Burt and Lagoski Named First Team All-Big Ten
3/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State junior Lisa Burt and sophomore Elena Lagoski have both been named to First Team All-Big Ten, as announced by the Conference office on Monday. It is the first All-Big Ten honors for both athletes, following in the footsteps of senior Alina Cartwright, who was an All-Big Ten pick in the 2014 season. This marks the first time MSU has had two gymnasts named to the First Team since Rhiannon Banda-Scott and assistant coach Nicole Curler were in 2007-08.
Named a Big Ten Gymnast to Watch for 2015, Burt has proven her consistency, taking the all-around crown in five meets this season. A career high 39.475 came in the home opener against Minnesota (Jan. 25), where Burt posted a career high 9.825 on vault and a then-career-best 9.900 on bars. The Port Orange, Fla. native has taken four bar titles this season, setting a career high 9.925 on the event at Illinois (Feb.20), while also recording four first-place finishes on beam. As of March 16, Burt is ranked 23rd nationally and 11th in the conference with a 39.345 RQS as an all-around competitor.
"I'm really excited for Lisa because I feel like she has been the rock of this team all year long," said head coach Kathie Klages. "I'm thrilled that she made the First Team All-Big Ten. She has been extremely valuable to this team, she is definitely our MVP."
Lagoski earned Spartan record book honors when she set a career best 9.950, the second-highest score in school history, on floor at Iowa (Jan. 18). She went on to reach that mark twice more this season (Feb. 15 and Feb. 27). A native of Kingston, PA, Lagoski holds eight floor crowns and has placed among the top three in 10 of the 11 regular season competitions. Lagoski has also competed on vault for the Spartans, earning a career-high 9.875 against Minnesota (Jan. 25). Working her way into the beam lineup, Lagoski notched a career-high 9.825 on two separate occasions (Jan. 18 and Jan. 31). Heading into the 2015 Big Ten Championships, she owns a Big Ten best 9.920 RQS on floor, tying for 11th in the nation as of March 16.
"Elena has just been rock solid on floor all year long," said Klages. "That's where she got this award. It's been a long time since we've had someone tied for first in the Big Ten (on floor) and that's quite an honor. We're really excited for her."
The Spartans will travel to Ann Arbor on Saturday, March 21 to compete in the first session of the 2015 Big Ten Championships.
"We're going into this Big Ten Championships with a way better attitude than we had last year," said Lagoski. "We are a really good team and we are coming up from the ashes and showing everyone what we can do."
