Gymnastics: Individual Titles Decided on Final Day of State Meet

THORNTON – By the time she was called to the podium to accept her second straight Class 5A all-around title, Lakewood senior Lauren Burt was audibly jingling as she walked because so many medals already hung from her neck.

At the end of this year’s gymnastics state championships, Burt left Thornton High School with five total medals that not only included the aforementioned all-around title but individual titles in both the floor routine and uneven bars. As if all of that wasn’t enough, Burt also accomplished a special goal in the final event of her high school career.

That was a perfect 10 in the floor routine.

“I knew it was a good floor routine, but I wasn’t expecting it to be a 10,” Burt said. “So to have it as my last event here as a high school gymnast was so amazing. I felt good along the way, but it wasn’t until I saw that 10 flash up that I really believed I could do it.”

Burt, who won three individual golds last season, scored a 9.775 to win the bars.

Mountain Range junior Frankie Jo MaCaskill also left the state championships with five medals, including a gold in the vault with an incredible 9.9 score. She was also a huge reason Mountain Range won its first team title since 2007 – and first in Class 5A – on Thursday night. MaCaskill said the combination of victories was a wonderful ending to what was her first high school gymnastics season after only competing in club gymnastics until this fall.

“I’m really proud of my team. I was a club gymnast for seven years, so going into high school I didn’t really know what to expect,” MaCaskill said. “Just being able to compete with a team and have support every meet and winning individually I honestly couldn’t ask for anything better. I’m very proud of myself and I’m very happy for my team.”

Pomona’s Averie Hull won the balance beam, scoring 9.6 in the finals.

In Class 4A, Standley Lake senior Tessa Grudle, who also became a two-time all-around champion on Friday, won the uneven bars with a score of 9.625.

“I came in here and I knew what I was capable of, but I was just having fun today,” said Grudle, who won five total medals at state. “It just feels good not to have so much pressure on you in some of the events.”

In the floor routine, Palmer Ridge’s Christa Snyder placed first with a score 9.65. Evergreen’s Sydney Burns won the vault with a score of 9.825. Northfield’s Ashley Savell won the beam with a score of 9.5

The top eight placers in each event from the previous two days’ preliminaries qualified to compete in Saturday’s finals.