Two years ago in Seattle, Michigan State watched as Alabama and Utah qualified to nationals, having missed out by just over half a point. One year later, it was California and Florida that moved on, but this time, the deficit was only one and a half tenths. This number is embedded in Mike Rowe’s memory with the mindset “third time’s the charm,” as the team prepares for another shot in the regional final.
The ultimate goal for Michigan State this season was to make it to nationals as a team. The Spartans have been represented at nationals recently by individuals but not a full team. Two weeks ago, Michigan State started to close in on the possibility of making that goal a reality by winning the Big Ten championship. That win not only kept the Spartans in the top 10 nationally, but it boosted the team’s confidence heading into the postseason. That win also checked off a big item on the list of goals for the season and allowed the team to keep building momentum.
Finishing the season ranked 10th typically means that to move on to nationals, the team will have to upset the seventh seed. Due to regional host conflicts, instead of being positioned against Kentucky and LSU, Michigan State now has to face off against one of Florida, who is hosting the regional, and Utah, who has never missed qualifying a team to the national championships.
Junior Gabrielle Stephen is up for the challenge. And she knows that anything could happen. “For me, the fact of the matter is everything is craziness. It’s our March Madness.”
Michigan State is preparing to jump into one of those top two spots on Sunday. That day was the focus, and Friday was the practice. While the Spartans had been training the Friday rotation order for two weeks, the goal of round two was to get used to the equipment and not to be perfect, leaving room for improvement when it matters most.
The plan worked, as the Spartans advanced to Sunday with a good-not-great meet. The final presents an opportunity to settle into the meet’s format and the gymnasts into their routines. While there were great routines on Friday, there were also some “weird things” that Michigan State will be looking to improve upon with one day to recharge before facing the battlefield that is the regional final.
When Sunday comes, the mentality shifts. Rowe doesn’t want the mental focus to be on how big of a moment it is. Instead, he wants to “deemphasize what it all is because we don’t want to change a thing.”
Having fun is the key to this team performing at its best. The gymnasts and coaching staff constantly pump up the competitors, and having a home rotation order on Sunday means that they will get to end the competition on floor with the season on the line.
Sure, Michigan State making it to nationals would be an upset, but Stephen likes that. “Sometimes people don’t expect us to do things, so I like the element of surprise. These are odds stacked against us, but we’re building our own odds.”
READ THIS NEXT: Team Zero Was the Key to Clemson’s First-Season Success
Article by Alyssa Van Aauker
2 comments