2025 Season Rank: 6th
Who they’re losing: Delanie Harkness, Giana Kalefe, Skyla Schulte, Gabi Stephen, Katie Sawyer, Genna Lebster, Lauren Hsu
Who they’re gaining: Naya Howard (Transfer from Georgia), Abigail Bednar (Transfer from Kentucky), Jazlynn Chism, Isabel Biro, Lilia Cosman, Korynne Marquart, Brooke Boggess
The New Faces:
The Spartans are undoubtedly losing some of their most experienced athletes who contributed greatly to the program’s historic success over the past several seasons — but they won’t be short on talent in 2026. The Spartans bring in two transfers and five talented freshmen who are expected to make an immediate impact in the lineups.
Transfers:
Naya Howard, a transfer from Georgia, brings a wealth of experience from her days as a GymDog. Howard is a vocal leader for the team, but she also has experience on the competition floor, competing as an all-arounder at various points in the first three years of her career. For the Spartans, bars and beam are the places she is most likely to make an impact. Abigail Bednar is a transfer from Kentucky whose strongest event is beam. Bednar didn’t see time in the lineups during her freshman season at Kentucky; however, she’s looked strong in preseason and is only going to add to the depth of the beam lineup.
Freshmen:
The big name in the Spartan freshmen class is Romanian Olympian Lilia Cosman. Cosman, of course, brings a veteran-like composure, having competed on the world’s largest stage at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but she’s also someone the coaches praised for her consistency. Look for Cosman to make an immediate impact in the bars, beam, and floor lineups. Vault is an option; however, with the depth of the lineup on that event, it’s not as guaranteed (or necessary for the Spartans). Jazlynn Chism has been plagued by injuries the past few seasons but is stunning on both bars and beam. If healthy, she would be an obvious choice for both lineups. Izzy Biro is a solid gymnast who has no real weaknesses. Bars was her best scoring event during her club days, but she could realistically find her way into the lineup on any event at any given point in her freshman season. Korynne Marquart is someone who caught our eye during practice on Nov. 4. She’s known for her power — she competes a Yurchenko 1.5 on vault and a tucked full-in on floor — two events you can expect her to make a strong push for. And last but not least is Brooke Boggess. Boggess is a bars and beam specialist who is in contention for a spot in either lineup. Her extension in her jumps on beam is to die for!
Vault Breakdown:
Losing from postseason lineup: Gabi Stephen
New faces to watch for: Korynne Marquart, Isabella Trostel, Emma Misenheimer, Cady Duplissis
Outlook: Vault was the strongest event for the Spartans last season (they finished the season ranked 4th), and the great news is that they are only losing one routine from that lineup. They gain freshman Korynne Marquart, who competed a Yurchenko 1.5 in her club career that scored as high as 9.95. Cady Duplissis competed her Yurchenko 1.5 a few times last season, and although she wasn’t consistently in the lineup, she was high on the depth chart and someone the coaches say is vaulting better than ever this preseason. Isabella Trostel is perhaps the most surprising addition to the list of vault contenders. Trostel has dealt with injuries throughout the first half of her career, but now she’s healthy and looking better than ever. Over the summer she learned a Yurchenko 1.5 that the coaches say is very realistic for season. They also have Emma Misenheimer, who exhibitioned her Yurchenko 1.5 last season. The coaches say her full is so good that it would likely score just as high, if not higher, so whether it’s the full or the 1.5, you can expect to see Misenheimer high on the depth chart for this event.
In terms of returners, Nikki Smith averaged a 9.904 last season and finished the regular season as the 4th-best vaulter in the nation. Sage Kellerman was not far behind in the national rankings, averaging a 9.869 and finishing the regular season ranked 6th individually. Her preseason prep may look a little different at the moment due to a sprained ankle sustained at the end of October; however, the coaches report that she was looking great up until that point, and they expect her to be healthy for season. Olivia Zsarmani really found consistency with her vault landings last season and is the reigning Big Ten vault champion. Makayla Tucker also honed in on her landings last season (9.827 average), and her vault is looking more dynamic than ever according to the coaches. Rounding out the lineup from last season is sophomore Amy Doyle, who averaged a 9.772 and is already showing improvements in consistency. The coaches shared that in practice the other day, she stuck four vaults in a row! Honestly, we’re still thinking about her stuck vault to end the 2025 season at the NCAA Championships where she earned a career high 9.9125. We have no doubt that this event is going to continue to be one of the Spartans’ biggest strengths in 2026.
Uneven Bar Breakdown:
Losing from postseason lineup: Gabi Stephen, Delanie Harkness
New faces to watch for: Lilia Cosman, Naya Howard, Izzy Biro, Makayla Tucker, Brooke Boggess, Jazlynn Chism
Outlook: The Spartans are losing two postseason routines on this event but retain the majority of their already strong lineup. Sage Kellerman was as consistent as they come, averaging a 9.904 last season. Nikki Smith and Amy Doyle both averaged a 9.802 and are known for their long, clean lines on this event. Olivia Zsarmani is also a beauty to watch on bars and should be able to retain her lineup spot, even with all the new faces in contention.
In terms of newcomers, Naya Howard has competitive experience from her Georgia days and is in strong contention for the Spartan lineup. We didn’t get to see Lilia Cosman at practice on the day we visited; however, the coaches praised how clean and consistent she’s been looking. Makayla Tucker cracked the lineup a few times last season, averaging a 9.8. Her dismount was the area incurring the biggest deduction, so the coaches are very pleased with the new dismount she learned over the summer (toe-on front pike half), which should allow her to score higher more consistently. Freshmen Izzy Biro and Brooke Boggess are also phenomenal on this event. Bars was both of their highest-scoring events in Level 10, and they’re known for their consistency — scoring above a 9.5 roughly 90% of the time during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The final freshman in contention for this event is four-star recruit Jazlynn Chism. This is by far Chism’s best event, where she boasts a career-high 9.975 from her Level 10 career. It’s been a minute since fans have seen anything from Chism due to back-to-back injuries, but if healthy, she would be an obvious choice for this lineup.
Beam Breakdown:
Losing from postseason lineup: Skyla Schulte, Gabi Stephen, Giana Kalefe/Delanie Harkness
New faces to watch for: Lilia Cosman, Kendall Abney, Isabella Trostel, Naya Howard, Amy Doyle, Jazlynn Chism, Gabi Ortiz, Makayla Tucker, Izzy Biro
Outlook: This is the event where the Spartans have the most lineup spots open for grabs, losing half of their lineup from last season. However, oddly enough, it’s the event with the most depth heading into 2026. You have your returners — Nikki Smith (9.825 avg), Olivia Zsarmani (9.708 avg), Emma Misenheimer (9.794 avg), and Cady Duplissis (9.822) — who all looked amazing at practice this week. There are also athletes like Gabi Ortiz (9.825), Makayla Tucker (9.795), and transfer Naya Howard (9.777), who all have experience competing in the lineup at various points in their careers so far.
But this will be a difficult lineup to make with so many newcomers joining the team as well as upperclassmen stepping up. The coaches were really excited about junior Kendall Abney, who has gone an entire month without falling on beam. She could be an unexpected lineup addition this season. Isabella Trostel is stunning on this event and is finally healthy and ready to make the case for a lineup spot on her best event. Amy Doyle is hungry to crack into the all-around in her sophomore season and has nice lines on beam. And of course, there’s freshman Lilia Cosman, who has been scoring 9.9s in preseason intrasquads, Izzy Biro, who looked really strong on beam in practice (who could make the perfect lead off athlete), and Jazlynn Chism, who is flying under the radar due to injuries but is capable of scoring high with her clean execution.
Floor Breakdown:
Losing from postseason lineup: Skyla Schulte, Gabi Stephen, Delanie Harkness
New faces to watch for: Amy Doyle, Olivia Zsarmani, Stephanie Lebster, Lilia Cosman, Korynne Marquart, Gabi Ortiz
Outlook: Floor is the other event with the most spots to fill, and the Spartans are losing some hard hitters from the past four seasons. But similar to beam, many athletes are stepping it up. The coaches are very excited about Olivia Zsarmani and Amy Doyle and their potential to debut on this event in 2026 — both looked phenomenal in practice this week. Lilia Cosman and Korynne Marquart are the freshmen most likely to crack the lineup. But two athletes who really impressed us at practice this week were senior Stephanie Lebster and junior Gabi Ortiz. Both have worked super hard over the summer and have been making a compelling case for inclusion in recent intrasquads. The Spartans return Nikki Smith (9.792), Makayla Tucker (9.842), and Elle Beaufait (9.77) from last season’s lineup, all of whom have been looking better than ever.
Final Outlook:
Nicole Curler Jones told us, “We might have lost experience, but we reloaded in talent,” and we couldn’t agree more! One thing is certain — you will see several new faces in MSU’s lineups this season. Between the freshmen, transfers, and upperclassmen stepping up, they have the talent to fill the holes left behind. But it won’t be an easy task! We anticipate that the Spartans may be slower out of the gate while the newcomers gain confidence, but by midseason to postseason, they have the ability to be among the best in the nation, vying for a spot at nationals!
For our lineup predictions, become a Gold-level Patreon (or purchase this post) to get access to our 2026 Fantasy Gym Routine Tracker, which shows event-by-event averages, lineup predictions, and more!
Plus don’t forget to listen to our 2026 Coaches Corner interview with MSU associate head coach Nicole Curler Jones and assistant coach Devin Wright!