Phone: 317-846-6601
Fax: 317-575-4244 Website: www.ihsaa.org
Blake Ress, Commissioner
_____________________________________________________________________________
March
21, 2009
VALPARAISO WINS RECORD SEVENTH STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
Senior Kellie
Kidd won three individual events and the all-around competition to help the
Valparaiso girls gymnastics team capture its second
consecutive state championship at Perry Meridian High School.
The first
place finish was the Vikings state record seventh title which broke a tie with
Homestead. Their other state titles were won in 1981, 1991, 1994, 1997 and
1998. Lorie Cook has been the coach for each of them.
Valparaiso
(113.575) outdistanced Roncalli (110.6) for the top
spot with Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger (110.5) third and
Columbus North and Hagerstown (110.15) tied for fourth. Chesterton (108.6) was
sixth, Fort Wayne Snider (102.7) was seventh and Lawrence Central (101.225)
eighth.
Kidd
repeated as the all-around winner accumulating 38.85 points in the four events
repeating as balance beam champion (9.60) and also won the title in the floor
exercise (9.750) and the vault (9.80). She finished second in the uneven bars
with a 9.7. Kidd becomes just the seventh individual in state tournament
history to win at least six state gymnastics titles.
Valpo
also received strong performances from freshman Steffanie
Long who placed third in the floor exercise and senior Emily Holmen who
finished fifth in the bars and seventh in the beam.
Fremont
senior Kayla Heator scored a 9.725 in the uneven bars
to become the first gymnastics champion in her school’s history. She finished
third in the all-around with 37.875 points.
Lawrence
Central junior Alixandra Richey finished second in
the all-around 38.450 behind a second place finish in the beam and a fourth
place in the vault.
Center
Grove senior Katelyn Fernandes finished second in the
vault with a 9.775 falling short of winning her fourth consecutive state title
in the sport. She would have become the first in state tournament history to
win four straight in any event.
37th Annual IHSAA
Gymnastics State Finals
March 21, 2009
Perry Meridian High
School, Indianapolis
Final Team Scores
1. |
Valparaiso |
113.575 |
2. |
Roncalli |
110.600 |
3. |
Fort Wayne
Bishop Dwenger |
110.500 |
T4. |
Columbus
North |
110.150 |
T4. |
Hagerstown |
110.150 |
6. |
Chesterton |
108.600 |
7. |
Fort Wayne
Snider |
102.700 |
8. |
Lawrence
Central |
101.225 |
State Champions
Uneven Bars – Kayla Heator, 12, Fremont, 9.725.
Balance Beam –
Kellie Kidd, 12, Valparaiso, 9.600.
Floor Exercise – Kellie Kidd, 12, Valparaiso, 9.750.
Vault – Kellie Kidd, 12, Valparaiso, 9.800.
All-Around – Kellie Kidd, 12, Valparaiso, 38.850.
DWENGER’S ALICIA ROCHE NAMED MENTAL ATTITUDE AWARD WINNER
Members of
the IHSAA Executive Committee selected Alicia Roche of Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger High School as this year’s winner of the Mildred M.
Ball Mental Attitude Award.
Roche, who
was nominated by her principal and coach, was determined to have best demonstrated
mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability among all seniors
during the meet.
Academically,
Roche has achieved a 4.3 GPA on a 4.0 scale taking a significant number of
honors and AP courses during her four years. She is undecided on college at
this time but intends to study Pre-Medicine.
She has
been a state finalist all four years and was named an All-State performer the
last two seasons. In addition to gymnastics, Roche has been involved in NHS, a
Peer Mediator, a member of the Key Club and Spirit Club. She has also
volunteered numerous hours to her parish and the Hartford Hospital.
She is the
second Bishop Dwenger gymnast to earn the mental
attitude joining Laura Szczepanski in 1996.
She is the
daughter of Jamie and Christine Roche.
Following
the meet, Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the corporate partner of all IHSAA
tournament events, presented a check for $1,000 to Bishop Dwenger
High School in the name of Roche.
The mental
attitude award is named in honor of the former IHSAA assistant commissioner who
served the Association from 1977 to 1997. During her career, Ball administered
the state gymnastics tournament among other sports and also oversaw the
licensing and training of all contest officials in the state of Indiana.
VSN MEANS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY
Visit our friends at Visual Sports Network, the IHSAA’s official photographer for all state championship events and one of the leading action photographers in the Midwest. VSN, which was on site Saturday, has captured hundreds of images from this year’s State Finals and will have them ready for viewing and purchase beginning Monday.