Williams wins all-around as Patriots finish 2nd (02/13/06)

CONNERSVILLE — Their best was just not quite good enough to keep Connersville away from the crown.

Hannah Williams was the all-around champion and the Jay County gymnastics team posted its best score of the season by a full point — 101.45 — at the Olympic Athletic Conference meet Saturday. But the Patriots still finished second as the host Spartans reclaimed the title with a season high by nearly two points at 103.35.

Connersville, which finished second to Jay County a year ago, won the crown for the 15th time in the last 17 seasons.

Williams paced the Patriots, taking the all-around title back from Kristin Gilley of the Spartans with a 36.2 total. Williams won the all-around crown in 2003, before Gilley took it each of the last two seasons.

Williams was also the champion on the floor exercise where she posted a 9.55. She finished second on both the balance beam (9.1) and the vault (9.0), and was third on the uneven bars (8.55).

Gilley won both the beam (9.45) and bars (9.6), the only two events she competed on because of an injury. Brittany Fisher of Muncie Southside was first on the vault with a 9.1.

Three other Jay County gymnasts finished fourth on an individual event, with sophomore Erika Hunt also taking fourth in the all-around with a 32.85. Hunt was fourth in the beam (8.4), and fifth on both the vault (8.55) and bars (7.85).

Lacey Thornburg placed fourth on the vault with an 8.6, and Kristin Brown was fourth on the floor with an 8.4. Thornburg also finished sixth on both the floor (8.2) and beam (7.6), and Brown was seventh on the bars (7.65).[[In-content Ad]]