State gymnastics: Individual champions crowned on day three
One of the day three stars was Heritage’s Kate Bryant, just a sophomore, who came from the middle of the pack in qualifying to capture two individual state titles on the vault, with an amazing 9.9, and the floor exercise, where she scored a 9.775. The two individual titles are the first for the Heritage program since 1982.
“My mind set today was to go big or go home,” Bryant explained. “This was really just to prove to myself that I could do it, and I think I did that.”
“We are so proud of her,” Heritage head coach Andrea Schmidt added. “She really came in like a champ today. She was really relaxed today and had a lot of fun so I think that made a really big difference.”
In the 4A ranks, Palmer Ridge’s Riley Marr followed up her runner-up all-around performance last night with two individual titles today on the floor with a 9.65, and the bars with a 9.7. They are first individual event titles in Palmer Ridge gymnastics program history. The team was something Marr said helped her over the hump.
“It was a really exciting team atmosphere, they were all here to support me” Marr said. “They were just super loud and supportive, and having them here just motivated me to do what I was capable of. It’s really exciting to say I am a state champion.”
Following up their all-around titles from the days before, 5A Lakewood’s Isabella Gee and 4A Green Mountain’s Gianna Martyna each captured an individual medal each. Gee took gold on the bars with a 9.8, while Martyna took first on the vault with an impressive 9.925.
After a lower-than-expected finish in the all-around, 4A Niwot’s Mia Curry got back on track with the 4A beam title, earning a 9.55 to finish well ahead of the field. On the 5A beam Lakewood’s Lauren Burt took first with a 9.65.
The individual medalists put a cap on a thrilling three days of competition at Thornton High School, where fans packed the stands and teams were out in full force cheering on their teammates. 5A Broomfield captured its first team title since 2012, while 4A Elizabeth won its third-straight.
