Injury-riddled Patriots fifth at regional (03/11/07)

HUNTINGTON - Entering Friday's competition the Patriots were more like M*A*S*H unit than a gymnastics team.

Lacey Thornburg and Jenny Buckland were each still feeling the effects of ankle injuries from earlier in the season.

Kristin Brown had a hip problem that had her in tears at practice all week.

Nadlie Runyon suffered an ankle injury Monday that kept her out of practice Tuesday and Wednesday and threatened to end her season.

And then Friday morning Kendra Homan was scratched when she was taken to the hospital for an appendectomy.

Under the circumstances, coach Kristin Millspaugh was happy with her team's 96.475 points and fifth-place finish at the Huntington North regional.

"Considering all that I think it was a good night," she said. "Overall I'm pretty pleased with the routines. Scores were lower tonight than I was hoping they would be, especially on bars and beam, but I think the girls are pretty proud of what they did. I think they're pretty happy with the routines tonight."

Two-time defending state champion Bishop Dwenger won an incredibly close meet with 109.95 to eke out its seventh straight regional championship with 109.95 points. Concordia was second by just 25 thousandths of a points at 109.925, and Carroll placed third at 109.025.

The top two teams and top six individuals in each event earned berths in the March 17 state finals at Perry Meridian High School.

The best placing on the night came in what has generally been the team's lowest scoring event as Thornburg, a senior, finished 13th with a score of 8.0 on the uneven bars.

Brown, also a senior, turned in the top all-around effort in 15th at 31.875. She was 17th on the bars at 7.75 and 20th on beam with a 7.7. Her 8.45 on the floor exercise - she completed the routine despite the hip injury that had her wincing all the way through - was the best score for the team on the event.

"That hip has been bothering her through the whole second half of the season, but it's gotten worse over the last two weeks," said Millspaugh. "In warm-ups and even in practice she can't land a tumbling pass without falling to the floor in pain. I think she was crying through most of the routine, but the look on her face was just one of determination. I think it was starting to make her mad. She was tired of the pain and she wasn't going to put up with it anymore. She was definitely determined to get through that routine and do everything."

Thornburg also had some road blocks to overcome.

She suffered a broken ankle as a freshman and a severe ankle sprain this year, both while performing Tsukaharas on the vault.

Still, she flipped a pair of them on the vault Friday night and scored an 18th-place 8.7 on the event despite being unable to pull off a clean landing.

"They are the two examples of the most overcome obstacles that I've seen from anybody I've coached," said Millspaugh. "It's a pretty big deal for Lacey to have two major injuries on that vault and come back and do it again.

"And as bad as Kristin's mental blocks got, she came all the way back. And I think if she hadn't been in as much pain the last few weeks of the season, she was ready to go further.

"I'm really happy for the two of them. They were very enjoyable to coach. I'll miss those two a lot. They showed great leadership this year."

Junior Erika Hunt was the only gymnast to score for the Patriots in all four events. She posted matching 18th-place finishes on the vault (8.7) and bars (7.65), and was 23rd on the floor (8.1) and 25th on the beam (6.925).

Runyon recorded the top balance beam score for Jay County, finishing 16th at 8.25 after a rough night on the bars.

"I was extra impressed because of the bar routine that she had just done," said Millspaugh of the freshman, who was limited to just two events because of her ankle injury. "And she knew that she had an outside shot to go to state. With that pressure for her to be able to focus and do a good beam routine is really impressive as a freshman."

Jenny Buckland placed 24th on the floor at 7.95, and Lexie Rowles came out of nowhere to place 25th on the vault.

With the team's alternate already used up because of Runyon's ankle injury, the Patriots needed a hurry-up substitute when Homan ended up in the hospital Friday morning.

Rowles, who did not compete at the sectional last week, jumped in and scored for the team with an 8.3.

"She hasn't even been at practice for two weeks. Her season was over," said Millspaugh. "She did a really nice vault."[[In-content Ad]]