COLUMBUS
Coach Angie Mellencamp said it was a good experience for her young Seymour gymnastics team to perform in the Columbus East Sectional on Friday night.
“We had a really good night,” she said. “The girls were solid on the first few events. We had some bumbles on beam and on bars, but that’s OK.”
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryColumbus North won the meet with a score of 107.875 with Bloomington North next at 105.900. Martinsville was the third school to qualify for this coming weekend’s regional with a score of 104.450.
Mellencamp said going in, she thought it would take a score of 101 or 102 to advance, but four other schools topped 100 and did not advance.
The Owls placed 10th with a score of 97.825.
“We really came in tonight just to compete against ourselves and put the best that we have out there on the floor, and the girls did it,” Mellencamp said. “The competition was very strong. I think this is the first year in several years where a majority of the teams were all kind of hanging out there at 100. It was really who hit and who didn’t tonight.”
The Owls got off to a good start by competing in floor exercise first and scoring 26.100. All the Owls scored in the 8s, topped by Savannah Stoffregen at 8.775. Lillie Cote scored 8.675, Paige Smith had an 8.650 and Piper Hawkins scored 8.525.
The Owls then moved to vault and scored 25.650 with Smith leading with an 8.70, and again, all four Owls scored in the 8s. Smith had Seymour’s highest individual finish, 10th on vault.
Smith was Seymour’s high scorer on beam with 7.675, and Kayli Carter topped the team on bars with 7.875.
Seymour had one of the youngest teams in the sectional as no seniors and only one junior competed. Four sophomores and two freshmen rounded out the Seymour team.
Both of Seymour’s all-around performers, Smith and Hawkins, are sophomores. Smith was 15th in all-around with a 33.075, and Hawkins was 24th with 29.050 points.
“My bars was definitely one of my high scores (8.00),” Smith said. “I connected my routine and got one of my highest scores. In floor, I had fun and it turned out great.
“In vault, I didn’t have my full. I did a little freak out, but I did my half-on, half-off, so I only had .2 taken off. I did fall on beam, but I picked it up and I finished it strong.”
This was the first season for Smith in high school gymnastics, and her first sectional.
“I did competitive gymnastics in the past, so I’m kind of used to (strong competition), but this was definitely kind of different, a different kind of meet for me,” she said.
There were 11 teams, and another school had one individual.
Hawkins said the highlight for her was the vault.
“I thought my vault was my best performance because that is a new skill I’ve been working, and that’s the first time I flipped it in competition,” she said. “I did a front handspring, front tuck. My goal was to come, flip my vault and have a pretty fun night. Overall, I think I did pretty well.”
She said competing a year ago took away a lot of the nerves.
“Paige had a great night,” Mellencamp said. “She hit on all of her events. Piper threw a big vault that she has not thrown before and got to her feet. The score was low (8.150), but that’s OK. The goal was to put it in front of the judges for the first time.
“They all know what they need to do in the offseason to come back here next year and be in the top three as a team.”
Mellencamp said COVID-19 and the winter storms affected the team.
“The last two weeks not having a consistent schedule and being in the gym for training definitely took its toll this year, but we weren’t the only ones in that boat,” she said. “All the other teams were, as well.”
Austyn Dykes, an outstanding freshman from Franklin Central, placed first in vault (9.6), beam (9.65), and bars (9.675) and in all-around at 38.50. Emily Moore of Columbus North was first in floor at 9.70.
Columbus East Gymnastics Sectional
Teams: Columbus North 107.875, Bloomington North 105.900, Martinsville 104.450, Franklin Central 102.100, Roncalli 102.100, Bloomington South 101.550, Columbus East 101.425, Owen Valley 98.675, Edgewood 98.200, Seymour 97.825, Scecina 76.175, Indianapolis Lutheran 34.375
Firsts plus Seymour results:
Vault: Austyn Dykes (Franklin Central) 9.600; 10-Paige Smith 8.70 29 tie-Marlo Cornn 8.450, Ava Reedy 8.450, 41-Piper Hawkins 8.150
Beam: Dykes 9.650; 31-Smith 7.675, 34-Cornn 7.525, 38-Savannah Stoffregen 7.250, 42-Hawkins 5.580
Bars: Dykes 9.675; 19-Smith 8.00, 21-Kayli Carter 7.825, Lillie Cote 7.80, 38-Hawkins 6.525
Floor exercise: Emily Moore (Columbus North) 9.700; 18-Stoffregen 8.775, 23-Cote 8.675, 25-Smith 8.650, 29-Hawkins 8.525
All-around: Dykes 38.500, 15-Smith 33.075, 24-Hawkins 29.050