Feb. 22, 2008

Head Coach Kathie Klages Weekly Press Conference
Meet Notes

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State gymnastics team continues on road competition, traveling to Iowa for a Sunday match up with the Hawkeyes and Illinois at 2 p.m. ET in Carver Hawkeye Arena. Illinois was recently added to the meet, after its scheduled event with Northern Illinois was postponed.

The Spartans moved up to No. 19 in the latest GymInfo national ranking with a Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 193.920 and a team average of 194.254. The numbers also rank MSU third in both the Central region (trailing No. 5 LSU and No. 14 Auburn) and the Big Ten Conference (behind No. 4 Michigan and No. 16 Penn State).

Michigan State is in the top 25 nationally in each event. The Spartans are 15th on the bars with a 48.440 RQS and have their highest RQS on the vault with a 48.770 to stand in 16th. On the beam, they rank 18th with a 48.235 RQS, while also placing 25th on the floor at 48.425. MSU is also third in both the region and the conference on the vault, bars and beam (fifth in conference and sixth in region on the floor).

Despite snapping the run of improving upon their team score in each meet, the Spartans did improve upon their season average and post their second highest score of the season at Illinois this past weekend. MSU was one of three programs in the country to improve upon its season high in the first five meets of the season. Like the Spartans, Arizona State and Missouri had their run end this weekend at five.

MSU leads the all-time series 38-10 over the Hawkeyes. The Spartans dominated the series early on, winning the first 18 meetings (first meet was in 1975), and 36 of the first 38. However, since that point, Iowa has won eight of the last 10, including topping MSU at last year's Big Ten Championships. The last dual meet between the two programs was a Feb. 8, 2003 win by the Hawkeyes at home.

MSU and Illinois meet for the 44th time and for the second time in two weeks, with the Spartans holding a 28-15 all-time lead. The Illini won both meetings last season, beginning with a 194.700-193.925 dual at Jenison and ending with Illinois placing ahead of the Spartans at he Big Ten Championships.

Iowa (4-3-1) is 24th in the nation with a 193.110 RQS and a 193.492 team average. The Hawkeyes were off this weekend, but travel to Iowa State on Friday night before facing the Spartans on Sunday. In their last meet, the Hawkeyes tied Ohio State at 195.400. Junior Jenifer Simbhudas is the reigning Co-Big Ten Gymnast of the Week, after placing first in two individual events (vault and floor) and the all-around competition against the Buckeyes.

Illinois (2-6) is ranked 21st in the country according to GymInfo with a RQS average of 193.750. The Fighting Illini are also 18th in the nation on the bars (48.380 RQS) and 21st on the vault (48.560) and beam (48.160). Freshman Allison Buckley, last weekend's all-around winner, has been the top performer for Illinois this season, 16th in the country and third in the Big Ten on the floor (9.830), while also tying for 32nd nationally on the vault (9.820).

MSU Women's Gymnastics

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