Spartans Head to Towson for Quad Meet
2/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
| Michigan State at Towson with Yale and Rutgers | |
| Dates | Friday, February 27, 2015 Towson, MD | SECU Arena |
| Video Stream | http://portal.stretchinternet.com/towson/portal.htm?eventId=200471&streamType=video |
| Live Scoring | http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=86169 |
| Download Game Notes | Michigan State | Towson | Yale | Rutgers |
| Social Media | @MSUgymnastics  | Facebook  |
SERIES NOTES
• Michigan State will travel to Towson, Maryland on Friday, Feb. 27 to face Towson, Rutgers, and Yale in it's second quad meet of the year. Competition will begin at 7 p.m. in the SECU Arena.
• Averaging a 195.000 with a 195.265 regional qualifying score, the Spartans currently rank 26th in the national poll while sitting at fifth in the region. MSU holds a 7-5 overall record, 2-3 in the Big Ten.
• After beating Rutgers on Jan. 31, the Spartans extended the all-time series record to 4-0 against the Scarlet Knights. RU currently ranks 40th in the nation, holding an 8-12 overall record, but has yet to win a Big Ten competition. Facing the Scarlet Knights for the second time this season, this meeting against Rutgers will not count toward the Big Ten standings.
• Yale currently ranks 59th in the national survey, holding a 7-5 overall record and a 1-1 record in the ECAC. The Bulldogs average a 190.863 this season, marking a 190.590 RQS. The last time the two schools met was on March 8, 2003 when the Spartans beat the Bulldogs by a score of 195.450-191.900.
• Towson is averaging a 194.004 so far this season, alongside a 194.000 RQS. The Tigers sit at 8-8 so far this season, 0-3 in the EAGL. The last meeting between the two programs was on Feb. 24, 2001 where the Spartans won by a 195.175-194.00 margin. It has been 14 years since the two programs faced each other.
TEAM NOTES
• Towson assistant coach Becky Schaller was a four-year standout for MSU gymnastics under head coach Kathie Klages. As a freshman, Schaller was an all-around performer who helped the Spartans to a 27-3 record and a second-place finish in the Big Ten Conference. Schaller completed two more successful season in the Green and White before going on to serve as a medical intern with USA Gymnastics team physician Dr. Larry Nassar in her senior year.
• Last weekend the Spartans went 1-1, falling to Illinois on Friday, Feb. 20, but beating UIC on Sunday, Feb. 22. Despite the loss to Illinois, the Spartans posted a 196.325, the highest team score MSU has posted since beating New Hampshire 196.350-193.475 on March 9, 2008. Two days later, MSU captured wins on all four events in 194.850-191.150 victory over UIC, while winning three of the four individual honors (bars, beam, vault).
• At Illinois, the Spartans posted a 49.400 on floor, tying for third-highest team score in school history. Sophomore Elena Lagoski and junior Lisa Burt shared first place, each notching a 9.900.
• After dealing with injury in the beginning of the 2015 season, senior Alina Cartwright set a career-best 9.900 on bars at UIC. She also made her way into the beam rotation last weekend, and hopes to be competing all-around soon.
• Junior Nicola Deans competed all-around at Illinois for just the third time this season, posting a career-high 39.225.
• Burt has captured the all-around crown four times this season, alongside three second-place finishes. The junior currently ranks 11th in the nation all-around, including tied for 11th on beam and tied for 17th on bars.
• Sophomore Elena Lagoski tied her own career high and the second-highest score in school history, winning floor with a 9.950 against Pittsburgh. She originally accomplished this mark on Jan. 18 at Iowa. Lagoski holds six floor event crowns this season and six in her career.
• 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 324 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.
• Three Spartans represented Michigan State at the 2014 NCAA Regional Championships. Cartwright led the Spartans and tied for fifth in all-around competition with a score of 39.325. 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, Lagoski earned a score of 9.875 to place ninth overall on the floor exercise.
• The Spartans will return home on Friday, March 6 to face Arizona and Eastern Michigan on Senior Night where Alina Cartwright and Ashley Noll will be honored. Competition will begin at 6 p.m. in Jenison Fieldhouse.
Players Mentioned
