Moore wins three state gymnastics championships

MUNCIE — Prior to Saturday’s 50th Annual Gymnastics State finals, the IHSAA honored some of the previous 49 all-around champions who showed up to be part of the festivities.

Five hours later, Emily Moore etched her name alongside those previous 49 winners. The Columbus North senior won not only the beam and floor events, but took home the all-around with a score of 38.275.

“I’ve been working hard the past four years, and I’ve been getting closer every time,” Moore said. “I was really excited about it because I’ve been working for it for the past four years, and to win it my senior year, it’s really exciting.”

Columbus North’s Emily Moore competes on the balance beam in the IHSAA gymnastics state finals at Worthen Arena in Muncie, Ind., Saturday, March 12, 2022.

Mike Wolanin | The Republic

Moore and her Bull Dog teammates began the day on the beam. She won that event with a 9.825, breaking her own school record and defending the beam title she won last year.

“I’m just happy that I got beam right out of the way at the start of it,” Moore said. “I could kind of relax after I was finished with beam.”

Next up was floor, and Moore was once again at her best. She scored a 9.725, and that held up the rest of the day.

“I kind of knew that I had a shot at winning floor since my floor scores have been the best this year,” Moore said.

Moore also tied for fifth on the vault with a 9.55. She would have won the bars if not for a fall on her mount, and she finished finished 12th on that event with a 9.175.

“I couldn’t be more proud of what she did today,” North co-coach Bob Arthur said. “To start off on beam and get a school record, she started her all-around off on the toughest piece of equipment and started well. Floor, she rocked that solid. Uncharacteristically, she had the fall on bars, which I honestly thought might be one of her stronger events, and it would have been had she stayed on.”

Moore is the third gymnast from North to win the all-around, joining Robin Loheide Sweany (1986 and 1988) and Claire Thompson (2016).

“She’s very deserving of winning all-around this year,” North co-coach Kaitlyn Rediker said. “She’s put in the work the past four years, and she just went out there and had fun today. Her goal was to win beam like she did last year and win the all-around, and winning floor was just an added bonus.”