Michigan State University
Alabama
No. 8 Gymnastics Finishes Second at Elevate the Stage in Regular Season Road Finale
3/9/2025 8:00:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - No. 8 Michigan State gymnastics scored a 197.150 to finish second behind No. 6 California and ahead of No. 14 Alabama and No. 24 North Carolina in the Spartans' final regular-season road meet at Elevate the Stage Sunday afternoon in Huntsville.Â
MSU moves to 13-3 overall with its second-place finish. Cal scored a 197.200 to secure the victory, moving to 18-2 in 2025. Alabama (5-9) finished third with a 196.875 and North Carolina (6-8) scored a 195.625 to finish fourth. The Spartans' 197.150 lifted their national qualifying score (NQS) to a 197.290 through 10 weeks of competition and was MSU's sixth score of 197.000 or better this season.Â
Senior Gabrielle Stephen scored a season-high 39.550 in the all-around to earn a share of the title with Cal's Mya Lauzon. Stephen also won the beam title, while junior Sage Kellerman captured the vault title.Â
"I'm really pleased with how we kept our drive and tenacity going strong from event to event tonight," said head coach Mike Rowe. "Beam had a great night, but we lost a few tenths on landings on bars and vault. Those are the points that are crucial to get us to where we truly want to be. Floor got back on track tonight too. There were some amazing individual performances tonight once again, and we're celebrating those achievements, along with the little details that are keeping us in the game."
The Spartans opened the meet on bars with a 49.075. Kellerman led MSU with a 9.875 in the anchor spot to finish in a tie for fifth place on the event. Junior Nikki Smith and fifth-year senior Delanie Harkness scored 9.825s, while Stephen scored a 9.800 and freshman Amy Doyle led off with a 9.750. Alabama took the lead after the first rotation with a 49.475 on beam and Cal scored a 49.000 on vault to sit just behind second-place MSU in third.Â
MSU put together its best beam rotation of the season in the second rotation, scoring season-high 49.425 to tie for the top spot at the halfway point with Alabama at 98.500. Stephen used a career-high-tying 9.950 in the anchor spot to take the title outright, earning her second beam title of the season and highest score on the event since winning the NCAA Pittsburgh Regional beam title in 2023. Senior Skyla Schulte finished in a tie for second with a 9.900, posting her third-straight score of 9.900 or better on the event and fourth overall this season. Making her first appearance in the beam lineup since Feb. 15, freshman Cady Duplissis scored a career-high 9.875 in the No. 4 spot, matching fifth-year senior Giana Kalefe's 9.875 in the lead off position. Sophomore Emma Misenheimer added a 9.800 in the No. 2 spot and Smith scored a 9.775.Â
A 49.325 on floor helped MSU take the outright lead after three rotations with a total score of 147.825 ahead of Alabama and Cal, which both trailed by 0.05 heading into the final rotation. Stephen and Schulte both scored 9.900s for the Spartans, with Stephen tying a season high and Schulte adding a seventh score of 9.900 or better in eight floor routines this season. Harkness and sophomore MaKayla Tucker each scored a 9.850 and Smith tallied a 9.825.Â
MSU wrapped up the meet on vault with a 49.325 in a thriller of a final rotation. After a slower start on the event, junior Olivia Zsarmani got MSU back on track with a 9.850 in the third spot. The Spartans built on the scores from there, with Smith scoring a 9.975 in the No. 4 position before Stephen tied a season-high 9.900 in the fifth spot. Kellerman anchored with a season-high-tying 9.950 to win her fourth vault title of the season. In the final routine of the evening, Cal's Lauzon clinched the meet with a 9.950 on floor to help the Bears edge out the Spartans by a narrow 0.05 margin.Â
Stephen's 39.550 was her best all-around score since the NCAA Pittsburgh Regional Final on April 2, 2023, while her all-around title was the 10th of her career. Smith joined Stephen in the all-around on Sunday evening, scoring a 39.300 to finish seventh.Â
Up next, MSU wraps up the regular season on Sunday, March 16 at 2 p.m. against Bowling Green for Senior Day at Jenison Field House. The meet will stream on B1G+.Â
Players Mentioned
