Michigan State at Alabama

Recap

The Big Storyline: This was a meet of good vibes. Both teams were extremely engaged, routines were clean—it was a zero-fall opening meet—and there was a sense of great joy on the floor. Both Ashley Johnston and Mike Rowe were beaming, recognizing that these opening numbers bode well for their teams’ seasons. Plus, we saw successful debuts from freshmen across the board: Nikki Smith, Sage Kellerman, Olivia Zsarmani and Gabby Gladieux all performed well.

Implications: The Spartans solidified their place near the top of the Big Ten with this number. They’ll be a tough foe in conference play all year. In the stacked SEC, Alabama also made its presence known with this number that is oh-so-close to an opening 197.

Records: Michigan State’s 196.550 is a new first-meet program record.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 12 Michigan State at No. 5 Alabama

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: As if the new Crimson Tide staff, led by Alabama great Ashley Johnston, isn’t enough to make you tune it, the ascendant season the Spartans had in 2022 should be. These two teams should be fairly evenly matched.

Need More Proof? Freshmen Gabrielle Gladieux for Alabama and Nikki Smith for Michigan State are both highly touted and should be routines to watch on all four events. For the Spartans, Skyla Schulte is another headliner, as is Luisa Blanco for the Crimson Tide. Michigan State’s Gabrielle Stephen is capable of a perfect 9.950 Yurchenko full.