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Ridgeview grad named to All-Big Ten team

Frederick qualifies for NCAA regions

MSUathletics
Posted 3/22/17

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Ridgeview High School graduate Kira Frederick is one of four Michigan State gymnastics that qualified for the NCAA Regionals, as announced during the selection show on Mon., …

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Ridgeview grad named to All-Big Ten team

Frederick qualifies for NCAA regions


Posted

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Ridgeview High School graduate Kira Frederick is one of four Michigan State gymnastics that qualified for the NCAA Regionals, as announced during the selection show on Mon., March 20, according to MSU Athletics.

Frederick, a junior, will represent the Spartans on the floor, teammate Nicola Deans will compete in the all-around competition with Elena Lagoski and Hailee Westney both competing on the uneven bars. The meet set to take place at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, in Champaign, Illinois.

Lagoski is making her fourth consecutive appearance at Regionals and second as an individual, while Deans, Frederick and Westney all make their third trip to the Regional, including first as an individual after competing as a team in each of the last two seasons.

All four athletes were named to the Big Ten Championship team last weekend, with Deans, Frederick and Lagoski all earning Big Ten Championship titles on the floor with individual scores of 9.925, leading MSU to a team score of 49.475, which tied the best team floor score in program history. The trio became the first Big Ten Champions from MSU since Chayla Hill in 2006, and first floor champions since Michelle Ingalls in 1988.

Deans and Frederick were named to the All-Big Ten Second Team last week.

The top two teams from each regional, along with the top two all-around competitors not on an advancing team, will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships, to be held April 14-15 at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Mo. In addition, the event winners at each regional site will advance to the national championships in their respective event if they are not part of a qualifying team or an all-around qualifier.

Frederick entered the season as one of the Big Ten’s ‘Gymnasts to Watch’ and has been an anchor on floor for the Spartans this year, tallying three event titles. She owns an RQS of 9.865 to rank tied for 12th in the Big Ten and scored a career-high 9.925 vs. No. 21 Arkansas (2/25) earlier this season.

“Kira has been a machine this year and has demonstrated great leadership, along with an amazing work ethic that makes her the one that you can always rely on,” said Michigan State gymnastics coach Mike Rowe. “Not only extremely athletic, Kira is known for her beautiful lines and presentation which has led to her consistency and high-achievement on floor. Kira has also been a regular contributor on bars and beam, complementing our line-up while dealing with shoulder issues. Kira attacks every assignment with intent and quality on every turn, making it also difficult to see her career as a Spartan coming to an end. We are so happy for both Nic and Kira on being selected to Second-Team All Big Ten.”

Deans has done it all for the Spartans in her senior year and is having a career-year in the Green in White, as she has set career highs on the vault (9.900), floor (9.950) and in the all-around competition (39.375). The standout has taken home five floor titles – the first five of her career – and is the ninth best all-arounder in the Big Ten with an RQS of 39.135. On top of her five all-around and three floor titles, Deans has also won the vault at five meets this season and ranks 12th in the Big Ten with an RQS of 9.830. On Senior Day, Deans earned a 9.950 on the floor exercise, which ties the fifth best individual floor score in school history.

“Nicola is having the most consistent season of her career and you could see it taking form throughout her pre-season training,” said interim head coach Mike Rowe. “I believe her confidence has grown immensely, as she now believes in her own capabilities towards being successful without training the numbers that she was accustomed to in the past."

Both athletes earned All-Big Ten honors for the first time in their careers.