Six teams return from last year’s field of state finalists including defending state champion and top-ranked Chesterton along with three individual state champions as the 47th Annual IHSAA Gymnastics State Finals are contested Saturday at Noblesville High School for the first time.
The meet begins at 12:30 p.m. with the Opening Ceremonies, then competition starts at 1 p.m.
General admission tickets are $10 per person and available to purchase at Gate 5 at Noblesville High School on Saturday. Pre-school children will be admitted at no charge.
Doors will open to spectators at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, one hour prior to the Opening Ceremonies.
Defending Team Champion
The Trojans will be gunning for a repeat performance under coach Dawn Matthys with the hopes of carrying home the state championship trophy for the fifth time in school history (1993, 2000, 2002, 2018).
Defending Individual State Champions
Three individuals who stood at the top of the podium last year return this weekend seeking more state championship glory.
Sophia Hunzelman, Chesterton junior, is the two-time defending all-around champ. With another title on Saturday, she would become the first gymnast to win three all-around crowns. She is currently one of nine individuals with two to her credit in tournament history with Valparaiso’s Angie Cook the only other competitor to win in her first two years of high school in 1993 and 1994.
Hunzelman is the only athlete with multiple titles this weekend having won the 2017 bars and last year’s beam but Trojans teammate Jordan Bush was the state champ on the floor exercise a year ago and gives Chesterton a formidable lineup. The senior earned last year’s crown with a 9.825 and finished fourth in the all-around competition. She won the all-around at the Valparaiso regional last Saturday.
Also among this year’s defending state champions is Whitney McKeon of Valparaiso. The senior shared the beam title with Hunzelman at 9.70 in 2018 and finished fifth in the floor exercise and the all-around. She placed second in the beam to Hunzelman on Saturday. In fact, Bush, McKeon and Huzelman placed one-two-three in the all-around in the loaded Valpo regional last Saturday.
– Homestead senior Catherine Milne and Columbus North freshman Emily Moore both won their respective all-around awards at the sectional and regional rounds.
– Five schools in the field have strung together multiple state finals appearances led by seventh-ranked Columbus North making its 13th consecutive trip as a team. Homestead follows with five straight and Chesterton and Columbus East advancing to championship Saturday for the fourth year in a row. Two of the longest streaks in state history were snapped as Valparaiso did not advance out of the sectional for the first time since 2001 while Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger did not advance out of the regional for the first time since 1999 ending its record of state finals appearances at 19 years in a row.
State Tournament Participation
One hundred fifteen athletes representing 23 different schools will compete in this weekend’s event. Sectionals began two weeks ago with 77 schools and 515 participants.
Former State Champions in Meet (3)
Sophia Hunzelman (11) Chesterton (2017, 2018 All-Around, 2017 Bars co-champion, 2018 Beam co-champion).
Jordan Bush (12) Chesterton (2018 Floor champion).
Whitney McKeon (12) Valparaiso (2018 Beam co-champion).
Schools Represented (23)
Angola, Bloomington North, Carroll (Fort Wayne), Chesterton, Columbus East, Columbus North, Crown Point, DeKalb, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran, Fort Wayne Wayne, Harrison (West Lafayette), Homestead, Lafayette Jefferson, Lake Central, McCutcheon, New Castle, Northwestern, Pendleton Heights, Portage, Richmond, Seymour, Valparaiso.
Competing for Team Championship (9)
Angola, Carroll (Fort Wayne), Chesterton, Columbus East, Columbus North, Homestead, Lake Central, Portage, Richmond.
Returning Teams from 2018 (6)
Carroll (Fort Wayne), Chesterton, Columbus East, Columbus North, Homestead, Portage.
Consecutive State Finals Appearances
13: Columbus North
5: Homestead
4: Chesterton, Columbus East
3: Carroll (Fort Wayne)
First-Time State Finals Appearances
Angola, Lake Central
State Finals Drought-Breaker
Richmond will be represented in the state finals team competition for the third time overall but first since 1980.
Sectional Champions (6)
Angola, Chesterton, Columbus North, Homestead, McCutcheon, Richmond.
Regional Champions (3)
Chesterton, Carroll (Fort Wayne), Columbus North.
Sectional All-Around Champions
Makenna King (9) South Central (Union Mills)
Julie-ann Stephany (11) Lafayette Jefferson
Ashtyn Evans (9) Angola
Catherine Milne (12) Homestead
Emily Moore (9) Columbus North
Elizabeth Ruger (9) Richmond
Regional All-Around Champions
Jordan Bush (12) Chesterton
Catherine Milne (12) Homestead
Emily Moore (9) Columbus North
