MSU GYMNASTICS: Burt Completes Career at NCAA Championships
Michigan State senior Lisa Burt wrapped up her collegiate career on Friday night, competing All-Around at the 2016 National Collegiate Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth, Texas. Burt, an individual qualifier by finishing fourth two weeks ago at the Athens regional, rotated on Friday with Nebraska, one of the 12 team qualifiers.
Burt finished with an All-Around score of 37.7000, 14th among competitors in the second session and 34th overall. Burt, a four-year All-Around competitor for the Spartans, was making MSU's first NCAA Championship appearance since 2010. Current assistant coach Nicole Curler advanced as an individual in 2010, also as an All-Arounder. Burt is the 15th individual to compete in the national finals for MSU.
The senior opened strong on floor exercise, the strongest rotation throughout the season for the Spartans top-to-bottom. Burt scored a 9.8500, finishing 13th among competitors in the second session and tied for 25th overall. It was her highest score and finish of the night.
Burt followed that with a 9.6875 on vault before sitting through a bye with the Huskers in the third rotation, which scored her 41st in the evening session.
Returning to action in the fourth rotation on bars, Burt was the final competitor overall in the rotation, due to an injury earlier to a Nebraska athlete, putting all eyes in the building on the senior. She scored a 9.7875, ranking 58th overall .
Burt and the Huskers ended their night on beam in the fifth rotation, with a scheduled bye in the sixth. Burt was denied a strong finish with an unfortunate fall off the beam, finishing with a score of 8.3750 in her final collegiate routine.
Bridget Sloan of Florida took home the individual All-Around title, scoring a 39.700. Scores of 9.95 took home individual titles for Brandie Jay of Georgia (vault), and for Sloan on both bars and beam in addition to her All-Around crown. Myia Hambrick of LSU took the floor championship with a 9.925.
Burt concludes her collegiate career as a two-time All-Big Ten performer, participating in the postseason three times in her career. She advanced to the NCAA regionals as an individual as a freshman and sophomore, and helped her team to two regional selections in 2015 and 2016.
LSU, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Alabama, and UCLA are the squads advancing to Saturday’s Super Six competition, with the NCAA team championship on the line.