EAST LANSING, Mich. - 11th-ranked Michigan State gymnastics opens the 2025 season against in-state foe Western Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 4 p.m. in Jenison Field House.
Saturday's meet will stream on B1G+.
FLIPPING INTO 2025
MSU enters Saturday's opener ranked 11th in the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) Preseason Poll for the second consecutive year. The Spartans return all but one routine (Baleigh Garcia, beam) from its 2024 squad that finished undefeated in Big Ten action en route to the program's second straight conference regular season title. MSU also captured its first-ever Big Ten Championships title in front of a sold-out Jenison Field House crowd. Notable returners include 2024 Big Ten all-around champion and two-time NCAA All-American Skyla Schulte, 2024 NCAA beam qualifier and WCGA All-American Nikki Smith, 2024 WCGA All-American Sage Kellerman and All-Big Ten honorees Delanie Harkness and Gabrielle Stephen.
Continuing their historic rise over the past three seasons, the Spartans also eclipsed the 198.000 team score mark twice last season, including for the first time ever on the road against Michigan. MSU also tied its team vault (49.575) and beam (49.600) records. Individually, Kellerman tallied a pair of perfect 10.000s on vault and Smith scored the program's first-ever perfect score on floor while also adding another 10.000 on vault to become MSU's first gymnast to score 10.000s on multiple events.
The Spartans ended the 2024 season ranked No. 14 after advancing to the NCAA Regional Finals for the third straight season.
MSU was picked to finish first in the 2025 Big Ten Preseason Coaches' Poll for the first time in program history. Schulte and Smith were named gymnasts to watch.
THE MATCHUP
Saturday's meet will be a matchup between two reigning conference champions, as the Broncos captured the MAC Championships title last season. Western Michigan ended 2024 with a final national qualifying score (NQS) of 196.075, good for No. 39 in the NCAA, and posted an overall record of 18-7. The Broncos finished in a tie for third in the MAC regular season standings with a record of 4-2. Western Michigan received 19 votes in the WCGA Preseason Poll.
Senior Cassie St. Clair won a share of the MAC floor title last season and qualified for NCAA Regionals on the event.
Western Michigan head coach Penny Jernigan is in her 12th season leading the Broncos.
MSU and Western Michigan last met in dual meet action on March 5, 2022, with MSU earning a 197.575-196.725 win in East Lansing. At the time, both team scores were program records.
RECORD WATCH
MSU will look to break its season-opening high score for the fourth time in the last five seasons on Saturday. The Spartans set the current highest season-opening score in 2023 with a 196.550 at Alabama after breaking the previous bests in 2022 (195.875) and 2021 (195.775).
UP NEXT
MSU travels to Gainesville, Florida, for a quad meet with Florida, Nebraska and Northern Illinois on Friday, Jan. 10 at 6:45 p.m. The meet will stream on SECN+.
Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.
