The MSU gymnastics team is headed to the Central Region of the 2003 Women's Gymnastics Regional Championship.

The Spartans nabbed the sixth seed and will travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., on April 12.

Gymnastics head coach Kathie Klages said she heard the news Monday, but she wasn't surprised.

"I think that we had a very poor performance at the Big Ten Championships, but we did fine at our final home performance," she said. "I know the girls wanted one more chance to show people what they're capable of."

The team finished seventh at this past weekend's Big Ten Championships in Champaign, Ill., but took second out of three teams at its final home match earlier this month.

The two top teams and two top individual competitors from each of the six regions move on to the national championships in Lincoln, Neb., from April 24-26.

Kristofer Karol