Michigan State University Athletics
Gymnastics Hosts Two Meets This Weekend
3/5/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
March 5, 2009
Spartan Sports Podcast
Rochelle Katie
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State gymnastics team closes out its home slate this weekend with two meets. The Spartans host Auburn in a dual meet on Friday, March 6 at 7 p.m. before welcoming California and Ball State to Jenison Field House on Sunday, March 8 at 2 p.m.
MSU, ranked 27th nationally, has three meets left in the regular season before the Big Ten Championships on March 21. The Spartans are coming off a second-place finish at the Missouri Cat Classic with a team score of 194.750. The host Tigers claimed the title with a 195.275, while Cal State Fullerton took third with a 193.275 and Western Michigan rounded out the quad meet with a 192.875. The Spartans claimed their first win in school history over Cal State Fullerton and improved to 55-0 all-time against Western Michigan.
Junior Rochelle Robinson led the team on vault, tying her season high with a 9.850 to finish second overall. On uneven bars, Robinson led the rest of the competition, finishing first overall with a 9.900. Senior Dan Fanning recorded a career-high 9.825 to take third overall on the event and sophomore Nicole Argiros tied her season-high with a 9.800. MSU finished with a season-high 49.025 on bars.
Sophomore Nicole Argiros recorded a career-high 9.850, taking second overall on floor exercise, and classmate Kathryn Mahoney notched a 9.750. Junior Nicole Curler led the way for the Spartans on balance beam, tying her career high on the apparatus with a 9.925 and finishing first overall. A season-high three Spartans competed in the all-around, with Roggensack posting a team-high 38.475, and marking the first time this season she has performed on all four events.
No. 8 Auburn is coming off a 197.350-196.175 loss to No. 11 Alabama last week. Senior A.J. Mills picked up Auburn's only title, sharing the beam with a 9.900. The meet marked the seventh time this season the Tigers have scored a 196 or better. Senior Lindsey Puckett is No. 4 in the nation in the all-around with a 39.450 RQS, while Mills is fifth with a 39.420. Puckett also ranks fourth on beam, sixth on floor and seventh on vault, and Mills is 10th on beam nationally. The two teams will meet for the 15th time, with Auburn holding an 9-5 all-time record against the Spartans, and have won eight straight.
California posted its second highest team score of the season, a 191.375, against Arizona on Sunday. Senior Bridgette Glass posted a 9.800 on the uneven bars to win the event, marking her third event title of the season. Junior Sophia Hocini recorded a career-high 38.950 in the all-around for the second straight week, earning her first all-around title of the season against the Wildcats. Hocini has recorded the highest all-around score for California is every meet this season except the opener. MSU holds a 2-1 all-time record against California, and the meet marks the first time since 1999 the two teams have met.
The Cardinals of Ball State last competed at the Kentucky Invitational, finishing fourth with a season-best score of 193.350. Ball State recorded season-best scores on vault (48.750) and on floor (48.375). Freshman Brittney Emmons tied for first on vault with a 9.875, and also notched a team-high 9.775 on floor and 38.500 in the all-around. Senior Teresa Phipps led the Cardinals on bars with a 9.725 and freshman Kayla Kmiecik posted a 9.700 on beam. The Spartans hold an 18-0 all-time record against Ball State, with the two teams last meeting in 2008.
Players Mentioned
