You, of course, were the interim head coach of this program and were offered the job.

Why take the job?

It was easy decision at the beginning, even under the circumstances that were going on, because I did always want my own program and had a vision for, you know, what I thought I could do.

It was a scanda that rocked the world of sports, a betrayal so deep it lef an entire institution reeling.

"With Larry Nassar no sentenced to life in prison..." Larry Nassar' story isn't just one of abuse.

It became a reckoning, a call for change.

And in the aftermath, Michigan State's women's gymnastics team found itself at a crossroads.

The disgraced former MSU sports physician, who also served as team doctor for the U.S. Women's National Gymnastics team, is spendin the rest of his life behind bars for the sexual assault of young women and girls under the guise of medical treatment.

In wake of the scandal, 27 year MSU women's gymnastics coach Kathie Klages stepped down, leaving behind a program desperate for leadership.

Enter Mike Rowe, a man with a plan, a vision, and perhaps more importantly, a heart.

For you personally, what kind of emotional state were you in when you decided that, okay, I want to I want to take over this job and see what I can do.

A lot of question marks.

It was more like, let's hold it together for now and just bring the fun back into the sport.

And I think that's kind of what was lacking and the circumstances didn't help at that time.

There was a bright light at the end of the tunnel.

We just was maybe like out of focus and wasn't quite there yet, that there was still this fir burning inside me that was like, you know, we can get out of this, we can move forward.

There's going to be a time when it's better.

So I'm wondering what becomes your recruiting pitch during those moments?

How did you get talente gymnasts to fill out that roster so that you can compete at the highest level?

You know when they come here on a, well, unofficial or an official visit or whatever, and we're like, this is who we are.

We want you to know us from the inside out.

We want you to ask them any questions, but we want you to do the same for us.

When they leave here, they leave here feeling like this is a staff I can trust.

Parents leave here thinking I feel great sending my daughter across the country to come here and land for four years at Michigan State because they have a team that loves them, you know, unconditionally.

Skyla Schulte.

Her name hangs in the rafters of Jenison Fieldhouse.

She's been Big ten freshma of the year, earned first team All-big ten accolades, and yes, is an all-American.

She hails from Illinois and knew pretty earl that she wanted to be a Spartan.

You said you were really young when you decided to commit to the program.

How young were you?

I was a freshman in high school, honestly, because I was so young.

I think my parents wanted me to take a longer time to pick a program to join to.

So I actually never went on an official.

I had an unofficial I wasn't allowed to be in the gym.

I couldn't really, like, interact with the girls on the team, but I could watch from outside of the gate.

And just the way that the team dynamic and everybod kind of got along, everybody's laughing, having fun like while they're conditioning.

It made me super excited for what I want to do here.

Skyla's parents are both MSU grads.

Her father is a former Spartan wrestler.

I grew up wanting to come here and obviously they would love for me to come here, but they also wanted m to kind of pick my own journey.

They didn't want their story to be mine, so they wanted me to go on other official visits and just see other schools.

But I told them tha I didn't want to and that this is where I wanted to be for the next four years.

What is it about Coach Rowe that sold you?

I would sa probably just his personality.

He's just a goof like this personality.

He has a story for everything.

Gabi Stephen from Illinois, like Skyla, and Nikki Smith, who is from the Detroit area, are also accomplished gymnasts rockin in the green and white leotard.

They say that Coach Rowe's charm has a domino effect, bringing this team together as a family.

I think it really started a lot from my freshman year and growth in like just embracing who we are.

Like people are crazy on our team.

If you look at other any other team on campus, like they'll know when the gymnastics team is coming.

It's a ruckus and you can tell when we're competing.

Like people will approach us and tell us like, I can tell you guys really car about each other and competing like we do.

It's not fake at all.

We can really be like completely ourselves around each other.

We bond in and outside of the gym and there's a delicious word that has become a for of encouragement for the team.

They were not allowed to give each other like corrections in our routines.

We say mangoes.

So mango.

mango.

Okay.

Yeah.

So if you ever hear us shouting mangoes, that's us.

Like, it means really whatever you need i to mean in the moment.

Breathe.

Take your time.

Straighten your knees like you got it.

Mangoes.

"Mangoes" keep MSU gymnastics grounded in unity and the program may have picked its sweetest addition yet.

Lilia Cosman is a highly decorated Romanian American gymnast.

She's a Lansing native that has dual citizenship.

Her parents immigrated to the U.S. in 2001.

In 2022, she moved to Romania, joining the national team.

And after 12 years of no competing on the Olympic stage, Lilia helped them break that streak, competing in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

She now becomes Michigan State's first ever Olympic recruit.

Ever since I was younger, I would tell my parents like, I want to compete at the Olympics.

I want to go there.

It's always been like a goal.

I was definitely nervous because you want to do your best, but I think the excitement was definitely very overpowering.

I would say the first, it's like, Wow, wow momen was definitely seeing the venue and with all the people in the stands, it was crazy because I think that was like the most I've ever competed with.

So I was just thinking like, just go out there, show the world what they came here to see.

You have committed to Mike Rowe's program.

What went into that commitment and why Michigan State?

They were definitely very supportive, very encouraging.

So that was definitely a very good feeling for me as like, "okay, they really like love me."

They were my first visit and when I went there I love the energy of the team.

I love the way they all get along.

I could see mysel being here.

Our energies match.

I love the coaches.

I love the girls.

Like this would definitely be my home.

What is it about Coach Rowe i his personality that you like?

Everything.

He's very bubbly.

I'm going to let him know you said that.

Yeah.

She was ready to go to the airport.

We were in the kitchen.

She took her backpack on.

She was ready to go, and she said so what university do you think I should pick?

I was like, "now do you ask me?"

I mean, now?

I mean, you're leaving right now for the airport to go to Romania, and you ask me now?

Right.

I said, My answer is this.

Whatever you feel comfortable with, because you will have to live with it.

When you have an Olympian on your roster who goes out to Paris is a part of Team Romania what does that do for Michigan State's gymnastics program?

Lilia knows where the program has been and has evolved to, and I think she has a strong feeling that she could be a good part of this program rising even higher.

Now we have Olympians wanting to come here.

It just makes you feel good.

The transformation of the program was seen front and center of the collegiate gymnastics world earlier this year.

It was already a season for the ages, winning back to back regular season titles.

Now it was time for the elusive Big Ten championships meet, which the program had never won.

Sure, Coach Rowe and his team have always believed that a Big Ten championships title was possible.

But it's one thing the dream it and a whole nother thing to live it.

MSU started on the floor, earning its best score of the night, second best floor score of the season.

Then to vault - Skyla leading off.

Gabi and Nikki to finish.

The home crowd at Jenison was deafening as they cheered on the 1-seed Spartans.

On to bars.

And then the pivotal moment a moment made even more dramatic due to Gabi Stephen suffering a fluke injury.

What happens with the foot?

Okay I was just coming up the stairs and I caught my foot on th metal stairs and split it open.

It was like gushing blood.

I had to get up with my toe literally wrapped like.

And so then they, like, looked at me.

They're like, I think we might have to put a stitch in it.

And I was like, We're goin to have to find another solution because that's not going to work.

So they tried to glue it together, rewrapped it, and then it stuck for the whole meet.

So.

Wow.

Yeah.

I didn't even know Gabi cut her foot.

You didn't.

No, I had no idea until we're getting ready to go on beam tha that whole thing even happened.

Did you say anything to her?

I was not going to do anything to intensify, bring attention to whatever.

I had full confidence in Gabi that she is who she is and she's not going to have a problem with it.

With Gab in the anchor position on beam and her foot held together with tape and glue, she did what this program has done time and time again when staring in the face of adversity.

Yeah.

Stuck it, finished, an I could hear the crowd erupting, just looking up.

And then the score changed and I was like, It was an indescribable moment.

Thank God she did what I thought she could do.

You know, for Coach Rowe, the accomplishments of this year proved bittersweet.

He would lose the man who helped fuel much of his drive.

His father.

All of my life, my dad was a coach and just so proud and loved the girls and knew them by name.

And my sister and brother in law brought him her for the Big Ten championships.

So they were here to see it.

And that was a huge moment.

But we lost him in June, so I know he's proud.

This is a program that's rewriting its story and they feel as though the best chapters are yet to come.

I think we have an ultimate goal, and that is nationals, and we all know that.

But I think it's really about staying in the present.

I think that there's a hunger on the team still.

We want to be the last four teams standing on the floor at NCAAs in Fort Worth.

The sky's the limit for this program.