Spartans Host Michigan, Pittsburgh at Jenison
2/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
| Michigan State vs. No. 5 Michigan, Pittsburgh | |
| Dates | Friday, February 13, 2015 vs. Michigan - 6:00 p.m. Sunday, February 15, 2015 vs. Pittsburgh - 2:00 p.m. East Lansing, Michigan Jenison Field House |
| Tickets | Spartan Ticket Office |
| Video Stream | vs. Michigan: http://www.msuspartans.com/collegesportslive/?media=481906 vs. Pittsburgh: http://www.msuspartans.com/collegesportslive/?media=481907 |
| Live Scoring | Click Here |
| Download Game Notes | Michigan State | Michigan | Pittsburgh |
| Social Media | @MSUgymnastics  | Facebook  |
| Promotions | FRIDAY: Alumni Meet SUNDAY: Autism Awareness Meet |
SERIES NOTES
• MSU will return home on Friday, Feb. 13 to compete against in-state rival Michigan at Jenison Fieldhouse. This will be the second home meet for the Spartans and will serve as the annual alumni meet.
• Michigan currently sits first in the Big Ten standings with a 6-0 record (4-0 B1G), while Michigan State sits at sixth with a 5-3 record (2-2 B1G). The Wolverines, who rank fifth in the nation, average a 196.970 and hold a 62-46 all-time series record over the Spartans.
• On Sunday, Feb. 15 MSU will host Pittsburgh in the fifth annual Autism Awareness Meet. The team invites fans to arrive early and enjoy performances put on by special guests.
• Pittsburgh currently ranks 55th in the national poll, while MSU ranks 29th. The Panthers average a 192.190 while the Spartans average a 194.765. MSU holds a 21-4 all-time series record over Pittsburgh.
TEAM NOTES
• After a loss at Penn State, the Spartans are now 5-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten. Despite the loss, sophomore Elena Lagoski took first place on floor for the third time this season while freshman Anna Gamelo competed all-around for her first time as a Spartan. Sophomore Kira Frederick marked a career-high 9.800 on bars while freshman Victoria Huehn earned a career-high 9.800 on beam.
• One month into the 2015 season, the Spartans have posted 30 career highs in competition, helping them to 11 individual event titles and five event wins as a team.
• Lisa Burt has claimed three all-around crowns so far this season, in addition to one second-place finish and a fourth-place finish. The junior currently ranks 12th in Big Ten all-around competition and sixth in the region. Coming into the 2015 season, Burt was named a Big Ten Gymnast to Watch.
• After recovering from injury during the first three meets of the season, freshman Hailee Westney made her debut as a Spartan and competed on beam at Rutgers. All three Spartan freshmen have now competed for MSU this season.
• With a quad meet victory at Rutgers with Brown and UW Oshkosh, Michigan State reached its 500th win over 41 years of program history. Head coach Kathie Klages has been at the head of the program for 323 of those wins.
• Klages is in her 25th season as head coach of the MSU gymnastics program. She is the longest-tenured head coach in the athletic department. The Spartans welcome assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Mike Rowe to the program after coaching nine years at the University of Pittsburgh. Both Rowe and assistant coach Nicole Curler are MSU alumni.
• Due to injury, Michigan State has been competing without key all-arounder Alina Cartwright in 2015. Cartwright was named a Big Ten Gymnast to Watch for the 2015 season after a successful 2014 season being voted First Team All-Big Ten and claiming three all-around crowns.
• At Iowa earlier this season, sophomore Elena Lagoski earned a Spartan record book honor with a 9.950 on floor, tying for the second-highest score in school history. Lagoski has won floor three times this season and five times throughout her career.
• The Spartans had seven gymnasts receive Academic All-Big Ten honors in the 2013-2014 school year. Klages has had 136 Academic All-Big Ten selections over her 25 years at the helm of MSU, as well as 115 student-athletes on the NACGC/W Scholar-Americans list.
• Three Spartans represented Michigan State at the 2014 NCAA Regional Championships. Alina Cartwright led the Spartans and tied for fifth in all-around competition with a score of 39.325. Lisa Burt followed Cartwright and tied for seventh in all-around competition, notching a score of 39.200. In her first appearance at the regional meet, Elena Lagoski earned a score of 9.875 to place ninth overall on the floor exercise.
• Up next, the Spartans will travel to Champaign, Ill. to compete against Big Ten foe University of Illinois. Just two days later, Michigan State will compete against UIC in Chicago for the second competition of the weekend.
Players Mentioned
