TACOMA — The Port Angeles gymnastics girls went to state with the goal of finishing at least sixth and that they did, coming in sixth at the 2A/3A State Gymnastics meet at the Tacoma Dome exhibition hall.
Out of the eight schools at the state meet, only three of them were 2A, so Port Angeles was going up against five 3A schools. The Roughrider girls ended up with a score of 152.2, bettering their district championship score of 148.8.
Port Angeles also had a goal of getting at least one of its competitors to the finals on Friday, and accomplished this as well. Cassii Middlestead made the finals in the beam with a score of 9.0, finishing 15th during the preliminaries on Thursday. The following day, she did better with a 9.1, giving her a ninth-place finish out of 96 competitors.
“She executed her routine with strength, grace and poise and we could not be more proud of her,” said assistant coach Jackie Mangano.
Maya Wharton, competing in her final event for Port Angeles High School, scored on a 9.125 on the floor exercise, giving her a 33rd-place finish. Sydney Miner also had a solid 8.475 on the floor exercise, good for 56th.
In the vault event, top scorers were freshman Aiesha LaTourette with an 8.05, good for 56th, and Lum Fu 8.0, good for 58th. Wharton also took home her personal best score of 7.35 on the bars. Laura Rooney also acheived a personal best bar score of 6.0. Halle Coventon scored her personal best of 7.05 on the balance beam.
Port Angeles’ best event was the bars, in which the Roughriders finished sixth. They finished seventh in the beam and floor and eighth in the vault.
This was the final meet for Wharton, Nikaila Price and Laura Rooney. Rooney will be headed to Saint Martin’s University in the fall to study physical therapy. Price intends on studying chemistry at the University of Idaho and Wharton will be pursuing a civil engineering degree at a four-year univeristy.
Sequim gymnasts both achieved personal best scores on the floor exercise as well. Sequim sophomore Elizabeth Sweet scored 8.325 while freshman Lesae Pfeffer scored 7.625.
2A/3A State Gymnastics meet.
Tacoma
Team Scores
Holy Names, first, 176.725; Kamiakin, second, 173.825; Lake Washington, third, 172.050; Mount Spokane, fourth, 165.725; Columbia River, fifth, 159.875; Port Angeles, sixth, 152.2; Sehome, seventh 150.45; Timberline, eighth, 139.975.
The Port Angeles and Sequim gymnasts who competed at the 2A/3A state gymnastics meet Thursday and Friday. From left, back row, are Cassandra Middlestead, Maya Wharton, Nikaila Price, Lum Fu and Aiesha LaTourette. From left, front row, are Lesae Pfeffer (Sequim), Laura Rooney, Karlie Goochnour, Sydney Miner, Cassidy Taburro, Halle Coventon and Elizabeth Sweet (Sequim).
