Michigan State Welcomes No. 19 Arizona, Eastern Michigan
3/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
| Michigan State vs. No. 19 Arizona, Eastern Michigan | |
| Dates | Friday, March 6, 2015 - 6:00 p.m. East Lansing, Michigan Jenison Field House |
| Tickets | Spartan Ticket Office |
| Video Stream | Click Here |
| Live Scoring | Click Here |
| Download Game Notes | Michigan State | Arizona | Eastern Michigan |
| Social Media | @MSUgymnastics  | Facebook  |
| Promotions | FRIDAY: Senior Night |
SERIES NOTES
• The Spartans will return home on Friday, March 6 to face Arizona and Eastern Michigan on Senior Night. Competition will begin at 6 p.m. in Jenison Field House. Seniors Alina Cartwright, Ashley Noll and Ashley Stevenson will be honored upon the conclusion of the meet.
• The Spartans currently rank 23rd nationally with a 195.550 regional qualifying score, while averaging a 195.128 as a team. MSU holds a 10-5 overall record and is 2-3 in the Big Ten.
• Eastern Michigan is averaging a 194.816 alongside a 195.000 RQS this season. The Eagles hold a 12-2 record and rank second in the MAC behind Central Michigan. On Feb. 20, the Eagles posted a season-high 195.575 in a loss to Western Michigan. MSU holds the 35-1 all-time series record over the Eagles; the last time the two schools met was on Feb. 7, 2010 when the Spartans beat EMU by a 194.550-191.250 margin in Kalamazoo.
• Arizona is averaging a 195.694 this season while tallying a 195.860 RQS. After a victory against California on Feb. 28, the Wildcats rank 19th in the nation and fifth in the PAC-12. Arizona holds a 7-0 all-time record over the Spartans. The last time the two programs met was on Jan. 12, 2007 when the Wildcats beat the Spartans 194.975-194.925 in East Lansing.
• Both the Eagles and the Spartans are coming off of quad meet victories heading into this weekend's competition. The Spartans posted a 196.275 to overcome Rutgers, Yale, and Towson, while the Eagles rounded out a 195.125 and beat Illinois State, Lindenwood, and Illinois-Chicago.
TEAM NOTES
• At Towson, the Spartans scored their second-best team score of the year with a 196.275 and won their second quad meet of the season. MSU marked team event wins on bars, beam, and floor while earning individual event honors on bars, beam, floor and all-around.
• The Spartans posted a season-best 49.200 on bars at Towson, led by a 9.875 and first-place finish from junior Lisa Burt. Alina Cartwright and sophomore Mackenzie Smith followed, each tallying a 9.850 and tying for second. Freshman Anna Gamelo set her second career high of the night, scoring a 9.825 and tying for fifth. Sophomore Kira Frederick placed ninth and tied her career-high 9.800 for the third time this season.
• Moving to beam, the Spartans set another 49.075 season-high. Burt tied her season-high 9.900 on the event, placing first while sophomore Holly Ryan set a career-high 9.875 and recorded a second-place finish for the Spartans. Cartwright placed third, earning a season-high 9.850.
• Sophomore Elena Lagoski tied her own career high and the second-highest score in school history, winning floor with a 9.950 at Towson. She originally accomplished his mark on Jan. 18 at Iowa and repeated the feat on Feb. 15 against Pittsburgh. Lagoski has taken seven floor event crowns this season and is tied for seventh nationally, while tying for first in the Big Ten.
• Burt captured her fifth all-around crown of the season at Towson, posting a 39.325. The junior currently ranks 13th in the nation all-around, while holding second place in the conference on bars and third on beam.
• After rehabbing an injury throughout the beginning of the 2015 season, Cartwright is looking to work her way back into the all-around lineup after competing on vault at Towson, scoring a 9.875 for a second-place finish.
• 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 327 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 welcomed assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Mike Rowe to the program this season after coaching nine years at the University of Pittsburgh. Both Rowe and assistant coach Nicole Curler are MSU alumni.
• Up next, the Spartans will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday, March 14 to face Illinois, Ohio State, Maryland and Nebraksa in the B1G Five Meet.
Players Mentioned
