HN regional has state feel (03/07/07)

The regional meet is a whole different level of competition.

During the regular season, Jay County competes against a top-level gymnast every once in a while. But at the regional meet, everyone is elite.

When the Patriot gymnastics team travels to Huntington North for regional action Friday night it will go up against three state-ranked teams, including the two-time defending state champions.

Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger has won each of the last two state crowns, another in 2003 and has been among the top two in the state in six of the last nine seasons. The Saints are currently ranked fifth in the state, and their counterparts from the Concordia sectional - Carroll and Concordia - are ranked seventh and eighth respectively.

JCHS senior Lacey Thornburg said going into such an environment can be intimidating.

"Being in a meet where there are tons of really good girls motivates me," added fellow senior Kristin Brown, "because when it's my turn to perform I want the crowd to feel that I belong there."

By all accounts, the Patriots do belong.

While it is a long-shot for any of the Patriots to advance out of the regional - no team from the Muncie Central grouping has done so in the last decade - they have become regulars at the tournament's intermediate step. This will be their fifth consecutive appearance in the regional tournament.

"To expect to be there every year says a lot about the strength of the program," said Millspaugh. "Most years it's my goal for all three teams that come from our sectional to close the gap on the Fort Wayne schools."

It will be quite a gap to close again this year as Concordia (109.0), Bishop Dwenger (108.325) and Carroll (106.775) all posted scores higher than that of Muncie Central sectional champion Huntington North (103.4). Based on sectional scores only two gymnasts from the Muncie Central group - Muncie Southside's Brittany Fisher and Huntington North's Angie Baker - are projected to advance to the state meet. The top two teams and top six individuals in each event move on to the state finals.

That said, anything can happen, although the Patriots enter the regional with a big question mark.

Freshman Nadlie Runyon, who would likely have Jay County's best chance of earning a state berth, tweaked her ankle Monday and was on crutches during practice Tuesday. She has scored 9.0 or higher on the balance beam twice this season, and could score high enough to move on with a no-fall routine.

Thornburg could have an outside chance on the vault if she can stick a piked Tsukahara. She normally does the vault in the tuck position and plans to try for the pike for the first time in competition Friday night.

If she can't get through to the state finals, "I'd like to get a couple of personal bests if it's my last meet," said Thornburg, who also hoped to avenge Saturday's runner-up finish at the sectional meet. "I think we can get (Huntington North)."

Brown has also looked at adding some difficulty for perhaps her final competition. That may come in the form of a back tuck on the balance beam.

"The biggest thing for me - those are the two girls that I've worked with in cheerleading and gymnastics since they were in sixth grade - I just want them both to feel good about whatever they do Friday," said Millspaugh.

Based on sectional scores, no Patriot gymnasts are projected to finish among the top 10.

The top projection comes from Thornburg on the bars. The senior, who was just five hundredths of a point short of her career-best with a score of 8.35 at the sectional meet, is ranked 11th.

Runyon, if she is able to compete, will enter the meet ranked 12th among regional gymnasts on the beam and 13th on the vault. Brown is 18th on the floor.

If Runyon does not compete, Kayci Ryder will step in on the bars and floor, Brown will take her place on the vault and Jenny Buckland will fill in on the balance beam.

"I know they feel good if they stuck beam routines," said Millspaugh, whose team had just one no-fall routine in four tries at the sectional. "I'd love to see four no-fall beam routines because they've worked really hard on beam this year and that would be kind of the ultimate success on Friday.

"I'd love to see those bar routines again," said added of the efforts which earned four sectional scores of 8.0 or higher. "I was really impressed with the routines they did on bars."[[In-content Ad]]