Valparaiso’s Algozine, Angola’s Nickel Return to Gymnastics Finals

IHSAA LOGOTwo individual state champions and the defending team champion return when the 41st Annual IHSAA Gymnastics State Finals convene this Saturday in Muncie. Opening ceremonies begin at 12:30 pm ET / 11:30 am CT at Ball State’s Worthen Arena with competition in the four events to follow 30 minutes later.

Valparaiso’s Morgan Algozine, who has won four state titles in the last two years including last year’s all-around championship, will look for more hardware on Saturday. The senior won every event but the bars during last week’s Valpo Regional helping the Vikings to their 11th straight team appearance in the state finals.

Also returning is Angola’s Alex Nickel, who won the state bars and beam competition in 2012. The junior will compete as an individual again this year after taking third in the all-around last week at the Valpo Regional.

A total of 28 schools are represented in the meet with eight – Columbus East, Columbus North, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Homestead, Logansport, New Palestine, Portage, Valparaiso – in the running for the team title.

Five of those are returnees from last year when Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger captured its fifth state championship. Joining the Saints once again are top-ranked Portage, which has finished second to Valparaiso the last two weeks, Columbus North and Valparaiso, both tied for No. 3, and unranked Homestead.

Bishop Dwenger will make its 14th consecutive trip as a team after easily outdistancing its competition the last two weekends. The Saints are led by junior Katy Linvill, who won all but the vault in the Huntington Regional last Friday and also won two events and the all-around in the sectional.

Valparaiso, which won it all in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, is expected to contend for top honors as well with a veteran team and coach in Lorie Cook, who has led the Vikings to nine state titles.

Logansport, which is making its first team appearance in the gymnastics state finals after winning the team title each of the last two weeks, is led by freshman Kelley Platt. Platt swept the events at last week’s Lafayette Jeff Regional and won three of four, including the all-around, at the sectional.

The 41st Annual Gymnastics State Finals
Date: Saturday, March 16, 2013.
Time: Opening ceremonies at 12:30 p.m. ET; Competition at 1 pm ET.
Admission: $9.
Site: Worthen Arena, Ball State University, 1699 W. Bethel Avenue, Muncie.

Notables

Teams Represented (28)
Angola, Bloomington North, Carroll (Fort Wayne), Chesterton, Columbus East, Columbus North, Connersville, Crown Point, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Fort Wayne Northrop, Franklin Central, Hamilton, Heritage, Homestead, Huntington North, Jay County, Lafayette Jefferson, Logansport, Michigan City, Morgan Township, New Palestine, Noblesville, Northwestern, Owen Valley, Portage, Richmond, Rushville, Valparaiso.

Competing for Team Championship (8)
Columbus East, Columbus North, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Homestead, Logansport, New Palestine, Portage, Valparaiso.

Returning Teams from 2012 (5)
Columbus North, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Homestead, Portage, Valparaiso.

State Coaches Poll (Competing for Team Championship)
1. Portage; 2. Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger; T3. Columbus North; T3. Valparaiso; 5. Columbus East; 9. New Palestine; 10. Logansport; NR: Homestead.

Former State Champions in the Meet
Morgan Algozine, 12, Valparaiso. 2012 AA, Floor, Vault; 2011 Bars. Alex Nickel, 11, Angola. 2012 Bars, Beam.

State Finals History Among Team Competitors

Columbus East
State Champion: (1) 1990
Runner-Up: (1) 1991
Appearances: (15) 1979, 1983, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2010, 2013

Columbus North
State Champion: (2) 1973, 1974
Runner-Up: (3) 1986, 1987, 2008
Appearances: (17) 1973, 1974, 1977, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger
State Champion: (5) 1995, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2012
Runner-Up: (7) 1993, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2011
Appearances: (18) 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

Homestead
State Champion: (6) 1983, 1984, 1985, 1996, 1999, 2001
Runner-Up: (1) 1989
Appearances: (13) 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2012, 2013

Logansport
First Appearance

New Palestine
Appearances: (3) 2004, 2005, 2013

Portage
State Champion: (1) 1975
Runner-Up: (1) 1973
Appearances: (5) 1973, 1974, 1975, 2012, 2013

Valparaiso
State Champion: (9) 1981, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Runner-Up: (5) 1992, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2012
Appearances: (20) 1977, 1981, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013