Gymnastics Celebrates Season at Year-End Banquet
4/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
EAST LANSING - Michigan State's gymnastics team celebrated its 2015 season on Friday evening with the annual team banquet, held at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center.
"We had a season full of adversity and this team stepped up to meet each and every challenge," said head coach Kathie Klages. "I am very proud of how we not only persevered, but succeeded and finished the season ranked No. 26 in the nation, 13 places higher than last year. A job well done! The team committed to make a positive change in the program and it was definitely seen throughout the entire season. This is a season to remember!"
In addition to team awards and a recap of the season, it was also an official sendoff for two Spartan seniors, Alina Cartwright and Ashley Stevenson, who took time to share their thoughts and reflect on their time as a part of the MSU gymnastics program.
"Alina Cartwright experienced a fabulous career here at MSU," said Klages. "Though suffering an injury in December, she fought back and was able to return to three of the four events and competed them all at an elite level. Alina was a team captain this season and had a big hand in changing the direction of this program. She will return next year as an undergraduate student coach as she completes her undergraduate degree."
"Ashley Stevenson finished her four-year career as a student undergraduate coach due to an injury," said Klages. "We missed her in our bar line up this season and will welcome her back as an undergraduate student coach again next season as she completes her undergraduate degree."
Senior Ashley Noll suffered a foot injury this season that kept her from competing, allowing her to petition for a medical redshirt. Noll will return for the 2016 season and serve as a captain alongside teammate Brittany Holmes.
"Ashley Noll was injured at the second meet of the season, and I am happy to report that we are seeking a medical redshirt for this season and she will be returning next season to compete in her senior year," said Klages. "We are very excited to have her back as her experience, passion for the sport, and leadership will help this team to take the next steps for an even better season next year."
SPARTAN GYMNASTICS - 2015 IN REVIEW
- Finished with a 12-10 overall record, and went 4-5 in Big Ten competition.
- Concluded the 2015 season in the 2015 NCAA Iowa State Regional, placing fourth as a No. 5 seed with a 195.375.
- 2015 marked MSU's first time traveling to NCAA Regionals as a team since the 2012 season when the Spartans competed in Auburn, Alabama and scored a 194.050.
- Finished the season ranked seventh in the Big Ten and 26th in the country with a 195.710 regional qualifying score.
- Floor proved to be the most consistent event for the Spartans this season, on which they tallied a 49.235 RQS and ranked 16th in the nation (and third in the Big Ten) as a team.
- A season-high 196.325 came for the Spartans on Friday, February 20 at Illinois where they posted 49.025 on vault, 48.025 on bars, 48.875 on beam and 49.400 on floor.
- Michigan State junior Lisa Burt and sophomore Elena Lagoski were both named to First Team All-Big Ten. 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.
- Burt led the Spartans in all-around competition this season, finishing 23rd in the nation with a 39.345 RQS. Burt earned five all-around crowns on the season, alongside nine additional event wins. Burt ranked in the top 25 nationally all around throughout the entire 2015 season.
- Sophomore Elena Lagoski earned a spot in the Spartan record book 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 match that mark two other times during the season (Feb. 15 and Feb. 27). A native of Kingston, PA, Lagoski holds eight floor crowns and placed among the top three in 10 regular season competitions.
- The team celebrated six Academic All-Big Ten honors at the 2015 SASS Academic Excellence Gala: Lisa Burt, Nicola Deans, Brittany Holmes, Ashley Noll, Katie Richter, and Holly Ryan.
2015 SPARTAN HONOR ROLL
Lisa Burt
First Team All-Big Ten
Academic All-Big Ten
Most Valuable Gymnast
Coaches Award
Alina Cartwright
Spirit Award
Captains Award
Nicola Deans
Academic All-Big Ten
Kira Frederick
Big Ten All-Championships Team
Anna Gamelo
Big Ten Sportsmanship Award
Kathryn Mahoney Award
Brittany Holmes
Captains Award
Academic All-Big Ten
Victoria Huehn
Most Improved Gymnast
Elena Lagoski
First Team All-Big Ten
Big Ten All-Championships Team
Ashley Noll
Academic All-Big Ten
Katie Richter
Academic All-Big Ten
Holly Ryan
Academic All-Big Ten
Players Mentioned
