By RICHIE HALL
Reporter Sports Editor
The Noblesville gymnastics team finally achieved two elusive goals on Saturday at the Lafayette Jefferson sectional – both of which the Millers had been chasing for four years.
First, Noblesville broke the 100-point barrier for the first time since 2014. The Millers scored 100.375 points, placing them fifth in the sectional. McCutcheon won with 107.45, followed by Northwestern and Harrison; those three teams advance to next Saturday’s regional at Valparaiso.
Noblesville will have someone at Valpo, too. Freshman Makayla Kauzlick placed sixth in both the balance beam and the vault, which qualified her for the regional in both individual events. It’s the first time since 2014 that the Millers will have representation at the regional level.
It was a satisfying and accomplished day for Noblesville. The Millers had to deal with injuries throughout the season, which seems to be a recurring theme for Noblesville – almost to the point where the Millers seem star-crossed. But everything came together on Saturday.
“I am so proud as their coach,” said Noblesville coach Jody Ramey. The coach said the team had worked to get their injuries rehabilitated, and also “prove that they are still able to meet that 100 mark, which we did today.”
The highest score of the day went to Kauzlick on the vault, where she flipped her way to a 9.225. Her beam score was an 8.75, where she performed a solid routine with a “beam stick,” meaning no falls from the beam. In the all-around, Kauzlick placed eighth with a score of 35.375.
“I think I did really good,” said Kauzlick. “I definitely want to improve on my other events, but I’m very proud of myself.”
“She’s a freshman, so she has so much potential,” said Ramey. “I have high hopes and great potential for her in the future.”
Noblesville had its highest team score on the vault with 26.125 points, but the floor exercise was up there, too. The Millers did outstanding on floor with 26.050 points. Kauzlick scored an 8.90, while junior Devyn Palmer scored 8.80.
“Floor did awesome, and what a way to start the meet,” said Ramey. “One of our things for floor has been increasing our value, especially in our leaps and jumps, which helps gain bonus for us. And that played a big part in our routines.”
Palmer’s floor score was her highest of the four events, while her other three teammates all had their highest score in the vault. After Kauzlick, sophomore OIivia Mangin scored 8.55 on the vault, with sophomore Grace Kwiatkowski scoring an 8.30.
Next up is Valparaiso, where the meet will begin at 2 p.m. (1 p.m. Central Time). Northwest Indiana is traditionally strong in gymnastics, and Ramey wants Kauzlick to gain the experience of seeing what that level of competition is like.
“The success of being able to get out of sectionals is awesome in itself,” said Ramey. “But I want her to be able to gain the experience of what’s around her and what she can do to come into next season and improve herself even more.”
Team scores: McCutcheon 107.45, Northwestern 106.15, Harrison 105.00, Logansport 101.10, Noblesville 100.375, North Montgomery 98.525, Lafayette Jefferson 94.775, Western 86.725, Southmont 78.60, Crawfordsville 57.75, Turkey Run 39.425, Tri-County 34.625, Lafayette Central Catholic 34.20, North Miami 30.125, Peru 16.95.
All-around scores: 8. Makayla Kauzlick 35.375, T17. Devyn Palmer 32.475, 19. Olivia Mangin 32.00, 22. Grace Kwiatkowski 31.00.
Uneven bars: T11. Kauzlick 8.50, 20. Kwiatkowski 7.775, T21. Palmer 7.75, 26. Mangin 7.25.
Balance beam: 6. Kauzlick 8.75, 21. Mangin 7.85, 25. Palmer 7.575, 33. Kwiatkowski 6.95.
Floor exercise: 11. Kauzlick 8.90, 12. Palmer 8.80, 20. Mangin 8.35, 27. Kwiatkowski 7.975.
Vault: 6. Kauzlick 9.225, T18. Mangin 8.55, 24. Palmer 8.35, T26. Kwiatkowski 8.30.
ABOVE: Noblesville’s Makayla Kauzlick finished sixth in the vault and balance beam, qualifying for the Valparaiso regional in both events.
BELOW: Noblesville’s Devyn Palmer performs a routine on the uneven bars during the Lafayette Jefferson gymnastics sectional on Saturday. The Millers placed fifth as a team. (Richie Hall)
