JCHS 2nd in sectional

MUNCIE - The Patriots will be making their eighth straight trip to the regional meet. Their chance at the seventh sectional title in school history fell away on the balance beam.

Heading into Saturday's final event, the Jay County High School gymnastics team trailed by just over three tenths of a point. But seven falls on the balance beam, four of which played into the team score, locked the it into a runner-up finish.

With a score of 99.35, the Patriots finished in second place behind champion Huntington North (101.65). Almost all of their deficit - 2.15 points - came on the balance beam.

"Going into our third event (uneven bars) we were up by two," said JCHS coach Lora Schlosser. "Our score was one of our better ones of the year. We couldn't have asked for much more on bars. The girls produces what they could.

"On beam, falls got us."

Daleville, which did not field a full team last season, was a surprise third-place finisher with a total of 95.025 to outdistance 2009 champion Marion (94.55) and the host Bearcats (94.45).

The top three teams and top six individuals on each event and the all-around advance to Friday's regional meet at Huntington North. They will be joined by No. 11 Bishop Dwenger (108.375), No. 8 Carroll (106.55) and No. 9 Northrop (106), the top three teams from the Concordia sectional.

Freshman Katie Snyder had the top individual effort for the Patriots with a runner-up finish on the vault. She landed a tucked Tsukahara on her first attempt to score her 9.35, but tripped as she came down the runway for her second attempt and was unable to launch her try at a piked Tsukahara.

She was also sixth in the all-around at 33.65.

"I wish I could have done better, but I stumbled on the second one," said Snyder, noting that she was shooting for a 9.6.

Still, her score was second only to Oak Hill's Brittany Pond, who also won the vault (9.7), bars (9.275) and floor exercise (9.225) and was the all-around champion by more than a half-point over Huntington North's Jessica Baker with a total score of 36.5.

While the Patriots struggle on the balance beam as a team, they were successful as a group on what generally ranks as their weakest event - bars.

All three JCHS gymnasts who scored on the event finished in the top six, and the team score of 24.625 trailed was second to Huntington North. They were a full points ahead of every other team.

Three smooth routines resulted in a fourth-place 8.275 for senior Nadlie Runyon, a fifth-place 8.225 for junior Kristen Ainsworth and a sixth-place 8.125 for Snyder.

"We had no stops. They kept it moving," said Schlosser. "No one took any falls, (and) it was pretty clean.

"We're still lacking some of the big release moves, but what they did, they did well. ... They had nice, solid landings. I couldn't have asked for much more on bars."

Runyon's best effort on the day came on the floor exercise. Despite stumbling on her final tumbling pass, she still scored an 8.9 for third place.

Ainsworth added an 8.1, and Snyder posted a 7.975.

On the vault, Runyon followed Snyder with an 8.75, and Ainsworth added an 8.65.

Snyder also had Jay County's best score on the balance beam. Her only fall came on her back tuck, an element she added for the first time this week, and she posted an 8.2 for ninth place.

Runyon had one fall during her routine and another on her dismount for a 7.45, and Ainsworth also had a pair of falls and totaled a 7.35.

"It didn't happen today," said Schlosser. "I don't know if nerves just got to them, because they knew that we were close. I knew going into beam that we needed to hit, stay on. I wasn't sure what (Huntington North) could do one floor, but I knew it would be close ... but we would have to be solid. And we weren't."

Also competing for the Patriots Saturday were Lindsay Moser on bars (16th - 7.65), Melynda Brackman on floor (16th - 7.65), Lexie Rowles on vault (22nd - 8.45) and Kyli Kelso on beam (22nd - 6.95).[[In-content Ad]]