Michigan State gymnast Nikki Smith ranked No. 1 vaulter in the country

Michigan State Gymnastics has had some of the greatest years in program history over the last several years. This team has been at or near the top of the Big Ten for each of the last three seasons.

They are once again one of the Big Ten's top gymnastics teams once again in 2025. Sure they came up just short in the first-ever Big Ten gymnastics event that was broadcast live on FOX. It certainly was a huge moment for both the Spartans and the UCLA Bruins.

For that huge top-10 matchup to get such attention is huge for the sport. The Spartans lost by a mere 0.100 points in their clash with the Bruins. But one thing that stood out is the stellar performance from Spartan gymnast Nikki Smith.

While her team is currently ranked top five in the country Smith finds herself atop the national poll in the vault event.

That's right Nikki is currently ranked No. 1 overall in the vault in the country. That says a lot given how many terrific vaulters there are around the country.

According to Jania Clowers from the State News, Smith holds a career-high of a perfect 10 on the vault in her career. She's also very good at all the other events. With a career-best of 9.975 on bars, 9.950 on the balance beam, and also a perfect 10 on her floor routine.

She had yet another huge performance against the Bruins, and was able to claim the all-around title in the match with UCLA.

An All-Big Ten performer last season and a regular-season All-American in the vault, Smith continues to be a force to reckon with for Michigan State Gymnastics and it certainly looks like she's bound to have yet another historic season.

The Spartans return to action this weekend back in East Lansing against No. 16 Minnesota. It's great to see the ladies continuing to crush it.