THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 23, 1996 TAG: 9602220125
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, BEACON SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
IF SCORES FROM around the state are any indication, Beach District gymnasts have a good shot at some titles when the Group AAA state meet begins this evening at Reston's South Lakes High in Northern Virginia.
Team competition featuring Cox and Kellam - along with two schools each from the state's three other regions - begins at 6 p.m. Individual competition starts at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Out of the eight teams advancing from their respective regions to the state meet, Cox had the highest point total with 146.7. The Falcons are the defending state runner-up.
Eastern Region runner-up Kellam - which won the state title two years ago - had the second-highest team total with 146.15. Defending state champion Lake Braddock of the Northern Region had the third highest region score with a 146.1. The Bruins scored 146.05 to win last year Northern runner-up Herndon had a 143.
None of the other four teams managed to break 140 - making the meet a four-way battle for the team trophy.
``It's going to be close, scary,'' Falcons coach Melody Hartranft said. ``But we expected that.''
Things get even tougher for the individuals vying for the all-around championship.
Rachael Rounds of Atlee won last year as a freshman, but did not compete this year, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Kellam's Brooke Sawyer enters the competition a slight favorite, having topped state all-around totals with a 38.15. Her personal best is a 38.2. Sawyer won three region titles in individual events.
Teammate Michelle Alexander was second last year and finished second in Monday's region meet with a 37.45. Salem's Meria Eisenbraun and Davinia Roberts also advanced to state and scored a 37 or higher.
Merrit Noble of Herndon had the second-highest region all-around total with a 37.95. Other Northern qualifiers were Cara Dougherty of Robinson with a 37.5, Christina Jones of Lake Braddock with a 37.25 and Libby Smith of Chantilly with a 36.8.
Shannon Osborne of Central representative Varina scored a 37.4, while Atlee's Jennifer Fulwider was the runner-up with 37.35.
The highest all-around score from the Northwest Region was a 36.7 tallied by Chevonne Davis of Stonewall Jackson.
In individual events, a pair of 9.7s were the highest scores. Jones of Lake Braddock scored hers on uneven bars, while Chrissy Janis won the Northwest floor title with a 9.7.
Sawyer's highest-scoring event was a 9.6 registered on vault. She scored a pair of 9.55s on balance beam and floor. by CNB