JC seeking state berths

This is when the level of competition takes a giant leap.

The winning team score at the Muncie Central gymnastics sectional, which included Jay County, was a 101.65. It's a good team total, but nothing compared to what the top teams are capable of this week.

When the Patriot gymnastics team competes in the regional meet Friday at Huntington North it will be up against three of the top 11 teams in the state - sectional champion and 11th-ranked Bishop Dwenger (108.375), No. 8 Carroll (106.55) and No. 9 Northrop (106).

Carroll and Northrop have both broken the 109 mark this year, and Bishop Dwenger has won 10 straight regional titles with state championships 2003, '05 and '06.

While sectional champion Huntington North and Jay County (99.35) are both capable of scoring several points higher than their sectional totals, it would be nearly impossible for them to post the top-two finish necessary to earn a trip to the state finals. In fact, none of the 10 teams represented at the Muncie Central sectional - Daleville (95.025) will be the group's other regional participant this year - have advanced to the state finals since Marion in 1989.

With such strong team competition, the Patriots, in their eighth straight trip to the regional, are battling for their best team score of the year and an opportunity to send individuals through to the state finals.

"I would like to see each individual girl put it together for themselves," said JCHS coach Lora Schlosser after her team's runner-up finish at Saturday's sectional. "I'd like to see everyone pull together their best meet possible.

"I would like to see Katie (Snyder) move on in vault and Nadlie (Runyon) move on in beam, possibly floor."

Along with the top two teams, the top six individuals in each event and the all-around advance to the state finals.

The most obvious opportunity for Jay County to earn a state berth comes from Runyon on the balance beam.

The senior, who finished sixth in the state on the event last season, had a difficult time at Saturday's sectional as she finished 16th with a 7.45. But she has already proven that sectional results do not necessarily predict what will happen at the regional.

Last season she also finished without a sectional ribbon on balance beam. She put that result behind her at the regional, turning in an almost-perfect performance for a school-record 9.6 and a runner-up finish.

She added a 9.25 a week later to earn her state medal.

"She needs to stay on," said Schlosser this morning. "And she needs to be able to get full credit for all her difficulty bonuses. The main thing she needs to work on is her dismount. She needs to really hit that dismount. ... She's got potential. She's just got to hit it."

Runyon could also have a chance at the state meet on the floor exercise, which has been her most consistent event this year.

Her season-high on the floor is a 9.6, just one tenth of a point short of Hannah Williams' school record. But the event is regularly the strongest at the regional, with four athletes scoring 9.5 or higher last season.

Snyder also has a chance to come away with a state berth on the vault.

The freshman has consistently score 9.0 or higher on the vault this season. And she's shown the ability to excel in tournament competition, having posted a 9.6 to win the Indiana Gymnastics Level 8 14-year-old state title as an eighth grader last year.

Like the floor though, the vault is also a strong regional event as 11 gymnasts cleared 9.0 last season and it took a 9.35 to earn a state berth.

"We're going to need to see a stuck landing," said Schlosser. "The vault is broken up into three phases, and she needs to really work on her first phase."

And while the Patriots struggled on the balance beam at the sectional meet, Snyder's routine also showed potential. She scored an 8.2 despite having a fall on her back tuck - an automatic half-point deduction - showing she has an opportunity to score in the high 8s.

The lowest score to earn a regional berth on the balance beam from the Huntington North regional in recent years was an 8.95 in 2008.

Schlosser said she's also hoping to see junior Kyli Kelso fulfill her potential on the beam.

"I would like to see Kylie do a no-fall beam routine," she said, adding that fellow junior Kristen Ainsworth will also have the opportunity to post high scores on beam and floor especially. "She does have big difficulty. She has a higher start value than most girls. I'd just love to see her stay on the beam and see what score she can get."

Ainsworth, a junior will join Runyon and Snyder as an all-around competitor Friday for Jay County. Melynda Brackman will compete on the floor with Lindsay Moser on bars and Lexie Rowles rounding out the lineup on vault.[[In-content Ad]]