MUNCIE — Columbus fell just short of netting a second straight state gymnastics team champion, but the city did produce three individual champions Saturday.
Columbus North’s Ashley Holliday (vault) and Claire Thompson (beam) and Columbus East’s Adi Minor (bars) made up three-fourths of the event winners in the Indiana High School Athletic Association meet at Ball State’s Worthen Arena.
Thompson, who won both the bars and beam on her way to the all-around title last year, defended her beam title with a 9.775. She finished second in the all-around to lead the Bull Dogs to a runner-up team finish. Columbus East, meanwhile, finished sixth in team results.
“Coming up last on beam, our last event, it was super nerve-racking,” Thompson said. “Everyone was just saying, ‘Do what you know how to do.’ I’m like, ‘OK.’ It’s incredible. Two years in a row, you don’t think that will happen again.”
Minor gave Columbus its third consecutive title on the bars after scoring a 9.65. Holliday won the event two years ago.
On Saturday, bars was the first event that Minor did. She skipped the vault because of lingering effects from a sprained ankle.
“I knew North still had to go up on bars, so I had no idea (the score would hold),” Minor said. “But I’m excited.”
Holliday, who finished third in the all-around and won the Mildred Ball Mental Attitude Award, put up a 9.75 on the vault. She finished second on the event last year with a 9.775, so she didn’t know if her score would hold.
“I knew it was a really solid score, but I also knew there were a lot of really talented gymnasts here,” Holliday said. “So it could have gone to anybody.”
