniors, Dani Fanning and Katlyn Roggensack. Fanning competed on bars and floor exercise last season, setting a season high on bars with a 9.800 in a tri-meet with Ball State and Western Michigan. Looking to increase her time in the lineup, she returned to campus this fall doing the best gymnastics she's done so far in her career. The coaching staff is eager to see what she can bring to the team this season with the progress she made over the summer.
Meanwhile, Roggensack worked hard over the summer to improve her tumbling passes on floor exercise. With a nagging shoulder injury, she will shy away from competition on the uneven bars, but is expected to contribute on vault and balance beam. Roggensack will be missed on bars after competing in the event at every meet last season except for one. She set a career-high in the all-around at LSU with a 39.100, placing third and matched her career-high on balance beam with a 9.875 at the NCAA West Regional. Also a strong competitor on vault, she looks to help fill in for the loss of Rhiannon Banda-Scott, who received just the second perfect 10 in school history last season in the event.
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JUNIORS
The class is led by Rochelle Robinson and Nicole Curler, but will miss Megan Bergland, as she was forced to retire due to an injury. Robinson is returning from ankle surgery, but is expected to be back in the all-around by mid-season. Last season, Robinson recorded 22 top-three finishes for the second-straight year, including 12 first place, the most on the team. She also set career-highs on bars (9.875) and the all-around (39.325) against New Hampshire, and finished the season ranked 40th in the nation on vault. Robinson, a two-time NCAA Championship participant, is looking to make it three this season.
Meanwhile, Curler has recovered from an injury she suffered late in the year, forcing her to miss the rest of her season. She recorded a team-high 24 top-three finishes last season, including nine first place titles, increasing her career total to 42 top-three finishes. One of two Spartans to earn Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honors, Curler broke all five of her season-highs at LSU. Curler recorded a career-high 39.525 in the all-around, (the second best score in MSU history), and finished second on beam, tying her career best. She finished the season 15th nationally on the beam, and was tied for first in the Big Ten. A solid and consistent performer, she is expected to play a role in all events.
Emily Lopatofsky is looking to continue her hard work after a successful sophomore season, and is doing more skills that she was unable to do in the past due to an ankle injury. Lopatofsky focused on vault, bars and floor exercise last year, finishing in the top-three on six occasions. She recorded a season-high 9.900 on floor exercise vs. New Hampshire, finishing in first place. Kelly Moffitt returned this fall with a desire to be the best gymnast she could be. Despite spraining her ankle, she is expected to contribute in all four events. Last season, Moffitt competed on floor exercise and bars, recording three top-three finishes including two on floor. She also set a career-high on floor with a 9.850 vs. LSU.
"The junior class is a very powerful class, though we will definitely miss Megan Bergland's contribution," said Klages. "With Rochelle as the only athlete on this team that has been to the NCAA Championships, we expect her to guide her teammates using the experience she has gained to help them reach their goal of qualifying as a team this year.
"As for Nicole, she was sorely missed at the end of the season last year at the Arkansas meet, Big Ten Championships and NCAA West Regional Championships. She recovered from her injury and is back in the gym with a vengeance, wanting to have the experience of competing at the postseason championships."
SOPHOMORES
The roster includes five sophomores, with most earning significant competition experience last season. Kelsey Morley played a large role in the team's success on the balance beam last season as she tied for second place at the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA West Regional. She recorded a career-high 9.900 on beam twice, with the last coming at the NCAA West Regional. Morley also earned 11 top-three finishes last season, including three first place, and was ranked 22nd nationally and tied for third in the Big Ten on beam. She will be utilized in all four events this season and is working to improve her skill level on each.
Kathryn Mahoney is also training on all four events for the 2009 season after being limited to balance beam and floor exercise last season. She recorded a career-high on floor exercise with a 9.850 vs. New Hampshire, and was second in the event in a tri-meet against Ball State and Western Michigan.
Nicole Heikkila is working on three events, making steady progress from her first year with the Spartans. Heikkila recorded a career-high 9.800 on balance beam and uneven bars last season, including setting the bars mark at the Big Ten Championships. She looks to compete on uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise, with emphasis on beam and uneven bars.
Meanwhile, Nicole Argiros returned this fall doing the gymnastics she was recruited for. She has recovered from an ACL injury, is training on all four events and is confident she can return to competition stronger than ever. Argiros recorded three top-three finishes on bars last season, and tied her career-high of 9.825 at the Big Ten Championships. After just competing in exhibition last season, Elise Craig is working on balance beam and floor exercise, and is set to compete in both. She recorded a season-high 9.650 twice last season on the balance beam in exhibition.
"I believe that the sophomore class gained so much experience last year as freshmen," said Klages. "Maybe not so much on the competition floor, but in the introduction to collegiate gymnastics. They are really eager to help this program make the next step up the national ladder."
FRESHMEN
Three newcomers were added to the Spartan roster this season. Jackie Berg, a four-time Level 10 National Qualifier, brings a level of national exposure and experience to the squad. After a minor setback this fall, she looks to compete for a spot in the lineup. Alyssa Brennan comes to East Lansing from Florida, and brings a strong background on vault and floor exercise. She is expected to compete regularly in both events and will contribute on balance beam too while working on improving her skill on uneven bars. Selina Rodriguez, a Michigan native comes to the Spartans from the same club team as Megan Bergland. A Level 9 gymnast, she was the Eastern National Champion in the all-around. A strong competitor on bars, she looks to add depth to the event. After suffering injuries the last two years of her club career, Rodriguez is now performing skills she's never done before.
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VAULT
I think vaulting is the area where we have solid gymnasts, but we don't have much depth. We're going to be looking to some of our back-up kids to really improve their vaulting and help us out because with only six solid vaulters, those girls can't perform every weekend.
UNEVEN BARS
Again, we are very good on bars but don't have a lot of depth. We're working hard to get those seventh, eighth and ninth place people to step into the lineup. I think we have improved our skill level on bars in the sense that you will see every routine have a major release and dismount.
BALANCE BEAM
The team made major improvement on balance beam last year that they were able to perform well in competitions and that's a huge step for our program. The year before we had some struggles at the Big Ten Championship, so it was exciting to see them respond and be able to handle the pressure of competing balance beam. I think this is the event we have the most depth on, as we have 10 athletes that could easily be in the line up at any time and be considered our top gymnast. The issue then becomes who will be the one that can deal with the pressure and stay on the balance beam during competitions. We use a lot of practice time with some pressure sets and situations so that we can learn it before we get into the competitive season.
FLOOR EXERCISE
We have some very exciting cuts of music that Katie Teft has put together for our student-athletes. She and I do the choreography, and she has become very creative in her work with the athletes. We had a judge in recently who was very thrilled with the choreographic content of our routines, and that's great to hear as a coach. On floor, we've worked hard this summer and fall to improve our tumbling skills and hopefully will be able to see that in competition season. Our routines are fun and exciting and are definitely going to be crowd pleasers.
The Spartans open the 2009 season on Friday, Jan. 9 with a home meet against Illinois, Michigan and Western Michigan. The meet with begin at 7 p.m.
Players Mentioned
