Preview: Headliners Lead Gymnastics Finals Return
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 24, 2021
Gymnastics is among a handful of sports that fell just shy of completing a year ago because of COVID-19 – and so many have been looking forward to this weekend’s MHSAA Finals at Rockford High School for more than just these last few months.
A couple of major notes can help us rewind and fast forward after missing out in 2020.
On the team side, Farmington United will compete for its third straight championship and sixth total – which would tie it for most won at a Lower Peninsula or unified (both peninsulas) championship meet.
Individually, Grosse Pointe United senior Cate Gagnier will attempt to close her high school career by adding a Division 1 championship to her title earned as a freshman.
Team competition begins at 4 p.m. Friday, with individual competition in both Divisions 1 and 2 beginning at noon Saturday. The meets both days will be streamed live, with subscription, on MHSAA.tv. Below is a glance at a number of contenders, both team and individual, who could work into the mix this weekend. (Click for more including the Team Finals rotation.)
Team Contenders
Farmington United – With no Finals in 2020, Farmington United retains the title of two-time reigning champion after finishing first in 2018 and 2019. The team is coming off a Regional championship as it edged Bloomfield Hills by less than two tenths of a point with a score of 142.075.
Grand Ledge – The lone record holder with five Lower Peninsula/unified Finals championships after winning six straight from 2008-13, Grand Ledge could find itself in position for its first top-two finish since coming in second in 2014. The Comets scored 145.650 to win their Regional by more than 3½ points.
Jackson Area – The only Regional runner-up on this list, Jackson missed a championship last weekend by five hundredths of a point after posting vault and floor exercise team scores both over 37 on the way to a 146.025 total. Jackson is seeking its first team Finals title.
Livonia Stevenson – The Spartans won their Regional championship by just more than half a point ahead of Livonia Red with a final score of 144.475 and team scores of 36 or higher on vault, floor exercise and balance beam. Stevenson is seeking its first Finals championship as well.
Rockford/Sparta – With a 38.050 team balance beam score, Rockford/Sparta just edged Jackson at their Regional with a final score of 146.075. The program won three straight titles from 2015-17 and finished runner-up to Farmington in 2019.
Division 1
Avery Boyk, Livonia Red junior – Boyk heads to the Finals coming off a Regional title with a 37.725 all-around score. She won the uneven bars with a 9.675 and tied for second on floor exercise (9.45).
Isabella Dyer, Fraser senior – Dyer scored just shy of 36 (35.975) to finish third at her Regional, with two third places and a tie for first on vault (9.3.). She was the Regional all-around runner-up as a junior and sixth in Division 1 at the Finals as a sophomore.
MaKenna Fedrigo, Livonia Stevenson senior – Fedrigo finished third all-around at her Regional for the second-straight season, this time with a 36.825 score that included a runner-up finish (9.3) on vault. She finished 11th in the Division 1 Finals all-around as a sophomore.
Cara Fries, Jackson Area sophomore – Fries, a student at Jackson Lumen Christi, added a third-place Regional all-around finish last weekend (36.775) to her runner-up Division 1 Regional finish a year ago. She won the vault at Rockford with a 9.6.
Cate Gagnier, Grosse Pointe United senior – Gagnier will look at add a second Finals all-around championship to the one she won as a freshman and the third place she earned as a sophomore. She tied for first all-around at her Regional with a 36.4 which included second places on beam (9.125) and floor (9.4).
Abi Grimm, Jackson Area senior – Grimm, who attends Grass Lake and competed all-around at the 2019 Division 1 Finals, just missed earning a return in all-around last season but qualified this time with a 36.8 runner-up score at the Rockford Regional. Her score included second places on beam and floor.
Lizzie Maurer, Grand Ledge senior – The Comets standout posted the highest Division 1 all-around score at any Regional, 37.900, improving from a third-place all-around Regional finish a year ago. She was first on bars (9.35), beam (9.425) and floor (9.75) and second on vault (9.375). Maurer was fourth all-around at the 2019 Division 1 Finals.
Morgan Ruffing, Livonia Red sophomore – She just missed a Regional title last weekend finishing second to Boyk with a 37.275 all-around after also finishing Regional runner-up a year ago. Ruffing was second on beam with a 9.5.
Katelyn O’Brien, Northville senior – Paced in part by a third place on bars (9.325), O’Brien was fourth all-around at her Regional with a 36.75 – the same finish as in 2020 but scoring nearly a point higher. She was the Division 1 Finals all-around runner-up in 2019.
Lacey Scheid, Rockford/Sparta sophomore – Scheid will enter her first Finals coming off an all-around Regional title after scoring 37.300 and winning bars (9.150) and beam (9.675).
Nicola Sellis, South Lyon senior – Sellis finished second on beam (9.1) on the way to placing third all-around (36.075) at her Regional. She qualified for the Finals in bars, beam and floor as a junior.
Maeve Wright, Bloomfield Hills junior – Wright improved from fourth all-around at last year’s Regional to tying Gagnier for the championship last weekend with a 36.4. She won floor (9.6) and beam (9.575)
Alaina Yaney, Grand Ledge sophomore – Yaney finished second all-around only to teammate Maurer, with a 36.45 all-around last weekend. She placed at least fourth on every apparatus with a first place on vault (9.4).
Sherry Zhong, Novi junior – Zhong won the floor at her Regional with a 9.5 to also break 36 points all-around (36.275) and finish fifth last weekend behind the Livonia gymnasts and O’Brien.
Division 2
Maya Anderson, Rockford/Sparta sophomore – Anderson improved from seventh all-around at her Regional last season to third this time with a 36.050. She won bars (8.575) and was second on floor (9.4) and beam (9.375).
Rachel Briggs, Holt senior – A bars qualifier last season, she’ll compete all-around this weekend after finishing fifth with a 35.7 at her Regional that included a second place on bars (8.95).
Nicole Graham, Huron Valley United senior – Graham has qualified for her fourth Finals all-around after finishing 17th in Division 2 as a freshman and third as a sophomore. She repeated as Regional runner-up last weekend, this time with a 36.525 that included wins on floor (9.35) and beam (9.6) and second places on vault (9.2) and bars (tied – 8.375).
Sarah Litz, Fowlerville junior – A Finals Division 2 all-around qualifier as a freshman and sophomore, Litz earned another opportunity with a second-place Regional finish last weekend. Her 35.875 included second places on floor (9.35) and beam (9.225).
Ivy McDonald, Lowell sophomore – McDonald improved from fourth at last season’s Regional to second all-around last week with a 36.125 and third places on beam and bars.
Emma Olds, Grand Ledge junior – After qualifying only on beam last season, Olds won bars (9.0) and vault (9.175) to finish first all-around at her Regional with a 35.95.
Tess Piper, Holt senior – Last season’s Regional all-around champion missed a repeat by just two tenths of a point, finishing fourth last weekend with a 35.75 including a win on floor with a 9.45.
Raimi Soerries, Fowlerville junior – Soerries was a bars qualifier last season but will compete all-around after finishing third at her Regional with a 35.775 that included a win on beam (9.3).
Sydney Schultz, Farmington United senior – The sixth-place finisher at the 2019 Finals all-around in this division, Schultz repeated as Regional champ last week with a 36.7 including first places on vault (9.5) and bars (8.975) and a second place on floor (9.225).
Ella Seale, Plymouth senior – Seale won her Regional all-around by a full point at 36.375 with first places on bars (8.925) and beam (9.475). She also was the Regional champ as a junior and took 18th at the Finals all-around as a freshman and tied for 17th as a sophomore.
Apryl Smith, Linden/Fenton/Lake Fenton senior – Smith, a student at Linden, finished sixth at her Regional with a 35.675, less than three tenths of a point from winning, and she was second at her Regional a year ago. She also competed in the Finals all-around as a sophomore.
Anna Tracey, Rockford/Sparta junior – Another Rams standout, she won last week’s Regional with a 36.550 all-around that included a first place on beam (9.85) and second on bars (8.55). She had finished third all-around at her Regional as a sophomore.
PHOTO: Grosse Pointe United senior Cate Gagnier competes on balance beam during the 2019 MHSAA Division 1 Finals. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
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.)