Jay slams Giants (02/01/05)

PORTLAND — They weren’t quite as good as Saturday when they dispatched a state-ranked team. But the Patriot gymnasts still had more than enough for a victory Monday.

Jay County dominated the Marion Giants, staying perfect in dual-meet action this year by a 101.2-75.25 score.

“This is how the season is supposed to go,” said JCHS coach Kristin Millspaugh. “I really think we’re on an upswing. You can’t expect to improve your score at every meet throughout the year.

“We need to get back to practice a little bit, but I was really glad we stayed in the 101 area.”

Hannah Williams led the Patriots as they broke the century mark for the third straight meet. She won all four events.

Williams, who scored a 9.5 as Jay County defeated No. 15 New Castle Saturday, did herself one better on the floor exercise. She landed her double back to finish off her first tumbling pass and everything else was smooth on the way to a 9.6.

She nailed both Tsukaharas on vault for a 9.3. She also earned winning scores of 8.65 on the uneven parallel bars and 8.1 the balance beam despite suffering falls on both events.

“She’s made a huge improvement on bars,” said Millspaugh of Williams, noting that without the fall her score would have been a career best 9.15. “We changed her release move and it’s not as difficult as it was last year, but it has more potential to be perfect. That’s her strength.”

Williams won the all-around competition with a 35.65. Sarah Silveus of Marion was second with a 28.7, and her teammate Maggie Hartgraves was third with a 27.25.

The meet was also the final one at home for seniors Lacey Grider, Melissa Fifer, Makenzie Knight and Sarah Ullom.

Grider, who is back this year after missing most of last season because of a torn knee ligament, scored in three events for the Patriots.

She had one fall on the balance beam, but still finished second to Williams with an 8.45. She was third on both the vault (8.45) and the floor (8.25), and has looked stronger at every meet throughout the season.

Fifer was second on the vault as she also landed both of her Tsukaharas for a 9.1. She added a third-place 7.45 on the balance beam.

Knight was third on the bars for the Patriots, scoring a 7.85.

“As a group they’ve stayed dedicated and have worked hard in the off-season,” said Millspaugh, adding that it didn’t feel like a Senior Night because the gymnasts still have more than a month of competition left. “I think we have a group of girls that really care about gymnastics and care about the team.”

Also scoring for the Patriots was Kristin Brown, who posted a second-place 8.65 on the floor. Lacey Thornburg was second on the bars with an 8.0.

Junior varsity

Jay County’s JV squad also scored more points than the Marion varsity squad, finishing with 75.8. The Giants did not field a full JV team.

Erika Hunt posted the high score for the Patriots, who won every event. She took first on the floor with an 8.05.

Senior Sarah Ullom picked up a victory at her final home meet, posting a 7.95 on the vault. Lacey Grider scored a 6.5 to win the bars, and Larissa Butcher was first on the beam with a 6.1.[[In-content Ad]]