Michigan State senior outfielder JT Sokolove (2) in the dugout at McLane Stadium on April 19, 2025. Sokolove's walk-off homer secured a 10-9 win for the Spartans.
As the semester winds down and students look ahead to finals and summer plans, Michigan State University's spring sports teams are just getting started.
While classes near the finish line, Spartan athletes are hitting their stride — breaking records, pulling off upsets and closing out their seasons with momentum.
From gymnastics making program history on the national stage to baseball sweeping a Big Ten rival, MSU teams made the most of one of their final weekends of regular-season action. Golf, tennis, track and rowing all delivered standout performances, as postseason pushes and championship dreams came into focus across the board.
"They’re so resilient," MSU gymnastics head coach Mike Rowe said post-meet. "We’ve known for maybe about a month now that we can hang with the big dogs."
Gymnastics makes history on the national stage
In just its second NCAA Championships appearance in program history, No. 8 Michigan State women’s gymnastics capped a record-breaking season with a fourth-place finish in the national semifinals, scoring a 197.3625 Thursday night at Dickies Arena.
Facing a stacked semifinal that included powerhouses UCLA, Utah and defending champion LSU, the Spartans held their own — even leading at the halfway point. MSU finished the season 29-8, tying its program-best win total.
Four Spartans earned podium finishes: Junior Sage Kellerman (runner-up on vault), freshman Amy Doyle (fourth on vault), senior Gabrielle Stephen (bronze on bars) and senior Skyla Schulte (fifth on floor).
"Don’t sleep on us for next year," Rowe said post-meet. "These kids are hungry."
MSU opened the night with a strong vault rotation (49.3875), powered by Kellerman’s stuck 9.950 and Doyle’s career-high 9.9125. The team surged to the top after bars, where Stephen posted a 9.9375 and junior Olivia Zsarmani followed with a career-best 9.925.
Despite staying close through three rotations, the Spartans were edged out in the final round as Utah and UCLA advanced to Saturday’s championship final.
Still, the meet capped a monumental year for the Spartans. MSU broke the 198.000 threshold twice, posted a program-high road score of 198.150, shattered school records on vault and earned two perfect 10.000s along the way.
Men’s tennis ends 23-match skid vs. Michigan
This past weekend in East Lansing, Michigan State men’s tennis ended a 23-match losing streak to in-state rival Michigan with a dramatic 4-2 victory Saturday, marking the program’s first win over the Wolverines since 2003.
On Senior Day, the Spartans came out strong in doubles. Senior Max Sheldon and freshman Mitchell Sheldon won at No. 3, while junior Ozan Baris and freshman Matthew Forbes clinched the point at No. 1. MSU sealed the win with singles victories from Mitchell Sheldon, Forbes and freshman Danial Rakhmatullayev, whose 7-6 (5), 6-3 win at No. 6 singles clinched the upset.
"It came really close last year, and that was definitely in our guys’ minds as we tried to close this one out," MSU men's tennis head coach Harry Judan said post-game.
Now 10-3 in Big Ten play and 15-8 overall, MSU heads into the Big Ten Championships on April 25 in Columbus riding major momentum.
Women’s tennis closes regular season on the road
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On the road, the Spartan women couldn’t mirror the men’s result, falling 4-0 to No. 3 Michigan in their regular-season finale.
MSU was outmatched by a Wolverine squad featuring four ranked singles players. Senior Liisa Vehvilainen, freshman Ellie Blackford and redshirt sophomore Hanna Tsitavets battled, but Michigan clinched the match before the remaining courts were completed.
MSU finishes the regular season 13-11 (5-8 Big Ten) and will look to secure a spot in the Big Ten Tournament in Ojai, California.
Women’s golf places second at Big Ten Championships
Michigan State women’s golf earned a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships this weekend, closing with a 5-over 293 in Sunday’s final round at Bulle Rock Golf Course.
The Spartans finished the tournament at 2-over-par 866, trailing only No. 5 Oregon, who surged ahead with a blistering 12-under 276 in the final round to claim the title.
Senior Brooke Biermann led MSU with a fourth-place individual finish at 3-under 213, highlighted by three back-nine birdies in the final round. Junior Taylor Kehoe tied for 10th at even-par 216, and senior Katie Lu tied for 15th at 2-over 218 after posting back-to-back rounds of 73.
Three Spartans landed inside the top 20 overall as MSU looks ahead to NCAA Regional selections, which will be announced at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, on the Golf Channel.
Baseball sweeps rival Ohio State in statement series
MSU baseball swept Ohio State in a dominant Big Ten series, extending its win streak to six and improving to 23-15 (9-9 Big Ten). Friday’s opener featured a season-high 17 hits and three home runs in an 11-4 win.
Saturday’s 10-9 extra-inning thriller was capped by senior JT Sokolove’s walk-off home run in the 11th, marking MSU’s largest comeback win of the season.
The Spartans sealed the sweep Sunday with a 14-4 run-rule win, capitalizing on 14 walks and a three-hit, four-RBI weekend from graduate student Caleb Berry.
On the mound, junior pitcher Joseph Dzierwa entered the weekend as one of four Big Ten players named to the College Baseball Foundation’s Pitcher of the Year Watch List.
Despite a tough outing Saturday, Dzierwa remains among the national leaders in ERA, WHIP and strikeouts. Sophomore pitcher Garrett Brewer came up clutch out of the bullpen with three shutout innings to secure the win.
The sweep marked MSU’s first Big Ten series sweep of the season and second overall. Up next, the Spartans host Purdue Fort Wayne before traveling to Ann Arbor for a rivalry series against Michigan.
"Sweeps are hard to come by," MSU baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. said after the series. "Really, on both ends of it, and so far, for us to take care of business this weekend is huge."
Bond leads men’s golf to top-three invitational finish
Junior Caleb Bond led the charge for Michigan State men’s golf this weekend, finishing as the individual runner-up at the Boilermaker Invitational in West Lafayette, Indiana, with a 9-under 204 — tied for the sixth-lowest 54-hole score in program history.
After tying for the lead through two rounds, Bond closed with a 1-under 69 to secure second place — his best career finish at the Division I level. His efforts helped the Spartans tie for third overall at 10-under 842, MSU’s 11th-best team score all-time.
Freshman Julian Menser notched his first top-20 finish, placing 18th at 1-under 212. Two other Spartans finished inside the top 50.
Michigan State now shifts its focus to the Big Ten Championships next weekend in Baltimore.
Nolan breaks school record at Virginia Challenge
Michigan State track and field wrapped up a standout weekend at the Virginia Challenge, highlighted by a school-record performance from graduate student Andrew Nolan in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. Nolan clocked 8:40.95 to break a decade-old MSU record and finish fifth overall. Graduate student Tyler Pritchett also notched a personal best.
The Spartans tallied strong results across the board, including a win in the men’s hammer throw from graduate student Joshua DeVries and third-place finishes in both the men’s and women’s shot put.
Freshman Rachel Forsyth placed third in her collegiate debut in the 5,000 meters (15:47.04), while several Spartan distance runners recorded personal bests in the 1,500, including seniors Kate Stewart-Barnett and Olivia Millen.
MSU capped the weekend with season-best times in both the men’s and women’s 4x100-meter relays, along with a third-place high jump finish from junior Brady Schultz.
The Spartans continue their outdoor season next Saturday at Grand Valley State.
Rowing holds strong at Big Ten Invitational
Michigan State rowing held its own in a competitive field at the Big Ten Invitational in Sarasota, Florida, competing against 13 nationally ranked teams.
Each of MSU’s six boats raced three times, with the varsity eight narrowly missing a podium finish Friday before winning its heat Saturday morning. The second varsity eight also posted a top-three finish.
MSU’s novice boats also delivered, earning back-to-back runner-up finishes in the fourth varsity eight and a second-place result in the third varsity eight.
The Spartans now turn their focus to the Dale England Cup next weekend in Indiana.
Softball stays competitive in series vs. Washington
MSU softball took one of three games against Big Ten newcomer Washington at home, continuing a streak of taking at least one game in each of its last three conference series.
After a 3-1 loss in Friday’s pitchers’ duel, the Spartans bounced back Saturday with a 6-4 comeback win powered by home runs from junior Britain Beshears and fifth-year senior Collette Allen. Freshman Jacey Schuler earned the win in relief with three hitless innings.
MSU was limited to one hit in Sunday’s 6-0 loss — a well-placed bunt single by freshman Ava Coffinger — as the Huskies claimed the series.
With a 14-25 record and 4-12 mark in conference play, the Spartans will aim to gain ground next weekend against Iowa.
With just a few weeks left in the semester, the Spartans are entering the most important stretch of the year. Conference tournaments, NCAA regionals and title races are all within reach — and Michigan State’s spring squads are ready to finish strong.
