Patriots 2nd in OAC (02/11/08)

CONNERSVILLE - The Spartans have a streak going again.

Connersville High School's gymnastics team won its third straight Olympic Athletic Conference title Saturday, and its 20th in the last 22 years, holding off the Jay County Patriots 97.825-97.225. Muncie Southside was a distant third at 89.775.

Jay County fell just short of picking up its second OAC championship in four years - the Patriots won in 2005, breaking what was then a seven-year Connersville reign - after defeating the Spartans in their dual meet three weeks ago. The only other team to top Connersville in the conference meet in the last two decades was Lafayette Harrison in 1997.

Freshman Kristen Ainsworth highlighted the meet for JCHS with a runner-up finish in both the floor exercise and the all-around competition. Her 33.525 all-around total was a half-point better than Muncie Southside's Brittany Fisher, who won the sectional all-around crown last season.

Devyn Duncan of Connersville won three events and was the OAC all-around champion with a score of 35.35.

Ainsworth finished second on the floor with an 8.775 as the Patriots took three of the top five slots. Duncan (8.95) was first, followed by Ainsworth, Erika Hunt (8.65), Fisher (8.525) and Jennifer Buckland (8.425). In other events Ainsworth was third on the uneven bars (8.175), third on the balance beam ((8.075) and fifth on the vault (8.5).

Hunt, a Jay County senior, was third twice and finished fourth in the all-around at 32.425. Her third-place efforts came with scores of 8.7 and 8.65 respectively on the vault and floor. She added a 7.725 on the bars and a 7.35 on the beam, both of which were good for fourth place.

Lexie Rowles, a sophomore, scored for the Patriots in both events she competed in. She was fourth on the vault with an 8.55 and sixth on the beam at 7.075.

Stormi Metcalf contributed a sixth-place effort on the bars with a 7.225.[[In-content Ad]]