Columbus North High School

March 2, 2024 - Columbus North fell four-tenths of a point short of Bloomington North in last week’s Sectional gymnastics meet. The finish was even closer at Friday’s Regional meet, but this time the decision went the other direction as Columbus North edged the Cougars 107.775-107.575 to earn their 21st Regional title in program history and advance to next weekend’s State Finals for the 28th consecutive season. Columbus North ranks second in Indiana history for consecutive Gymnastics State Finals appearances, trailing only Valparaiso, who this afternoon will try to qualify for their 30th consecutive trip to the Finals. Columbus North trailed Bloomington North by one-tenth of a point after two rotations, the Uneven Bars and the Balance Beam. A very strong rotation on Floor Exercise had the Cougars in the driver’s seat when the Dogs took the mat for their floor routines. They answered with a solid rotation of their own, but still trailed the Cougars by six-tenths of a point heading to the fourth and final rotation. The Dogs outscored the Cougars 27.45 to 26.65 on Vault to claim the team title and punch their ticket to the State Finals. Their 107.775 was their season-best team score, bettering a 106.95 performance at Columbus East in January. The Dogs were once again led by Reese Euler, who finished second in the All-Around after finishing first on the Vault (9.45) and the Uneven Bars (9.575), sixth on the Balance Beam, and second on the Floor Exercise. Hannah Perry faltered a bit on the first two rotations, finishing 15th on the Uneven Bars and T-18 on the Balance Beam before rallying for a T-9 finish on Floor and a fifth-place finish on the Vault to earn an eighth-place finish in the All-Around. Ellie McIntier was tenth on the Vault and Arwyn Tian finished seventh on the Balance Beam. Emerson Chambers was sixth on the Uneven Bars, 16th on the Floor Exercise, and tied for 33rd on the Balance Beam. Laney Acton was 14th on the Balance Beam, 15th on the Floor Exercise, and 30th on the Vault. The IHSAA State Gymnastics Finals will be held on March 9 at Worthen Arena on the campus of Ball State University, beginning at 11:30 am. The Bull Dogs finished fourth in the 2023 State Finals.