Preview: Challengers Lining Up as Reigning Team Champ Chases 3-Peat
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 7, 2024
This weekend’s MHSAA Gymnastics Finals at Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills could see the reigning team champion three-peat for the second time over the last decade – but with another close competition likely in store.
Rockford/Sparta is seeking a third straight team title after also accomplishing that feat from 2015-17 but will face strong contenders including a pair seeking a first Finals championship since the 1990s.
On the individual side, the 2023 Division 1 champion graduated, and reigning Division 2 title winner Lydia Beaton from Grand Ledge will compete in Division 1 this time – meaning at least one new champion will climb the podium.
Team competition begins at 4 p.m. Friday, with individual competition in both Divisions 1 and 2 beginning at noon Saturday. For information on purchasing tickets, Finals rotations for both days and Regional results, go to the Gymnastics page – and see below for several contenders to watch:
Team
Farmington United: With a 37.1 on the balance beam leading the way, Farmington won its Regional last week by 6.4 points with a total score of 144.750. The team is seeking its first championship since winning back-to-back in 2018-19 and finished third at the Final a year ago. Five gymnasts from that team return, and junior Leah Hodge led at the Regional with a 38.425 all-around.
Hartland: The Eagles are seeking their first team championship since 1999 and won their Regional by more than six points as well at 145.75. Hartland broke 36 points on floor, vault and beam, totaling 36.95 scores on the latter two. The Eagles finished fourth at the Final a year ago, and four gymnasts return who competed in that effort. Sophomores Abby Griffen and Kate Gostlin finished third and fourth, respectively, in Division 1 all-around at the Regional.
Rockford/Sparta: The Rams have won the last two Division 1 championships and clinched their Regional title last week with a score of 145.4 – nearly seven points better than the field. That score included a 38 on floor exercise and 37.9 on balance beam. Six of eight gymnasts who competed in last season’s Final will be back this weekend, led by senior Hailey Hill, the Division 2 individual champion at the Regional.
Salem: The Rocks finished sixth last season and are seeking their first Finals team title since 1993, and they won arguably the most competitive Regional last week as three teams scored 140 or higher. Salem posted a 143.250 paced by a 37.900 on floor exercise. Senior Katie Stewart took third in the Division 1 all-around, and senior Anna Barczyk was runner-up in Division 2.
Division 1
Lydia Beaton, Grand Ledge senior: Last year’s Division 2 all-around champion will compete in Division 1 this weekend after finishing sixth all-around at her Regional with a second-place tie on vault and third on floor exercise.
Anna Browne, Brighton senior: She finished ninth in Division 1 all-around last season and fifth at her Regional last week with a 35.95 which included a fourth place on vault and sixth places on uneven parallel bars and balance beam.
Kate Gostlin, Hartland sophomore: As noted above, Gostlin finished fourth at her Regional last week scoring a 36 all-around score and with a first place on vault (9.7). She competed on beam and vault at the team competition as a freshman.
Abby Griffen, Hartland sophomore: Griffen’s third-place Regional score of 36.725 was only a tenth of a point out of second and included a runner-up finish on vault and third place on bars.
Jenna Griffin, Saline senior: She competed on Division 1 vault at last season’s Final, tying for 16th, and will compete all-around this time coming off a fifth-place Regional score of 35.975.
Leah Hodge, Farmington United junior: She won her Regional all-around by nearly two points with a 38.425 and first places on floor (9.55), beam (9.9), bars (9.525) and vault (9.45).
Elsa Kehoe, Forest Hills United senior: She won her Regional all-around championship with a 36.725 that included first places on vault (8.875), bars (8.85) and floor (9.65) and a second place on beam.
Leah Koch, Rockford junior: She was the Regional all-around runner-up to Kehoe with a score of 35.95 that included a first place on beam (9.55) and top-three finishes on the other three apparatuses.
Noelle Licari, Northville junior: She qualified on Division 1 vault for last year’s Final and will compete all-around this time after tying for first at her Regional with a 36.325.
Stella Musialowski, Huron Valley United sophomore: She finished Regional runner-up with an all-around of 36.500 that included second places on beam, bars and vault.
Maria Petru, Howell senior: After moving from Division 2 to Division 1 last season, Petru finished fifth all-around at the Final and could contend this weekend coming off a winning Regional all-around of 37.1 with a first place on floor (9.625).
Lia Pinkosky, Canton senior: She also made the jump from Division 2 to Division 1 as a junior, finishing 14th all-around at the Final. She tied Licari for a Regional all-around title last weekend at 36.325 with second places on bars and beam.
Keira Sadler, Linden/Fenton/Lake Fenton junior: She finished Regional runner-up to Petru at 36.375 with a first place on beam (9.35) and will look to improve on her 12th-place all-around in Division 1 a year ago.
Alisa Shiraishi, Novi senior: She finished a close fourth at her Regional with a 36-point all-around that included a first place on beam (9.1) and third place on floor.
Katie Stewart, Salem senior: She finished eighth all-around as a sophomore and 11th last season and should be back in contention coming off a 36.275 Regional all-around that missed tying for first by five hundredths of a point. She won bars (9.475) and vault (9.425) in building that score.
Division 2
Anna Barczyk, Salem senior: She finished sixth in Division 2 all-around last season and heads into this weekend coming off a Regional runner-up finish with a score of 35.700 and first places on vault (8.95) and beam (9.15).
Charlotte Calhoun, Coldwater senior: She went from 15th all-around as a sophomore to second last season and should be back in contention after finishing second at her Regional (36.7) with a first place on bars (9.4).
Alex Cinzori, Plymouth senior: She tied for eighth all-around last season and is coming off her second-straight Regional all-around title, her score of 35.825 including a first place on floor (9.6) and seconds on bars and beam.
Sydney Eiler, Haslett United senior: She qualified on bars for last season’s Final and will return competing all-around after winning her Regional with a 34.625 that included a first place on bars (8.475).
Hailey Hill, Rockford senior: She finished fourth all-around last season and returns after winning her Regional just ahead of Calhoun at 36.975 with a first place on beam (9.825) and top-five finishes on every other apparatus.
Addi Richmond, Jackson Area senior: She’s finished ninth, 10th and fifth all-around over her first three seasons and was third to Hill and Calhoun at their Regional with a 35.925 all-around that included a first place on floor (9.65) and second place on bars.
Sophia Yee, Farmington United junior: She tied for 16th all-around last season and should make a jump after winning her Regional all-around with a 35.575 and first place on beam (9.5).
PHOTO Salem’s Katie Stewart competes on balance beam during the 2023 Finals individual competition. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
Preview: Returning Contenders Lead 2023 Championship Chase
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 10, 2023
Last season saw first-time MHSAA Gymnastics Finals individual champions in both divisions and a first-time-in-a-few-years team title winner – and several 2022 contenders will fill the field again this weekend at White Lake Lakeland.
Reigning team champion Rockford posted the state’s highest Regional score last weekend, and the top three Division 1 all-around finishers from last season’s Final also return along with the 2022 Division 2 runner-up .
Team competition begins at 4 p.m. today, with individual competition in both Divisions 1 and 2 beginning at noon Saturday. For information on purchasing tickets, Finals rotations for both days and Regional results, go to the Gymnastics page – and see below for some of the many contenders to watch:
Team
Hartland: The Eagles claimed their Regional last weekend with a 142.350 and are pursuing their first Finals championship since 1999, after finishing ninth last season. They placed five of the top nine in Division 1 all-around at the Regional, led by fourth-place Delaney Gomolka.
Howell: The Highlanders were runners-up to Hartland last weekend led by the second and third-place finishers in Division 1 all-around – Kayla Forsyth and Maria Petru, respectively, on the way to a score of 142.05. Howell is seeking its first Finals team title and didn’t qualify last season but finished ninth in 2021.
Jackson Area: The 2021 champion finished eighth last season but should be in contention again after placing second to Rockford at last week’s Regional with a 143.525 – the third-highest team Regional score overall. The team placed the second, third and fourth-place Division 1 all-around finishers last week and the runner-up in Division 2.
Farmington United: Farmington is seeking its first team championship since winning back-to-back in 2018 and 2019, and finished 10th last season. The team won its Regional last week with a score of 142.400 and placed the top two in Division 2 all-around, plus received Division 2 wins on vault from Elena Anzivino and balance beam from all-around champ Grace Spencer and placed the top three on uneven parallel bars led by Bella Thibodeau.
Rockford: The Rams emerged from runner-up in 2021 to champion last season and have remained the team to chase with wins at every event this season including the Canton Invitational, which often serves as something of a preview of the Finals. They won their Regional last week by more than three points with a 146.675 led by Division 1 all-around champion Lacey Scheid and Division 2 all-around winner Hailey Hill, who topped a group of five who finished among the top nine in that division.
Salem: The Rocks are seeking a first team championship since 1993 and won their Regional last weekend with a 144.950 – 3½ points better than the field and four points higher than when they placed fifth at last season’s Final. Salem put 13 gymnasts in events last weekend and placed Katie Stewart and Emma Stewart first and second all-around, respectively, in Division 1 and Anna Barczyk second in Division 2.
Division 1
Alyssa Budd, Jackson Area senior: After earning two top-10 Finals event places as a sophomore, she finished 10th all-around in Division 1 last season and should climb again after taking second at last week’s Regional with a 36.650 with second places on all four apparatus.
Kayla Forsyth, Howell senior: She’s an all-around contender after finishing second at her Regional with a 37.125, only 0.375 of a point off the lead and while winning bars (9.45) and tying for first on vault (9.625).
Allie Mattes, Grosse Pointe United sophomore: She debuted at the Finals last season with a 22nd-place all-around finish in Division 1, and she’s set to make a move after winning her Regional last week with a 34.250.
Maria Petru Howell junior: After competing in two events and winning the Division 2 championship on bars last season, Petru moved up to Division 1 and placed third at her Regional last week with a 36.950 that included a first place on beam (9.30).
Lia Pinkosky, Canton junior: She also competed in Division 2 last season, finishing 16th all-around and then making the jump this winter. She finished fourth all-around at her Regional last week at 36.275, keyed by a second place on beam.
Morgan Ruffing, Livonia Red senior: The reigning Division 1 all-around champion truly was an all-around standout at the 2022 Finals with a best event finish of second but top-five places in all four. She finished third at her Regional last week at 36.550 with firsts on floor exercise (9.60), vault (9.675) and bars (9.40).
Lacey Scheid, Rockford senior: She finished second all-around as a sophomore and third last season with first places on beam and floor. She’ll make another run at the championship after winning her Regional with a 38.100 and firsts on all four apparatus – vault (9.60), bars (9.55), beam (9.325) and floor (9.625).
Emma Stewart, Salem senior: She posted a seventh-place all-around finish last winter, and finished second at a loaded Regional last week at 36.600 and with a win on beam (9.375).
Katie Stewart, Salem junior: She finished a place ahead of her sister Emma to win last week’s Regional with a 37.150 and finished a place behind Emma at last year’s Final, eighth all-around.
Alaina Yaney, Grand Ledge senior: Last season’s Division 1 runner-up finished a half point behind Ruffing and won vault. She’ll pursue the championship again coming off a Regional title (37.550) with firsts on floor (9.60) and vault (9.625).
Division 2
Lydia Beaton, Grand Ledge junior: Last season’s Division 2 all-around runner-up missed out on the championship by just 0.175 of a point after winning floor and vault. She won her Regional this time with a 35.700 including first places on bars (8.65), vault (9.15) and floor (9.25).
Charlotte Calhoun, Coldwater junior: She placed 15th all-around in 2022 and enters this weekend off a fifth place and 35.625 from the highest-scoring Regional in Division 2 – where she also won bars (9.325) by nearly half a point.
Alex Cinzori, Plymouth junior: After making the Finals last season on bars and finishing 15th, she advanced this time as a Regional all-around champion with a score of 35.350 and first place on floor (9.625).
Elena Hale, Huron Valley United junior: She also was a single-event qualifier last season, on floor, but will return this weekend competing all-around after a third-place Regional finish with a score of 35.225 and first place on floor (9.425).
Hailey Hill, Rockford junior: She posted the highest Regional all-around score in Division 2 last week at 36.000 with sixth places or higher on every apparatus. She competed at last year’s Finals on floor (tied for 13th), bars and vault.
Ivy McDonald, Lowell senior: She finished 11th all-around as a sophomore and tied for 11th last season, and was fourth all-around at her Regional last week at 35.675 with a co-championship on beam (9.30).
Addi Richmond, Jackson area junior: She tied for ninth all-around as a sophomore and finished 10th last winter, and returns having finished runner-up to Hill at their Regional with a 35.850 and first place on floor (9.55).
Grace Spencer, Farmington United senior: She’ll be in the mix again after tying for eighth all-around last season and coming off a second-straight Regional championship (36.200) that included a first on beam (9.55).
Bella Thibodeau, Farmington United sophomore: She finished second to Spencer at their Regional with an all-around 35.300 and first place on bars (8.75) after competing in that event at last year’s Finals.
Katie Tracey, Rockford sophomore: She finished 18th all-around last season and could move up substantially after placing third at last week’s Regional with a 35.825 and sharing a balance beam championship with McDonald (9.300).
PHOTO From left, Rockford’s Lacey Scheid, Livonia Red’s Morgan Ruffing and Grand Ledge’s Alaina Yaney finished third, first and second, respectively, at last season’s Division 1 all-around competition. All three will compete again this weekend. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)