EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Last year a majority of Michigan State’s Gymnastics team was on the outside looking in when only selected individuals qualified to compete on the NCAA national stage after the squad fell one spot short of the eight-team nationals pool. This season has been all about proving that the Spartans are more than just a cinderella story and it was at a meet earlier this season that Coach Mike Rowe realized his team had the potential to find themselves included in that list of eight teams for the first time in nearly 30 years.

“The first meet out of the gates just going down to SEC territory with those crowds and that kind of winning tradition, the loss wasn’t great but the fact we could just hang with them with their winning tradition and their history at nationals, it was just really exciting,” Mike Rowe, MSU Gymnastics Coach said.

“Last year I got to bring back what I experienced at nationals and that is definitely where the team wants to be this year,” Skyla Schulte, MSU Sophomore Gymnast said. “We just need to go through it one day at a time at regionals this weekend and I really think this team can go far.”

“It has always been a goal of ours and it still is,” Delanie Harkness, MSU Junior Gymnast said. ” We were so close last year to making it to nationals so we are really hoping that this season we can make it.”

When asked about expectations the team has for the regional weekend, they say they just want to do what Michigan State Gymnastics does best and the rest will fall into place.