The No. 10 Michigan State gymnastics team hosts Northern Illinois in its regular season finale tonight, Saturday, March 11, at Jenison Field House at 7 p.m. Live results are available on MSUSpartans.com with streaming on B1G+.
Seniors Jori Jackard, Tori Loomis and Nyah Smith will be recognized following the conclusion of the meet.
According to Michigan State Athletic Communications, MSU moved to 10th in the Week 9 Road to Nationals rankings this week, posting a national qualifying score of 197.455.
The Spartans enter Saturday's meet at 13-2 (8-1 B1G) following a record-setting performance on March 5 against Bowling Green and LIU. MSU posted a 198.225 for the win, a program record, smashing the previous record of 197.675 -- which was also set this year, on Feb. 25 at the Big Five Meet.
According to Michigan State Athletic Communications, with its March 5th score, Michigan State became only the eighth team in the NCAA this season to surpass the 198.000 mark. The 198.225 was also the highest score in the NCAA during Week 8 (Feb. 27-March 5). In the national event rankings, the Spartans rank fourth on vault (49.380 NQS), 11th on bars (49.355 NQS), 12th on beam (49.335 NQS) and ninth on floor (49.460).
In addition to its program-record overall team score, MSU also set team vault (49.575), bars (49.550) and beam (49.600) records on March 5 while sweeping the individual event titles against Bowling Green and LIU. The fans who were present at Jenison Field House last week witnessed history as two MSU gymnasts flipped a 10 on the scorecards. Freshman Nikki Smith became the third Spartan in program history to score a 10.000 on vault and senior Jori Jackard followed with a 10.000 of her own on bars, recording the first 10.000 on the event in program history and fourth 10.000 overall for an MSU gymnast.
The Michigan State Gymnastics social media channels shared photos and quotes from the seniors who will be honored tonight at Jenison Field House.
RECOGNIZING THE SENIORS: JORI JACKARD
“Being a Spartan gymnast has been a pure blessing. Spending every day with a group of girls who allow me to be true to who I am is something I am beyond grateful for. My Spartan family has encouraged me to chase my dreams and to challenge my limits, as this is simply what team 49 is all about. I'm proud to have been a part of a team that invests so much hard work into putting a name on Michigan State Gymnastics. I couldn’t have asked for more out of this family. Together we have been making history and doing something that will forever outlive our lives. It doesn’t get more special than that. Thank you Spartan family, for everything.” - Jori Jackard
RECOGNIZING THE SENIORS: NYAH SMITH
“My journey as a Spartan has been a roller coaster but I was never alone throughout the process. I have been able to learn from my experiences along with creating new memories with the people I love. Everything I have learned and experienced has helped me become the person I am today. Being a Spartan has taught me that family is more than being related by blood. During my time at MSU I have had the opportunity to create friendships and memories that will last a lifetime. Being a Spartan has also taught me that I don’t just have my blood family but I have a Spartan family. I am beyond grateful to have been apart of the Spartan family.” - Nyah Smith
RECOGNIZING THE SENIORS: TORI LOOMIS
“Joining the Spartan family has given me the college experience I always dreamed of and has given me so many opportunities to grow into the person I am today. Being a Spartan has taught me how to believe in myself and has inspired me to always be my true authentic self. I will always be grateful for my Spartan family and the privilege to be a Spartan.” - Tori Loomis
UP NEXT: BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
The MSU gymnastics team will travel to Iowa for the Big Ten Gymnastics Championships on March 18 at Xtream Arena. MSU is the No. 1 overall seed and will face No. 2 seed Michigan, No. 3 seed Iowa, and No. 4 seed Ohio State, starting at 5:30 p.m. EDT.
There is a lot of optimism in the Spartan gymnastics program as MSU looks to improve on the success of 2022 as the 2023 postseason begins next week. 2022 was the best season in program history, as MSU qualified for the postseason as a team for the first time since 2016 and finished the season with a program-best final ranking of No. 9 in the nation. The Spartans have exceeded lofty preseason expectations. MSU’s WCGA preseason ranking of No. 12 was the highest preseason rank under head coach Mike Rowe (and the program's highest since 2000). The Spartans were selected to finish second in the 2023 Big Ten Preseason Coaches’ Poll on Dec. 14 and tied with Michigan for the Big Ten regular season championship.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Discuss this article in our premium forums by clicking here.
You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
For video content, including our Red Cedar Radar podcast, find us on YouTube and consider subscribing.
