Niwot gymnasts win regionals

Mission accomplished. In a complete team effort, the Niwot High School girls gymnastics squad met this past week’s goal of winning their regional meet, which propels the Cougars into the 4A state championship meet Friday and Saturday, Nov. 3 and 4, at Thornton High School.

The Cougars scored 176.15 points to edge out Roosevelt’s 173.30 points behind all-around champion Maeve Flentie and individual apparatus winners Heidi Herbert (bars), Kylee Schlepp (vault) and Lilly O’Neill (beam). Juniors Flentie and Claire Vardas combined with O’Neill for a sweep of the top three places on the beam.

The team victory in the regional meet qualifies the entire Niwot squad to compete in Friday’s team competition.

“It wasn’t our prettiest meet,” Coach Marisa Purcell admitted. “We started off really strong and then had some hiccups on the bars and then actually didn’t do really well on floor. But we kept working and finished the meet and accomplished our goal [reaching state].

“I feel like we haven’t hit our highest score yet. We really haven’t hit six girls on all four events, so they have the potential to put up a really big score. It’s really about consistency and each girl being able to do what they need to do, taking responsibility for their part for the team.”

Flentie did her part in winning the all-around competition, finishing in the top five in each of the four events. Her 35.825 points edged out Roosevelt High School’s Alea Piddington, who totaled 35.325, and Niwot teammate Lilly O’Neill’s 34.750.

“She (Flentie) did great. It was just great to see her consistency and trying to fight through,” Purcell said of her top all-around performer throughout the season. “I don’t think her performances were exactly the way she wanted them, but she never gave up. She just fought through each skill and did the best for the team. Then, ending up becoming the region champion is great for her.”

Another key performance came from Schlepp, the defending state champion on the vault. The sophomore posted an impressive 9.45 to win the regional meet and appears to be back on track as she looks to defend her individual state title.

“I think it’s encouraging and positive for her and to see her build that confidence back up. That was exciting to watch her do her thing,” Purcell said.

The Cougars will enter Friday’s team competition having scored the third highest team score during the three regional meets this past week. Palmer Ridge High School, a perennial challenger for the 4A title, won its region with a score of 183.525. Standley Lake High School took its regional title with a score of 177.757.

“Based on the scores and how the teams’ scores have improved throughout the year, first really should go to Palmer Ridge,” Purcell predicted. “(The teams) two through five, we’re all just a few tenths apart, so it’s really going to be about who shows up. It’s going to be a tough meet.”

A state championship by Palmer Ridge would end the four-year reign by Elizabeth High School in 4A. The last time Elizabeth didn’t win the title was in 2018. The winner – Niwot.

The team and all-around competitions will be held on Friday, Nov. 3. On each apparatus, the top 15 finishers from Friday will advance to Saturday’s competition for individual titles.

“We look at it as team first. Friday is really our state championship,” Purcell explained. “We do it for our team first. We do the best we can do and then hope that our best will be able to bring us somewhere at the top as a team, which ultimately will put us in those finals on Saturday individually. After the team, our goal is to get all six girls we have entered on each event into those individual finals.”