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SYRACUSE - For the third consecutive year, Warsaw's varsity gymnastics team walked away with the sectional championship.
The Tigers, who finished the regular season with a 10-4 record, finished with 100.92 points as a team, edging Wawasee (98.37) and Plymouth (96.5).
"It came down to the last event between us and Wawasee," said Warsaw coach Amanda Campbell. "The girls did the best floor routines I've seen in a while. That clinched it for them."
Warsaw juniors Kim Love and Jillian Letsch sealed the deal by finishing first and second in the floor exercises. Love scored a 9.2, while Letsch landed a 9.15. Wawasee senior Katie Brown finished third with an 8.75. Angie Beer, also a senior, finished fifth in the floor excercise for the Warriors with an 8.65.
"The girls really put it together Saturday," said Campbell. "Letsch did a great job, especially after not practicing (due to injury)."
Letsch also took second-place finishes in the vault (8.85), bars (8.45) and all-around (34.85). She finished fourth on the beam with an 8.4. To go with her first-place finish in the floor exercise, Love finished fifth in the vault (8.4), seventh on beam (7.75) and fourth on bars with an 8.275. Love finished fourth in the all-around competition with a 33.625.
Beer led the Warriors with a third-place finish in the all-around competition. She earned a score of 34.3 by placing fourth in the vault (8.65), second on the beam (8.65), third on bars (8.35) and fifth in the floor exercises. Brown finished fifth in the all-around with a score of 32.7. Other than a third-place finish in the floor exercise, she came away with an eighth-place finish in the vault (8.3), a sixth-place on the beam (8.0) and a ninth-place finish on the bars (7.65).
Manchester finished sixth out of the 10 teams with an 81.65. Squire senior Meagan Goshert finished 10th on the bars with a 7.175 and 10th in the all-around competition with a 29.475.
The top three teams, as well as the top six individuals in all events, advance to Saturday's regional round of competition at Valparaiso High School.
"The competition is really tough there," said Campbell of the Valparaiso Regional. "Merrillville, Chesterton and Valparaiso are all ranked in the top five. We hope to advance some individuals to state, Letsch did that for the first time last year."
WAWASEE GYMNASTICS SECTIONAL
Note - Top three teams and top six individuals in each event advance to Saturday's Valparaiso Regional. Also listed are finishers for Warsaw, Wawasee and Manchester.
Team scores - 1. Warsaw 100.92, 2. Wawasee 98.37, 3. Plymouth 96.5, 4. East Noble 82.85, 5. Penn 82.6, 6. Manchester 81.65, 7. Lakeland 70.15, 8. Elkhart Memorial 65.92, 9. West Noble 62.55, 10. Elkhart Central 50.77.
Vault - 1. Wills (Penn) 9.3, 2. Letsch (War), 3. Beckham (Ply), 4. Beer (Wawa), 5. Love (War), 6. (tie) Orsund (Ply), Vervynckt (Ply), 8. Brown (Wawa), 9. Ummel (Wawa), 10. Wolfinger (Wawa).
Beam - 1. Wills (Penn) 9.025, 2. Beer (Wawa), 3. Orsund (Ply), 4. Letsch (War), 5. Wentzel (War), 6. Brown (Wawa), 7. Love (War), 10. Campbell (War), 11. Ummel (Wawa).
Bars - 1. Wills (Penn) 9.025, 2. Letsch (War), 3. Beer (Wawa), 4. Love (War), 5. Lewis (Ply), 6. Beckham (Ply), 7. Ummel (Wawa), 8. Wentzel (War), 9. Brown (Waw), 10. Goshert (Man)
Floor - 1. Love (War) 9.2, 2. Letsch (War), 3. Brown (Wawa), 4. Martin (E.Nob), 5. Beer (Wawa), 6. Wentzel (War), 8. Ummel (Wawa)
All-round - 1. Wills (Penn) 35.85, 2. Letsch (War) 34.85, 3. Beer (Wawa) 34.3, 4. Love (War) 33.625, 5. Brown (Wawa) 32.7, 6. Wentzel (War) 32.45, 7. Ummel 31.375, 10. Goshert (Man) 29.475
