Gymnastics: B-CC does it again

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Gymnastics: B-CC does it again

by James Peters | Staff Writer

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Bethesda-Chevy Chase High’s quest for a second straight state gymnastics meet title last Wednesday couldn’t have started off much worse, but the finish was exactly what the Barons wanted.

Paced by its superior depth and its resiliency, B-CC regrouped in time to hold off runner-up Walter Johnson to retain their crown.

The tough start began before the meet officially started as key all-around performer Steph Golob broke and dislocated her toe during warm-ups. Then the Barons had five girls fall during their first event rotation on the balance beam. Despite those mishaps, B-CC edged Walter Johnson, 176.45-173.7, and cruised past Anne Arundel County entrants Chesapeake (152.7) and Broadneck (149.1) at Arundel High School in Gambrills.

‘‘It would have been easy to give up, but the girls worked really hard,” said Barons coach Dana Creager, whose squad has won three state championships since 2004. ‘‘Ebony Walters and senior captain Katie Pelton both had a great meet, which really helped pull us through. Winning the state championships two years in a row is a testament to every girl on the team this year. They worked hard at every practice this year and in every single meet to compete with the best routines possible.”

Walters, a Level 10 gymnast who competes for MarVa Teens in Rockville, continued the previous week’s dominance at the county meet, where she won the all-around, by capturing the state all-around title with a score of 38.25. Walter Johnson’s Shannon Mitchell (37.9), Blake’s Danae Johnson (37.3) and Nicole Williams (37.05), Springbrook’s Hannah Brande (36.7) and Sherwood’s Alexa Banda (36.325) placed second through sixth, respectively. Johnson had won the previous two state all-around crowns.

Walters, a sophomore, wrested away Johnson’s stranglehold on first place by capturing the vault (9.875), balance beam (9.55) and floor exercise (9.575) titles. She also placed fifth on the uneven bars with a score of 9.25. Pelton placed in top six of three of the four events, taking fourth on the uneven bars (9.3) and the balance beam (9.275) and fifth on vault (9.2).

‘‘I am so happy for the girls and that all of their hard work paid off in the end,” Creager said. ‘‘Winning the division, county and state, and scoring over 180 in three meets this year, I don’t think we could have asked for a better season.”

Walter Johnson freshman Shannon Mitchell moved up a spot from the county meet by placing first on the uneven bars (9.6), second on the balance beam (9.4), third on vault (9.65) and sixth on the floor exercise (9.25). Johnson finished her stellar career with finishes of second on vault (9.85) and third on the balance beam (9.3) and on the floor exercise (9.45).