The gymnastics state finals are taking place this weekend at Milford, with the team competition taking place Friday and the individual titles being decided on Saturday.
Here are some teams and individuals to watch from the Metro Detroit area.
Teams
Farmington United
Farmington United is coming off a regional championship that saw the team post a 143.500, while qualifying four seniors for all-around individual competitions at the state final.
Mikayla Dicks continued her strong season, scoring 9.625 on bars and 9.55 on vault, the best marks in Region 4. Dicks also performed the second-best floor routine on her way to a 36.9 all-around score.
“She had a good meet,” coach Jeff Dwyer said. “She had one tough event, but she’s still that strong that she finished second.”
Aubrey Woodman impressed by posting the best bars score in Division 2 competitions while finishing top five on the other three events, powering her to first all-around with a 35.7.
Vanessa Iacoban and Ayla Hougard were the team’s final all-around qualifiers, finishing third and fourth, respectively, in Division 2.
With an experienced roster, Farmington United is pushing for its fourth straight top-three finish at the state final.
“Once you get to states, you just get to go all out and see what happens,” Dwyer said. “So that’s the game plan.”
Hartland
Defending champion Hartland continued its winning ways, dominating Region 2 for its fourth consecutive regional title. The team put up the highest score of any program at regionals with a 147.750, behind a strong trio of all-around performers.
Seniors Alexis Fundich and Kate Gostlin finished first and second individually, followed by junior Olivia Flatt in third.
Fundich led the way, posting the best score on bars and floor to take first by over a point with an all-around score of 37.95. Gostlin finished in the top five across all four events, good for a score of 36.6, highlighted by a first-place result on vault with a 9.8.
Flatt tied with Fundich for the best beam routine, scoring a 9.5, while also posting the second-best score on both vault and floor on her way to a 36.375. With their impressive results, the three qualified for the individual championships as all-around competitors.
The team also has depth, with junior Olivia Terrell and freshman Carly Atkeson providing top 10 all-around results.
Hartland will be in the mix again at Milford, as it chases back-to-back state titles.
Brighton-Howell
Brighton-Howell qualified for the state final after finishing second behind Hartland in Region 2 with a team score of 140.975. The program, which is in its second season reunited after a decade-long split, looks to top last season’s eighth-place finish.
At regionals the team was led by seniors Joelle Yakimow and Adriana Siuru, with the pair qualifying as all-around gymnasts in individual competitions. Yakimow’s 9.35 floor routine powered her to a 35.15 all-around score, good for fifth in Division 2.
Siuru was right behind in sixth, posting the best vault score with an 8.85 on the way to a 35.05.
Junior Zoe Cerda was the team’s final all-around qualifier after finishing in the top 10 on all four events, putting her fifth individually in Division 1 with a 34.975.
The team also got strong results from senior Emma Taucher and freshman Nina Daavettila. Taucher scored a 9.375 with her floor routine, while Daavettila took fourth on vault.
“We’re very fortunate … we really have a lot of girls that are scoring in the top consistently,” coach Tracie Richards said. “That helps us lead our team scores.”
Plymouth
Plymouth is making its third consecutive state final appearance after coming up just short of a regional championship, finishing runner-up to Northville in Region 3 by just over two-tenths of a point with a team score of 141.350.
Senior captain Isabel Galindo was the team’s front-runner, finishing first in Division 2 all-around competitions with a 35.2. Galindo posted the best vault score of the meet at 9.175, along with the second best on beam with a 8.975.
Sophomore Mia Funelas’ improvement was on full display with a 34.350 all-around score. Funelas finished first on bars, third on vault and eighth on floor to put her third individually in Division 2.
Plymouth posted the best team score on bars, led by Funelas and another sophomore, Ava Gurung. Gurung was dominant, scoring a 9.25 to win the event by nearly half a point.
Junior Abby Tiplady finished 12th all-around in Division 2 with a 33.425 and qualified to compete as an individual on floor, posting the sixth-best routine with a 9.050.
The program looks for its third straight finish in the top half of the state at Milford.
Individuals
Stella Musialowski, Huron Valley United, senior: Musialowski led the program to its eighth consecutive state final appearance, scoring at least a 9.125 on all four events to post the best all-around score in Region 4 at 37.225. She looks to help Huron Valley United finish in the top 10.
Michelle Walker, Northville, junior: Walker was instrumental in Northville’s regional title, posting a 9.5 on floor and a 9.3 on vault, the best marks in Region 3. Walker’s 35.550 all-around score was the second best in Division 1, as she looks to improve on her 15th-place finish individually at last season’s state final.
Nevaeh Smith, Livonia Red, junior: Smith helped Livonia Red grab the third and final qualifying spot in Region 3, marking the program’s first state final appearance since 2023. Smith was consistent, finishing in the top eight on all four events on her way to the fourth best all-around score at 34.6.
Gwen Boland, Salem, senior: Boland qualified for her first individual appearance at the state final with the fifth-best all-around score in Region 3 at 34.250. Strong bar and vault routines were key for Boland, who posted the second-best routine on bars with a 8.45, along with the sixth-best vault score at 8.675.
Nathan Korp is a freelance writer.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Metro Detroit gymnastics: Teams, individuals to watch at state finals
Reporting by Nathan Korp, Special to The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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