Things are coming together for the Kentlake High gymnastics team.
The same can be said for Kent-Meridian standout Nora Keith.
Kentlake, behind another solid performance from Lynnsey Thielman, brought home the crown from Wednesday night’s All-City meet at Kent-Meridian High. The Falcons registered a season-best score of 163.15, which put them comfortably ahead of second-place Kent-Meridian (152.25), Kentwood (150.6) and Kentridge (148.5).
It was Kentlake’s fourth-straight All-City crown.
It’s a testament to how far the Kentlake program has come during the last several years, coach Marla Boyd noted.
“A few years ago, we weren’t even fielding enough gymnasts to get a team score at the All-City meet,” Boyd said. “(Winning for a fourth year in a row shows) how far the program has come.”
As she has all season, Kentlake was led by Thielman, who took second in the all-around with a score of 35.85. Thielman’s performance included second-place finishes on the bars (8.65), beam (9.7) and the floor (9.25).
Thielman’s performance, along with a strong showing from Katie Steckler, helped the Falcons finish with a season-best score.
While the Falcons grabbed the top team prize, nothing could stop K-M’s Keith, who once again was at her finest. The K-M senior rolled to the overall all-around crown, racking up a score of 37.5. Keith pulled a sweep of the All-City meet, winning the bars (9.0), beam (9.7), floor (9.4) and vault (9.4).
“She gets excited and just goes for it,” said K-M coach Rachel Watanabe. “She hit on everything tonight and it was fun to watch.”
Keith’s performance combined with a solid showing from freshman Juliana Adams, who took third on the beam, allowed the Royals to establish a new season-high in overall score.
“I think (Adams) is going to be one of our up-and-coming gymnasts,” Watanabe said. “I am really excited. She keeps contributing every meet.”
Jordan Johnson proved to be Kentwood’s top performer, tying for second with Thielman on the floor (9.25) and taking third on bars (8.15) and vault (8.55).
Kentlake 163.15, Kent-Meridian 152.25, Kentwood 150.6, Kentridge 148.5
All-around — 1. Nora Keith, K-M, 37.5; 2. Lynnsey Thielman, KL, 35.85; 3. Katie Steckler, KL, 35.5. Bars — 1. Nora Keith, K-M, 9.0; 2. Lynnsey Thielman, KL, 8.65; 3. Jordan Johnson, KW, 8.15. Beam — 1. Nora Keith, K-M, 9.7; 2. Lynnsey Thielman, KL, 9.6; 3. Juliana Adams, K-M, 9.5. Floor — 1. Nora Keith, K-M, 9.4; 2. Lynnsey Thielman, KL, 9.25; 2 (T) Jordan Johnson, KW, 9.25. Vault — 1. Nora Keith, K-M, 9.4; 2. Katie Steckler, KL, 9.05; 3. Jordan Johnson, KL, 8.55.
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