March 7, 2013

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State women’s gymnastics heads to Pittsburgh, Pa., to take on Pittsburgh this Friday, March 8, at 7 p.m.  Last weekend, the Spartans fell to Michigan in their final home dual meet of the season. 

Looking Back
MSU scored a season high on the floor last weekend (49.050), despite falling to UM 197.300-194.875.

On vault, senior Taira Neal tied her career-best score of 9.925 to take second place.  Freshman Lisa Burt led the Spartans on the uneven bars, earning a 9.825.  Registering a 9.875 to pace the Spartans on beam and take second place was junior Dani Levy.  Levy also led the Spartans on floor, scoring a 9.875, to tie for third place.  In the all-around competition, Burt earned a total of 38.400 to place third, while the Wolverines' Joanna Sampson took the win, posting a 39.650.

Planning for Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh posted a season-high score of 196.175 last weekend, as they topped North Carolina at home.  The Panthers average a 194.930 in the nation, sitting at No. 33.

Lisa Soto leads Pittsburgh on vault, tallying an average score of 9.810 on the event. The Panthers’ Alyssa Adrian scores an average of 9.740 on uneven bars.  Laura Kummerle is 49th in the nation with an average mark of 9.820 on the balance beam, while Lindsey Offutt is 35th on floor with a 9.870.

Pittsburgh averages a 48.770 on vault to sit at 37th in the nation.  At 32nd in the rankings, the Panthers post a 48.720 on bars.  The Panthers take 33rd on balance beam, with an average score o f 48.625.  On floor exercise, Pittsburgh posts an event-high score of 49.055 to take 18th. 

Spartans in the Rankings
In the national rankings, Michigan State ranks 44th with a team average of 194.010.  The Spartans have their highest team score of 48.665 on beam, taking 31st in the nation. In other events, the Green and White ranks 34th on vault (48.800), 58th on bars (47.965) and 41st on floor exercise (48.800).

Leading the Spartans on vault is senior captain Taira Neal, averaging a 9.860, to take 45th in the nation.  Freshman Lisa Burt tops MSU on uneven bars (9.875) and the all-around (38.705).  On beam, sophomore Alina Cartwright leads with a 9.760, while freshman Nicola Deans leads with a 9.800 on the floor exercise. 

2013 Big Ten Gymnastics Championships
MSU will host the 2013 Big Ten Gymnastics Championships on Saturday, March 23. The meet will be divided into two sessions featuring teams ranked 5-8 at 1 p.m. and 1-4 at 6 p.m. An all session pass can be purchased for $12 for adults and $10 for students, youth and seniors, while single session tickets will be $7 for adults and $5 for students, youth and seniors.  The meet will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.

Next Up
MSU will face Denver on Saturday, March 16, at 8 p.m. in its final regular-season meet.