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.)
Preview: Reigning Champs Set High Bar
March 7, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
There’s a chance at this weekend’s MHSAA Gymnastics Finals for the reigning champion to become only the fourth school in state history to win four straight titles in the sport.
There’s also a chance we’ll celebrate a team winning for the first time in a dozen years or more.
Rockford, this weekend’s host, can clinch a fourth straight team championship at Friday’s Team Final. But 11 other contenders have an intriguing opportunity – Rockford, Canton, Grand Ledge and Holt are the only teams to win the title over the last 11 seasons, and the latter three aren’t in the field this time.
Saturday’s Individual Finals present some similar opportunities. The top six finishers in Division 1 from last season either graduated or will not be competing. Three of the top four won’t be back in Division 2 – although Farmington United senior Elisa Bills will return and attempt to repeat as champion.
Team competition begins at 2 p.m. Friday, with the final rotation scheduled for 6:40 p.m. Individual competition in both Divisions 1 and 2 begins at noon Saturday.
Below is a glance at a number of contenders, both team and individual, who could work into the mix this weekend. Click for rotation schedules for both days of competition.
Team Contenders
Farmington United – Farmington won its Regional at Walled Lake Central with a score of 145.775 and will be looking to move up from fourth place at last season’s Final – and can boast a few more impressive wins this winter as well. Farmington won the 20-team Jeanne Caruss Invitational at White Lake Lakeland, and at the start of February won the Canton Invitational against a field including most of the top teams in the state.
Linden-Fenton-Lake Fenton – This co-op team earned its first trip to the MHSAA Team Final with a Regional title last weekend and record score of 143.575. In addition to claiming that title at Grand Ledge, LFLF won the Lakes Valley Conference championship and the Holt Invitational at the start of this season.
Livonia Blue – After finishing 10th at last season’s Team Final, Livonia could make a big jump after an especially strong final month of the regular season. Blue won its Regional at Canton with a 146.225, the highest Regional score in the state this season. It also won the overall league championship in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association – which has six of the 12 teams at this weekend’s competition.
Northville – A series of second places makes Northville look like a team ready to contend for first Friday. The Mustangs finished runner-up at the Holt Invitational, Caruss Invitational and Canton Invitational, plus at the Regional at Walled Lake Central with a score of 141.850. They did win the KLAA Black championship, and should rise from last season’s ninth-place finish at the Team Final.
Rockford – Only three years ago, Rockford won its first MHSAA team gymnastics title since 1989. Now the Rams are on the verge of a dynasty. Rockford will attempt to win a fourth consecutive title with a third coach during this run – first-year leader Michelle Ankney – and no seniors but with a strong group that has had plenty of success. Rockford won its Flip-Flop Invitational, Lowell’s Red Arrow Invitational and the Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills Invitational. The Rams also won their Regional at Kenowa Hills last week with a score of 145.600.
Division 1
Hannah Biesbrock, Grand Rapids Forest Hills sophomore – In her first year of high school gymnastics, Biesbrock won the Regional championship at Kenowa Hills with an all-around score of 35.325 and first places in bars (8.8) and beam (8.875).
Nicole Bragg, Hartland junior – Bragg finished second at her Regional at Grand Ledge with an all-around 35.225 and a first place on vault (8.975).
Lydia Bouma, Grand Rapids Forest Hills senior – Last year’s Division 2 runner-up on vault is competing in Division 1 this time and won vault (9.325) at the Kenowa Hills Regional while finishing third all-around at 34.300.
Emily Caragay, Plymouth senior – Caragay finished 10th at least season’s Division 1 Finals and came in second all-around at last week’s Regional at Canton at 35.850.
Laine Cook, Jackson Lumen Christi senior – After winning the Regional all-around at Grand Ledge by nearly a point at 36.200, Cook could should improve on last season’s 16th-place Finals finish.
Aniessa Conway, Livonia Blue junior – After missing the all-around top 10 by a tenth of a point last season, Conway should be in the title mix coming off the Regional championship at Canton (36.575).
Cate Gagnier, Grosse Pointe United freshman – After graduating a Division 1 standout last spring, GPU has another starting her high school career with Gagnier winning vault (9.5) and beam (9.325) while placing second all-around at Walled Lake Central with a 36.500.
Elizabeth Maurer, Grand Ledge freshman – She finished fourth all-around at the Regional her school hosted, with a 9.6 to win floor that would have placed fourth at last season’s Final.
Erin McCallum, Northville senior – McCallum improved from 17th all-around as a sophomore to seventh in Division 1 last season, and enters her final weekend of high school competition after finishing third all-around at Walled Lake Central at 35.700.
Eve Petrie, East Lansing senior – The Regional champion on beam at Grand Ledge, Petrie scored 9.425, which would have placed third at last season’s Final.
Hallie Roman, Port Huron United senior – Also a Finals-qualifying diver during the fall, Roman could make a big move from finishing 12th last year after winning the Walled Lake Central Regional with an all-around 36.650 and first places on bars (9.075) and floor (9.475).
Paige Sanders, Plymouth senior – Last season’s Division 1 Finals runner-up on beam competed in three events at last week’s Canton Regional and won two scoring a 9.8 on floor and 9.550 on beam; she also was a Finals placer last spring in long jump.
Division 2
Reagan Ammon, Rockford junior – After placing 13th at last season’s Division 2 Final, Ammon is among favorites coming off a Regional win at Kenowa Hills; she scored 36.400 all-around and finished first on bars (8.85) and beam (9.375).
Elisa Bills, Farmington United senior – The reigning Division 2 champion also took first in beam, floor and vault last season. She returned from an injury this season to win the Regional at Walled Lake Central with a 36.900 and first places on vault (9.45) and bars (9.15).
Morgan Case, Rockford sophomore – Case took second on floor in Division 2 last season and is an all-around contender this time. She finished second to Ammon at the Regional with a score of 36.375 and first places on floor (9.55) and vault (9.5).
Ashley Faulkner, Rockford junior – Faulkner tied for 10th all-around in Division 2 last season and took fourth among four teammates at the Kenowa Hills Regional last week with a score of 35.475.
Nicole Graham, Huron Valley freshman – Graham would’ve qualified for all four events after finishing eighth of better in each at the Walled Lake Central Regional, but she also qualified all-around finishing third at 35.750.
Riley Fisher, Salem junior – Fisher scored 35.400 to win the Regional at Canton with second places on floor and beam; she tied for 17th on floor at last season’s Finals.
Taylor Gillespie, Howell sophomore – Gillespie was fifth in Division 2 all-around last season and should be in the mix again; she finished runner-up at the Grand Ledge Regional with a 36.450 and a first place on vault (9.5).
Blake Hutchings, Linden-Fenton-Lake Fenton senior – Hutchings tied for seventh on floor at last year’s Division 2 Finals, but could be a candidate all-around after winning the Grand Ledge Regional at 36.700 with first places on floor (9.675) and bars (9.0).
Chantal Lokers, Rockford junior – Last season’s ninth-place Division 2 all-around finisher – and third-place finisher on beam – was third among teammates and overall at the Kenowa Hills Regional last week.
Kacey Noseworthy, Farmington United junior – After missing last season’s Finals with an injury, Noseworthy should be among high placers Saturday coming in second to teammate Bills (36.775) at their Regional with first places on beam (9.150) and floor (9.550).
Emily Stecevic, Farmington United senior – Last season’s sixth-place all-around finisher in Division 2 will compete on floor Saturday after finishing second (9.5) at the Walled Lake Central Regional in that event.
Maddie Vernon, Brighton sophomore – After tying for 10th place as a freshman, Vernon is another who could be on the rise; she finished third all-around at Grand Ledge with a score of 35.725.
PHOTO: Farmington United’s Elisa Bills performs her floor exercise routine during last season’s Division 2 Finals. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)