Michigan State Gymnastics Sets Season High in Narrow Loss to No. 5 UCLA

EAST LANSING — The No. 21 Michigan State gymnastics team was eagerly preparing for its second-ever meet at the Breslin Center, marking the home opener of the 2025-26 season on Sunday, Jan. 25. The event drew a record crowd of 9,887 fans, creating an electrifying atmosphere as the Spartans faced off against No. 5 UCLA, led by U.S. Olympian Jordan Chiles.

Despite the high expectations, the Spartans put up a strong performance, achieving a season-best score of 196.900. However, they narrowly fell to the Bruins, who scored a 197.425.

“It was better than we were in weeks past,” said MSU coach Mike Rowe. “We have to clean up the bars and take care of some of the little details, but I’m extremely proud of what they did today. Right around 197 is where we need to be. The Breslin is great, and seeing the energy as electric as it was, the girls just feed off it. The more amped they are, the better they score.”

Strong Performance on Vault

Both teams recorded a 49.300 team score on the vault. The Spartans were led by senior Sage Kellerman, who scored a 9.925, and sophomore Cady Duplissis, who hit a 9.900 mark. Co-captain Olivia Zsarmani contributed with a 9.875.

Uneven Bars: A Key Area of Separation

UCLA’s biggest area of separation came in the uneven bars, where they scored a 49.350 compared to the Spartans’ 48.975. Kellerman and Zsarmani led the Spartans with scores of 9.875 and 9.850, respectively. However, Chiles posted a 9.950 score, while UCLA’s Sydney Barros also hit the 9.900 mark.

Beam and Floor Exercise: Close Contests

UCLA edged the Spartans on the beam, scoring a 49.325 to MSU’s 49.275. Senior Nikki Smith paced the Spartans with a 9.925 score, while MaKayla Tucker posted an individual season-high score of 9.875. Freshman Lily Cosman followed with another season-high of 9.900 in the anchor spot.

MSU fell by just .100 in the final event—the floor exercise. Tucker and Smith both posted 9.925 scores to pace the Spartans. Tucker’s routine tied a career-high score for the junior gymnast, while UCLA’s Chiles recorded a perfect 10.000 in the event.

“We’re catching up, but UCLA has a long history of being a national contender and national championships. They’re a great addition to the Big Ten as a gymnastics program,” said Rowe. “It just makes it now where everyone has to raise their bar, and that’s what we are trying to do. If we didn’t have some of the issues we had on bars today, we would have been right with them.”

Challenges and Future Outlook

MSU now has a 1-4 record, but the team has faced a difficult schedule to begin the season. The Spartans finished third in the Sprout Farmers Market Collegiate Quad to start the season, finishing just behind both No. 20 California and No. 14 Michigan and finishing higher than No. 9 Kentucky. MSU then fell to Iowa on the road before Sunday’s tightly contested loss to the top-five Bruins.

The Spartans will have another opportunity to face the Wolverines when they travel to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan on Feb. 1.