By Pierre LaBossiere
Peninsula Daily News
PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Gymnastics Team got first-place finishes from Cassii Middlestead and Maya Wharton and won the overall team championship at their home meet against North Kitsap, Kingston and North Thurston.
Port Angeles had a score of 153.05 to 141.25 for North Thurston, 136.80 for Kingston and 123.50 for North Kitsap in the Monday meet.
Middlestead won the beam event while Wharton won the floor exercise. Middlestead came in second in overall points, while Wharton came in third and Nikaila Price came in fourth. The Port Angeles girls had a total of six girls in the top 10.
Mikka Yamane of Kingston won the all-around title. Middlestead and Wharton were neck and neck with Yamane in almost every event. Yamane won the bars and the vault.
Complete Port Angeles results:
Vault
Maya Wharton, second, 8.2; Nikaila Price, third, 8.1; Cassii Middlestead, fifth, 7.9, fifth; Karlie Gochnour, eighth, 7.7; Laura Rooney, ninth, 7.6.
Bars
Middlestead, second, 7.65; Wharton, fourth, 6.9; Gochnour, sixth, 6.3; Price, seventh, 6.25; Cassidy Tamburro, 10th, 5.65.
Beam
Middlestead, first, 8.9; Sydney Miner, third, 7.7; Price, fifth, 7.6; Tamburro, sixth, 7.5; Wharton, seventh, 7.4.
Floor
Wharton, first, 9.2; Price, third, 8.7; Middlestead, sixth, 8.0; Miner, eighth, 7.9; Rooney, ninth, 7.9.
All-around
Middlestead, second, 32.45; Wharton, third, 31.70; Price, fourth, 30.65; Tamburro, eighth, 27.85; Miner, ninth, 27.55; Rooney, 10th, 27.40.
WOWI Invitational
The Port Angeles and Sequim gymnastics team also competed at the WOWI Invitational in Vancouver Jan. 7 and came home with 34 awards.
Each event is broken down into divisions, giving the girls a chance to compete against athletes with similar skill levels. There are no team scores or all around scores.
Port Angeles results were:
Bars
State Division
Lesae Pfeffer (Sequim), first; Elizabeth Sweet (Sequim), second; Elizabeth Jewell, third
Sectional Division
Aiesha LaTourette, first; Laura Rooney, third.
National Division
Nikki Price, second
Olympic Division
Maya Wharton, second; Karlie Gochnour, third.
Beam
Sectional Division
Pfeffer, first; Kenzee Richardsen, second; Katrin Goudie, third; Elizabeth Jewell, fifth.
National Division
Price, first; Sweet, fourth.
Olympic Division
Sydney Miner, third; Wharton, fifth; LaTourette, seventh.
Floor
Sectional Division
Kenzee Richardsen, second; Goudie, Jewell, third (tie)
National Division
Pfeffer, fourth; Sweet, fifth; Rooney, seventh
Olympic Division
Wharton, second; Miner, third; Price, fourth.
Vault
Sectional Division
Sweet, third; Pfeffer, fifth
National Division
LaTourette, fifth
Olympic Division
Miner, second; Wharton, third; Price, fourth; Rooney, fifth
Dave Logan/for the Peninsula Daily News The Port Angeles gymnastics team seniors enjoy their home meet Monday. From left are Nikaila Price, Maya Wharton, and Laura Rooney.
Dave Logan/For Peninsula Daily News Port Angeles’ Maya Wharton competes on the beam at the Port Angeles gymnastics quad meet.
