What a difference a few days can make.
The Columbus East gymnasts turned in their best score of the season after a disappointment in Saturday’s Bloomington South Invitational to cruise past Connersville 106.15 to 91.95 in Wednesday’s dual meet.
“We didn’t do very well over at Bloomington on Saturday. It was an eye-opener and a lesson to be learned. That score (99.825) has been posted all over the gym and in the locker room since Saturday,” East coach Nancy Kirshman said. “We had a heart to heart, and us coaches can only do so much. I’m glad they had a nice night. They corrected some things. We did a nice job, and they should feel good about themselves.”
Olympians top gymnast Taylen Lane turned in a big performance and won the all-around competition with a 36.5. Elise LaSell finished second (34.4), Reagan Mount took third (34.15) and Makyna Mullins was fourth (33.8).
“We did really good — I’m so proud of everyone. We all came together and did what we can, and it really showed today,” Lane said. “I’m really happy about my scores tonight. I feel like I’ve started to come together more in perfecting each and every skill.”
East swept all four places in each of the four events. On the vault, Lane claimed first with a 9.2, Mount and Cami Warren tied for second (8.75) and LaSell was fourth (8.65).
Mullins captured first on the bars with a score of 8.7. Lane finished second (8.65), Mount took third (8.35) and LaSell was fourth (7.9).
Lane finished first on the beam with a 9.2. Mount finished second (8.7), LaSell took third (8.65) and Mullins was fourth (8.2).
Lane also picked up first place on the floor with a score of 9.45. LaSell was second (9.2), Mullins finished third (8.55) and Mount was fourth (8.35).
“You don’t want to have that disaster on Saturday, and that’s just not fun for anybody. They’ve worked too hard to have done that to themselves, so that was a lesson we learned,” Kirshman said. “We’ll move forward, and we had a good night tonight. It was a fun night, so you can go home smiling and feeling good about yourself.”
