University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Michigan State
Gophers Earn Third Straight Win
1/23/2016 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 19 University of Minnesota Women's gymnastics team earned their third straight victory, defeating the Michigan State Spartans at the Sports Pavilion on Saturday night, 195.675-195.275.
Juniors Bailie Holst and Rachel Haines and seniors Hanna Nordquist and Lindsay Mable claimed individual titles for the Maroon and Gold.
Lisa Burt of Michigan State won the All-Around after tallying a 39.150.
On the day, Minnesota collected team scores of 48.875 on Vault, 48.425 on Bars, 49.175 on Beam and on Floor, the team earned the highest mark of the night with a 49.200.
"Overall, I'm really pleased with the team's performance tonight," said head coach Jenny Hansen. "We improved in a lot of areas, though bars was tough. We've been doing so well on bars so that was disappointing, but I'm really proud of how they fought and came back on beam and floor. Those scores were huge for us - both with high scores of the year, so that just showed how strong we were on the other events."
The Gophers began the day on Vault, where Haines placed first with a score of 9.825. Junior Bailey Abernathy and Elena Lagoski of Michigan State tied for second, each scoring 9.800. Holst finished fourth with a score of 9.775 and tied with Michigan State's Lagoski and Roya Shirley.
"Doing so well tonight feels awesome!" said Haines. "I just wanted to go in and give it my all and not have any regrets. Knowing that I hit it for my team is what it's all about and I'm super happy I was able to do that tonight."
On Uneven Bars, Holst and Lisa Burt of MSU tied for top honors with a score of 9.850. Senior Madeline Hanley scored a 9.800 Ciara Gardner and Michigan State's Jessica Ling who both finished with 9.775.
Through two rotations, Minnesota trailed Michigan State 97.300-97.400.
The Gophers' seniors found success on the balance beam with Nordquist claiming first place with a 9.950, Mable placing second with a 9.925 and Hanley rounding out the top three with a 9.825.
"As soon as I stuck, I was ready to run back to my teammates and high five them and hug everyone, because doing well for them always feels amazing," said Nordquist. "It means a lot to have such awesome performances like I did tonight. Starting gymnastics at the age of three and working so hard to where I'm at now means a lot. It's a great feeling.
"It was hard to find a deduction in Hanna's performance tonight," said Hansen. "That's why she is in that rotation spot, because she is so clutch for us."
With the Gophers down, the team needed a big performance on the floor. The gymnasts came through, with Mable tying Michigan State's Lagoski for first with a 9.900. Gardner tallied a 9.875 for second place, followed by sophomore Abby DeMuse, who tallied a 9.825.
"Improving our hit percentages and making sure we're sticking our landings are all things we're going to continue to focus on especially with taking the show on the road next week," said Hansen. "We'll be competing in a different order than we're so used to next week on the road, so we'll focus on working that order - bars, vault, floor beam - there will be a little more pressure ending on beam. But, we've been practicing that order already in the gym, so I don't anticipate too much change for how we prepare this week. It will be fun to go on the road though. As much fun as it is to be at home in front of our crowd, getting that road experience is also super important as well."
"We have some big goals for the team this year and we're really focused day in and day out," said Haines. "Experiencing moments like tonight with my team are really what it's all about and I know that we're ready to go to Ohio next week and keep showing everyone what we can do."
LOOKING AHEAD
Next Saturday, January 30, the Gophers will travel to Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. The first rotation is set to start at 3:00 p.m. CT.
FOLLOW THE GOPHERS
Are you following the Gophers on the road or from home? Make sure to follow @GopherWGym on Twitter and use the team's hashtag #AlwaysGolden. You can also check for updates on Facebook and Instagram by "liking" Minnesota Women's Gymnastics on Facebook or following the Gophers on Instagram.
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Players Mentioned
