Finals Preview: To Catch a Comet
March 7, 2013
The most hopeful of MHSAA gymnastics teams have been forced to chase Grand Ledge for more than five seasons.
But of any Finals weekend during the Comets' half-decade run of perfection, this could be the one other teams make their strongest push to catch up.
Grand Ledge has won five straight team titles, six straight Division 1 and two straight Division 2 individual championships. But at least one of those streaks looks possible to end this weekend at Plymouth High School.
Team Finals are Friday beginning at 2 p.m., with Individual Finals at noon Saturday – with both divisions running concurrently this year instead of at separate times as in years past.
Click for a complete list of qualifiers, Regional results and this weekend’s rotation schedules, and see below for teams and individuals who should make a run at the top.
Team contenders
Canton: The Chiefs definitely made Grand Ledge a little nervous last season on the way to finishing runner-up for the second straight, this time with a score of 148.575. And they no doubt are still on the Comets’ minds after nearly ending Grand Ledge’s five-year event winning streak by leading their Canton Invitational with one round left Feb. 2 – before the Comets moved ahead at the end. The Chiefs won their Regional with a score of 145.95, more than five points better than the field, and placed the top four Division 1 individual finishers at that event. Jocelyn Moraw, Maddie Toal, Melissa Green and Nicole Lasecki all posted scores of at least 35.650, and Erica Lucas was second in Division 2 with a score of 35.875.
Farmington: The Falcons similarly dominated their Regional, winning by nearly four points with a score of 142.95, and should climb after taking fifth at last season’s MHSAA Final. Farmington also posted an impressive home invitational win on Jan. 19, edging Canton by nine tenths of a point for that title. Farmington has one Division 1 all-around qualifier this weekend, freshman Carina Wright, plus placed four of the top five in Division 2 at that Regional.
Grand Ledge: The dynasty continues to rise. The Comets haven’t lost or finished second at an event since coming in as runner-up at the 2007 MHSAA Final – a stretch including five title wins and nearly 100 events total over the last five seasons. Grand Ledge won the Rockford Regional with a score of 149.325, 5.8 points more than the field and tops of all Regionals this season. Senior Sara Peltier and freshman Rachel Hogan both made the Division 1 individual all-around Saturday, while senior Lauren Clark and junior Presley Allison took the top two spots in Division 2 at the Regional.
Division 1
Kylie Dudek, Coldwater senior: After finishing fifth in Division 1 last season with a score of 37.550, Dudek should push for the top three after coming in third at Rockford with a score of 37.350. She won vault at the Regional with a score of 9.8.
Ashley Hextall, Pinckney senior: Hextall won the Mason Regional all-around with a score of 36.950 that included wins on bars (9.125) and floor (9.575). She finished sixth at the Division 2 Final last season with a score of 36.425.
Jocelyn Moraw, Canton sophomore: One of a strong group of Chiefs, Moraw won her Regional with a score of 37.150 that included a win on bars (9.2). She placed eighth in Division 1 last season with a score of 36.900 after finishing among the top nine on three apparatuses and the top 14 on all four.
Madi Myers, Rockford/Sparta freshman: She took last week’s Regionals by storm, beating the Grand Ledge contenders with a score of 38.925 – the best in any Regional this season. She finished first on beam (9.775), bars (9.85) and floor (9.7) and might be the gymnast to beat Saturday.
Sara Peltier, Grand Ledge senior: The Comets annually find a new standout to top the lineup, and Peltier took over this season for graduated Division 1 champ Christine Wilson. Peltier won the Division 2 championship last season with a score of 37.275, and finished second to Myers at the Rockford Regional with a score of 37.575 despite only an 8.8 on beam.
Abbey Robb, Birmingham senior: She could push into the mix after finishing second at the Troy Athens Regional with an all-around score of 37.15. She won vault that day with a 9.5.
Christina Shabet, Troy junior: She also is a favorite this season after finishing seventh in 2012 with a score of 36.975. Shabet won her Regional with a 38.375, 1.2 better than the rest of the competition, and with first places on beam (9.5), floor (9.825) and bars (9.7).
Division 2
Emma Abessinio, Grosse Pointe United senior: She competed in the Division 2 Final in two events last season, but should push for a strong all-around finish this weekend. She won her Regional with a score of 36.625, which included wins on floor (9.55), beam (9.275) and bars (8.9).
Presley Allison, Grand Ledge junior: She’s due to finish first soon after placing third both of her first two high school seasons. She was second to teammate Lauren Clark at the Rockford Regional with a score of 37.575 and won bars (9.45) and beam (9.675).
Lauren Clark, Grand Ledge senior: She should be the Division 2 individual favorite after finishing runner-up by five hundredths of a point last season with a score of 37.225. She won her Regional last week with a score of 37.800 and with first places on vault (9.6) and floor (9.5).
Marie Clark, Troy Athens/Auburn Hills Avondale sophomore: Top-five finishes in three events led to a Regional championship last weekend. Clark scored 35.500 in the win.
Erica Lucas, Canton junior: Last season’s Division 2 MHSAA vault champion won that event again at last week’s Regional with a score of 9.35. But she also finished second all-around at the Regional with a score of 35.875, and should contend for that title this weekend.
Andrea Merlotti, Salem senior: She should move up quite a bit after finishing 21st in the Division 2 all-around at last season’s Finals with a score of 33.625. She finished third at her Regional with a 35.800, with top-four finishes on three apparatuses.
Karry Modolo, Freeland senior: She won the Mason Regional by nearly a point with a score of 36.200, with wins on beam (9.3) and vault (9.2). She finished 19th at the MHSAA Final last season with a score of 34.050.
PHOTO: Pinckney senior Ashley Hextall competes during last season's MHSAA Division 2 Final. She'll move up to Division 1 this weekend. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
No More Just-Misses; Hogan's the Champ
March 12, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
ROCKFORD – One by one, teammates hugged Rachel Hogan, while her coach Duane Haring placed medals around the necks of the other placers and worked to keep himself together.
Before this weekend, nine Grand Ledge gymnasts had combined to win 13 all-around MHSAA Finals championships. A few won multiple titles, and one finished first in both Division 2 and Division 1.
Hogan's path was different and all her own, a mix of just-misses and domination leading to her becoming the Comets' next winner.
She finished 10th in Division 1 as a freshman, a point off the lead, then improved to second as a sophomore, finishing only a tenth of a point behind the champion. Hogan fell back to third last season, but just 0.375 points back.
Saturday’s performance included a fall on balance beam and a ninth place on floor exercise. But it also included first places on vault and uneven bars – Hogan’s sixth and seventh Finals event championships over her four seasons – and this time she rose to the top of the podium at the end of the day as well, with an all-round score of 38.000 to win Division 1 by five hundredths of a point.
“For my senior year, I really just wanted to do the best I could,” Hogan said. “It’s my last year, and I know that, so I want to just put it all out there and give it all I’ve got. So I guess there was a little more of a drive, a little more of a want to get it.
“I really hope every girl here leaves feeling that they did their best. I feel that way too; that’s a great feeling.”
Hogan’s individual titles over the last four seasons included three on vault and two each on floor and bars. She tied the Division 1 Finals record with a 9.800 floor exercise as a freshman in 2013, but needed one more record performance to claim her all-around championship.
The growing cheers with every attempt told the entire Rockford gym that Hogan was shining on vault Saturday. And her final attempt earned a score of 9.875, five hundredths of a point better than Grand Ledge’s Alexis Byington scored to set the previous record in 2010.
Hogan earlier had won bars with a 9.700.
“She’s just a class act all the way around,” Grand Ledge coach Duane Haring said. “She’s always been determined, but she’s so nice (that) when she first started, she didn’t want to beat anybody else. Because she felt bad. Over the years I said, ‘It’s OK. They’re trying to beat you. You’re still friends. It’s called sports. It’s competition. You need to try to beat them.’
“So then, she started to get a little more aggressive, and said, ‘Yeah, maybe I do want to see if I can be on top.’”
Grosse Pointe United junior Isabelle Nguyen seems to be following a similar path as this year's champion.
Nguyen was runner-up to Rockford/Sparta’s Morgan Korf last season, finishing only 0.075 of a point behind. Her second-place score of 37.950 on Saturday was only 0.050 off the lead.
Nguyen also had the second-highest all-around of Friday’s Team Final, behind only Hogan, and Saturday finished second on bars and beam and fifth on floor.
“I’m pumped. I want to get new skills and work harder this summer,” Nguyen said. “I’m still happy I stayed second the whole time. (On) bars, even though she beat me by 0.025, I was still happy with my score (9.675). And beam, yesterday at Team (Finals) I fell, and I wanted to stay on beam today, and I had a good save today.”
Hogan and Nguyen’s respective finishes were especially impressive given the loaded field in Division 1. Korf finished fifth this time after helping the Rams to the team title Friday, and junior teammate Nicole Coughlin – the leading all-around scorer for Rockford/Sparta on Friday – improved three spots from last season’s Individual Finals to tie for third with Brighton senior Margo Mekjian. Coughlin won beam with a 9.650, and Mekjian won floor with a 9.600.
Grand Rapids Forest Hills senior Cassidy Terhorst, the Division 2 champion the last two seasons, came in seventh in Division 1 this time, one spot behind junior teammate Christine Byam.
Livonia Blue senior Brianna Rhoad also ended her career on top at these Finals, winning Division 2 after finishing sixth as a junior, 15th as a sophomore and seventh as a freshman.
Rhoad’s all-around score of 36.525 placed her three tenths of a point ahead of Farmington sophomore Elisa Bills. Rhoad didn’t finish first on any apparatus, but was at least eighth on all four.
“I was nervous, but after I had a pretty good beam and floor I thought I could finish it off well,” Rhoad said. “I think last year I just had a rough meet, so I think I had a better meet this year.”
Howell claimed two event championships in Division 2 – junior Alyssa Walker won beam with a 9.475 and junior Kacy Wolfram won vault with a 9.700. Rhoads’ teammate junior Jessica Weak won bars with a 9.025, and Haslett/Williamston/Bath senior Brooke Allen won floor with a 9.375.
PHOTOS: (Top) Rachel Hogan, center, stands atop the podium Saturday as the Division 1 all-around placers are honored. (Middle) Grosse Pointe United’s Isabelle Nguyen performs her beam routine. (Below) Livonia Blue’s Brianna Rhoad hugs coach Lisa Broomfield. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)