YOUR AD HERE »

Summit High gymnastics strong at league meet

BRYCE EVANS
summit daily news

In a long, grueling day in the gym, the Summit High gymnastics team battled through fatigue to post an impressive team score of 157.6 at the Jeffco League meet at Standly Lake High School Saturday.

“Days like this make it very hard,” SHS head coach Lauren Wright said.

The Tigers, after having to wake at 5 a.m. to travel that morning, had long delays between rotations in the meet, making it difficult for the team to develop any flow.



Regardless, Wright felt Summit had a strong meet, and with so many 5A schools competing (Summit is 4A), Wright said her gymnasts were able to simply focus on themselves.

Junior Jordan Smith punched her ticket to the state tournament after getting her second qualifying score in all around Saturday. Smith also led the Tigers with a stellar performance on the floor exercise, scoring more than eight points.



Sophomore Rachel Lawlis, who also had a strong showing on the floor, narrowly missed out on a state cut in AA for the second straight meet.

Junior Haley Harvey led the team on the beam, as the only Tiger to complete their entire routine without a fall.

Gabi Ketzenbarger, also a junior, earned nearly nine points for her beam routine to lead the Tigers.

Overall, the meet gave Summit another opportunity to post a solid team score, which is critical for the team’s chances of making it to the state meet. In gymnastics, state qualifying teams are determined by an average of a team’s top several scores.

The Tigers have one more meet in the regular season – the Tiger Tumbler at home on Tuesday – and Wright isn’t too concerned about whether her team winds up with an invite to state.

“If it happens, then it happens, and that’s great,” she said. “If not, I don’t think it’s a reflection on our team. I’m happy about the progress we’ve made considering all the obstacles we’ve had in our way, between sickness and injuries and just lack of numbers.”

Unlike most teams, the Tigers have had less than 10 athletes on their roster this season and no seniors. Qualifying for state with such low numbers would be an impressive sign, Wright said.

“If we can make it to state, I’d be so proud of them,” she said. “It would really show how they’ve come together as a team.”

Tuesday’s meet begins at 6 p.m.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

As a Summit Daily News reader, you make our work possible.

Summit Daily is embarking on a multiyear project to digitize its archives going back to 1989 and make them available to the public in partnership with the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. The full project is expected to cost about $165,000. All donations made in 2023 will go directly toward this project.

Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference.