May 5, 2008

EAST LANSING, Mich. - In a conclusion to the 2008 season, the Michigan State gymnastics team, coaches, support staff and loyal followers gathered at the Spartan Stadium Tower for team's postseason banquet to celebrate the year's accomplishments and recognize the team's award winners.

In the awards voted on by the team, sophomore Nicole Curler was selected as the Most Valuable Gymnast, senior Bethany Little was the Spirit Award winner and freshman Kelsey Morley was tabbed as Most Improved. Morley was also the recipient of the Coaches' Award, which was chosen by the coaching staff.

A First Team All-Big Ten selection, Curler had her season cut short due to injury, but her success warrants the recognition of her peers. Despite missing the last three meets, including the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Regionals, Curler finished second on the team with nine individual first place finishes, having won every event but the vault, and led the team with 24 top-three placements. Nationally, the Bay City, Mich., native ranked among the top-90 in two events - vault, beam - and in the all-around. She was second in the Big Ten and tied for 19th in the country on the beam with a 9.875 RQS.

"Nicole had a great season and was sorely missed during the championship portion of our season," said head coach Kathie Klages. "She is a very talented gymnast who thrives in the competitive arena. Her accomplishments this season were tremendous, including her career-best all-around score at LSU with 39.525, just 0.1 below the school record."

Little was forced to retire from the sport she loved earlier this season due to a recurring injury. However, he support for her teammates and the program could be seen by all, especially her fellow Spartans, as they voted her the Spirit Award recipient. In what can be viewed as her last hoorah, Little returned to competition for one last meet this season, tying for third on the bars with a 9.725. It was her first top-three finish since her sophomore season.

"Bethany was sidelined last season with a major foot injury and was limited to only one meet this season," said Klages. "After she was forced to retire, her role on the team changed and she became the best `cheerleader' this team has ever had. She stayed involved with the team and showed leadership, support and compassion for her teammates. She is well deserving of this award this year."

Freshman Kelsey Morley walked onto the MSU gymnastics team this summer and was a pleasant surprise to Coach Klages and her staff. The Elkhart, Ind. native has won the beam on three occasions and has 11 top-three individual finishes, 10 of which are on the beam. She tied for second in her Big Ten Championship debut on beam with a 9.875 and was a finalist for the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award. In her final performance, the freshman ended on a high note, tying for second on beam at the NCAA West Regional.

"Kelsey has made significant improvements in all of her events this season, however, the uneven bars is where the coaching staff saw the greatest improvement," said Klages. "She learned a major release and was able to put together a bar routine with a 10.0 start value, and the coaches didn't even think she would be training this event. We are very impressed with her talent, her commitment, and her desire to be the best that she can be.

"Kelsey is so eager to improve her gymnastics, has a strong love of this university, and is so proud to be a Spartan, that the coaching staff selected her as the winner of the 2008 Coaches Award. She is a delight to work every day in the gym, due to her attitude, her commitment and her enjoyment of the sport."

The Spartans ended the season No. 18 in the final GymInfo national ranking, after placing third at the NCAA West Regional. The regional finish tied for the best in MSU history and was the highest finish in Klages' 18 years at the helm.

MSU Women's Gymnastics

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