Jay Co. fire stoked in loss to Carroll (01/10/06)

FORT WAYNE — Jay County gymnastics coach Kristin Millspaugh is starting to see the kind of improvement she knows her teams needs. Now, she just wants to see more.

While the Patriot team score was lower overall in a 100.275-93.05 loss to the Fort Wayne Carroll Chargers Monday, Millspaugh said she saw more fire out of her squad than in its first three meets.

“We’re really working on trying to become more aggressive, gaining some confidence and going for some things that maybe we’re not completely comfortable with yet,” she said. “That’s what the beginning of the season is for, to me. It gets you ready for the end of the season. That way when conference and sectional come around we will be comfortable with what we’re doing.”

Millspaugh knows it’ll take some determination to be able to compete with Connersville for an Olympic Athletic Conference title, or with Delta as the Patriots try to reclaim the sectional crown.

They started to show such desire Monday night, especially in the floor exercise routines from Lacey Thornburg and Jenny Buckland.

Neither finished in the top three, but Thornburg threw a full twist on her opening tumbling pass — something she had not been completely comfortable with in practice or warm-ups. Buckland, a freshman, gave another high-energy performance in posting the No. 2 Jay County floor score with a career-best 8.3.

“I was glad to see some mental toughness there,” said Millspaugh of Thornburg. “We need somebody to step up and make an example in that way.”

“(Buckland) definitely has a go-for-it attitude. She doesn’t hold back, ever.”

Hannah Williams and Erika Hunt were the only Patriots to crack the top three against Carroll as the Chargers’ Kelsey Riecken and Olivia Wagoner each had big nights.

Williams, in just her second meet competing in all four events after a preseason injury, stayed undefeated on the balance beam. The 2005 state runner-up on the event scored an 8.75.

She was also second on the floor exercise with a 8.8, and Hunt was third on the vault with an 8.15.

Riecken won the vault (8.65) and floor exercise (9.3) for Carroll while finishing second on the uneven parallel bars (8.0) and third on the beam (8.15). Wagoner took the victory on the bars (8.725), and was second on the vault (8.55) and beam (8.55) and third on the floor (8.65).

Wagoner and Riecken went one-two on the all-round competition at 34.475 and 34.1 respectively, and Williams was third at 32.2.

“Scores were lower than I expected,” said Millspaugh, whose team scored a 97.05 Saturday at Richmond. “They were lower than Saturday, but routines were at least as good as Saturday, for the most part. Fort Wayne judging is usually lower than what we expect in our area. (Fort Wayne Bishop) Dwenger wins state all the time, so if that’s what they’re used to seeing scores can tend to be lower.”

Also scoring for the Patriots were: Vault - Williams (8.1) and Thornburg (7.75); Bars - Hunt (6.75), Thornburg (6.65) and Williams (6.55); Beam - Thornburg (8.0) and Kristin Brown (7.3); and Floor - Hunt (7.95).

Kendra Homan picked up a junior varsity victory for Jay County, finishing first on the balance beam with a 6.55.

Millspaugh said she wants she continues to see her team try to develop “confidence, aggression and killer instinct” as it travels to the Viking Invitational Saturday, hosted by top-ranked Valparaiso.

“At the Valpo meet I’m hoping we don’t walk in there and get intimidated,” she said. “Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been headed in the right direction in terms of gaining confidence. I hope we can continue on that same line.”[[In-content Ad]]