Sectional sweep

MUNCIE — The balance beam was the key.
The Patriots talked about it after the final meet of their undefeated regular season.
They focused on it in practice.
And when they arrived at the event Saturday, they were ready.
Jay County got three consecutive no-fall routines from Malarie Houck, Tasya Smith and Katie Snyder to clinch its first gymnastics sectional championship in five seasons. The Patriots scored 102.25 points to knock off three-time defending champion Huntington North Vikings (100.075), with the bulk of their margin of victory coming on the beam.
“It feels good,” said Snyder, who won all-four events to take the top spot in the all-around competition. “We just knew going into beam we had to hit. You had to stay on.”
Marion was a distant third in the seven-team field with 88.675 points. The top three teams and top six individuals on each event advance to the regional meet, which will be held at 6 p.m. Friday at Huntington North.
“It feels pretty good,” said JCHS coach Lora Schlosser. “It’s nice for these girls, for Katie especially, being here four years, to get that sectional win.”
Houck, a sophomore, started Jay County’s strong effort on the beam, connecting both of her back walkovers and hitting a pair of three-quarter jumps. She posted an 8.25, which put her in second place with only a pair of Patriot teammates left to compete.
Smith, who finished second to Snyder in the all-around, followed with another no-fall routine. She held on after her second back walkover, hit her twisting dismount and gave a relieved “thank the Lord” as she walked off the mat.
“I was happy,” Smith added after the meet. “I was so shaky and I was nervous. …
“My dismount, I hadn’t hit it all week. It was good that I got that one in.”
Snyder finished off the Patriots’ championship with one of her best balance beam routines of the season. She had a wobble leading up to her dismount, but overcame it to easily win the event with an 8.975.
Mavin Chaney of Huntington North was the runner-up at 8.4, and Houck and Smith (7.975) followed in third and fourth respectively.
Jay County outscored Huntington North 25.2-23.675 on the event to overcome slight deficits on the uneven bars and floor exercise.
“They all stayed on,” said JCHS coach Lora Schlosser. “They pulled it through, which was good, because beam is usually the tough one. Maybe that’ll help going into regional.”
Snyder’s easy win on the balance beam completed a dominant day for the senior.
She looked as if she meant business when she stepped on the floor exercise mat to open her day, and went on to win every event by at least a quarter of a point. She posted top scores of 9.35 on the vault, 9.1 on the floor and 8.7 on the uneven bars — her closest win of the day as she finished ahead of Huntington North’s Erica Freise.
Her all-around score of 36.125 was nearly three points better than anyone else at the meet and ranks her No. 1 heading into Friday’s regional competition.
“It was a big meet and we knew we could win,” said Snyder. “We just knew we had to come in ready.
“It feels good going into sectional and winning everything.
“It kind of gives you a sigh of relief knowing that, ‘I can do it.’”
Smith was the runner-up to Snyder on the vault with an 8.7. She was also fourth in the bars with an 8.375 and had an 8.125 on the floor to edge Marion’s Emily Murphy for second in the all-around, 33.175-33.125.
Murphy was also second on the floor with an 8.825.
Houck placed in the top six on a pair of events, adding an 8.5 for fifth on the floor to go along with her third-place finish on the beam. She added an 8.5 on the vault and a 7.55 on the bars.
Freshman Rhianon Mills also came through for the Patriots, posting the team’s No. 3 score on the floor exercise with an 8.35.
“Rhianon pulled through,” said Schlosser. “She does a full. I only look for her to keep improving on her score.”
Also competing Saturday for the Patriots were Olivia Cash (vault – 8.1, beam – 6.05) and Lauren Runkle (bars (4.85).[[In-content Ad]]