Freshman Kelsey Morley practices before she performs on the beam at Friday’s gymnastics meet against Western Michigan. Morley earned a score of 9.675 on the beam and placed second overall.
Despite a Friday night triumph over Western Michigan at Jenison Field House, the MSU gymnastics team still has work to do.
The Spartan won with a final score of 192.025-190.325. Six women compete in each event for points, and the final score includes those 24 performances on vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.
In the first meet of the season, the athletes fell short of expectations on balance beam and uneven bars, head coach Kathie Klages said.
“I think that balance beam is our best event and that’s what we struggled the most with tonight,” Klages said. “This is a very talented team, and the fact that they struggled on events where we feel like they are the most solid is interesting. It proves how much it’s a mental game.”
The team also need to upgrade its tumbling passes in the floor exercise and improve its vaults, she said.
Sophomore Rochelle Robinson had the top vault score of the meet with 9.850. Sophomore Nicole Curler took first place in bars, beam, floor exercise and all-around with a total score of 39.025.
“(The first meet is) always really nerve-racking,” Curler said. “For the freshmen, it’s a new experience and being a sophomore it was exciting to go out there and show them what it’s like to compete in Jenison in front of your home crowd.”
Western Michigan gymnasts Erin Doucey and Courtney Lesson rounded out the top three in all-around with scores of 38.100 and 37.925.
For the team’s six freshmen, the first meet was especially challenging, Klages said. Freshman Nicole Heikkila fell during her beam routine.
“I think that’s just the first-time-in-front-of-a-crowd-in-a-Spartan-leotard jitters because she’s a beautiful balance beam worker,” Klages said.
Freshman Kelsey Morley earned second place on the beam with her score of 9.675.
“I wasn’t expecting to get so much momentum from the crowd, especially when I landed my beam routine ? I’ve never had such a loud commotion coming from an audience,” Morley said.
She said the highlight of her night was marching out on the floor for the first time.
“Seeing everyone in the lights and out there waving and being with the Michigan State gymnastics team — it’s been a dream of mine since I was little,” Morley said.
The Spartans will host Pittsburgh Saturday at Jenison Field House.
Money earned from tickets to the annual Flip For A Cure meet will benefit the American Cancer Society.
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