Gymnastics: Mountain Range, Palmer Ridge Win Mountain Range Regional
AURORA – Mountain Range swept the top-four all-around finishers in Class 5A and Palmer Ridge claimed the top three all-around finishers in Class 4A to each win its respective Mountain Range Regional Championship Friday night at Mountain Range High School. Mountain Range topped the 5A leaderboard with a new team-high score of 184.825, while Palmer Ridge captured the 4A title with a team score of 183.525.
Mountain Range dominated the all-around competition with the Mustangs claiming the top four finishers. Led by all-around champion Frankie MaCaskill, who put together a score of 37.875, the Mustangs’ Ashten Blackstock took second (37.125), Annabelle Maier took third (36.575) and Ella Mikolajewski took fourth (35.700). Cherry Creek’s Shayna Thighe rounded out the top five with a score of 35.350.
Mountain Range also dominated the bars, owning the top six finishers. MaCaskill won bars with a score of 9.675, while teammate Sylvie Frisbie was second (9.25). The Mustangs’ Kaia Chapman took third with a score of 9.075 and Ashten Blackstock checked in fourth with a 9.075. In fifth was Mikolajewski (8.975) and sixth went to Mountain Range’s Annabelle Maier, who scored 8.825.
MaCaskill’s third individual title was on the vault, where she led all competitors with a score of 9.825. Cherry Creek’s Lauren Becker was second at 9.325 and Mountain Range’s Madeline Domenico checked in third with a score of 9.3, while teammates Blackstock (9.125) and Maier (9.0) came in fourth and fifth, respectively.
Thornton’s Evalin LeFree captured the beam title, scoring 9.55 points. Thighe was second on beam with a score of 9.5, and she was followed by Mountain Range’s Blackstock (9.45), Domenico (9.275) and MaCaskill (9.25), respectively.
On floor, Mountain Range’s Maier finished first with a score of 9.525, and teammates Blackstock (9.475) and Price (9.725) rounded out the top three finishers. LeFree finished fourth with a score of 9.35 and Chatfield’s Tatum Simons cracked the top five with a score of 9.175.
Mountain Range ran away with the team title, scoring 184.825 points. Chatfield took second with 171.275 points and Cherry Creek checked in third with 170.300 points. Thornton was fourth (167.050) and Columbine was fifth (165.250).
Palmer Ridge’s Rylee Starling won the all-around competition in 4A, putting together a score of 36.975. Her teammates, Makenna Cook (36.650) and Braelyn Marr (36.600), finished right behind her. In fourth place was Northfield’s Ashley Savell, with 35.925 points, while Elizabeth’s Braeleigh Melsness was fifth with 35.900 points.
The individual title on each of the four exercises went to Palmer Ridge, with Kaitlin McArthur winning the vault (9.375), Starling winning the bars (9.425) and beam (9.525) and Marr claiming the floor (9.525).
A pair of McArthur’s teammates finished second and third with her on vault, as Starling scored 9.275 points to finish second and Christa Snyder took third with a score of 9.2. Northfield’s Savell was fourth (9.175) and Elizabeth’s Bria Hundley finished fifth with a score of 9.125.
On bars, the top-six finishers were from Palmer Ridge, as Starling won, Marr took second (9.4), Cook third (9.175), McArthur fourth (9.175), Ashlyn Ortiona fifth (8.825) and Sydney Cowan sixth (8.8).
Behind Starling on beam was Savell, who took second with 9.05 points. Cook placed third with a score of 9.05 and Snyder was fourth with 9.025 points. Ortiona rounded out the top-five with a score of 8.95.
On the floor exercise, Snyder checked in second, behind Marr, with a score of 9.5, while teammate Cook was third with a score of 9.325. Elizabeth’s Braeleigh Melsness finished fourth (9.3) and Bria Hundley was fifth at 9.25.
Palmer Ridge’s score of 183.525 led all the teams, while Elizabeth took second (172.525), Northfield third (166.800), Loveland fourth (150.775) and Denver South fifth (144.350).
