High school gymnastics: Avon freshman Cassie Wiersch makes state in balance beam

MENTOR — The Avon gymnastics team will be represented at the state meet for the second consecutive season. Freshman Cassie Wiersch placed ninth on the balance beam with a score of 9.275 at the Mentor district, earning one of the 17 individual berths in the event Saturday. "It was my goal to make it to districts, but I didn't know if I could get to state, so this feels cool," Wiersch said. "The whole day was a really good experience with our entire team here. It's exciting." The accomplished club gymnast qualified to districts in a Lorain County-high four events, finishing 35th in the all-around, bars and vault. As soon as she leaped onto the bars, it was a different story. "I felt really good about it," Wiersch said. So did Avon coach Chelsea Cahill. "Cassie has a cool disposition and is a serious, polished competitor — and that came through," Cahill said. "She keeps a lot of her thoughts inside, but you know how badly she wants to be successful for herself and her team." Eagles junior Maddie Geiger competed at state last yeat on the uneven parallel bars, and helped this year's team advance to districts for the first time. The Eagles set a school-record score of 139.5 at the Hudson sectional, where they finished third. Competing in front of a large, loud crowd at Mentor High proved to be a challenge for the underclassman-laden squad as they posted a 133.9. Avon was seventh on the beam, ninth on the floor, 10th on the vault and 12th on the bars in the 12-team field. Avon finished 11th as a team. "We went in with the right mindset, but the girls put a lot of pressure on themselves," Cahill said. "Obviously, it was a little overwhelming to be part of this atmosphere for the first time, but I think they realized we're right there with the best teams in the state." Geiger finished 23rd on the floor with an 8.9, falling 1.05 points shy of the final qualifying spot. She was the only member of the team with district experience. Eagles sophomore Reilly Small tied for 21st on the vault and was 29th on the beam, while sophomore Emily Sussman was 28th on the beam North Ridgeville sophomore Lydia Bubar also made her district debut, placing 30th on the bars and finishing in the top 25 in the all-around. A scoring system malfunction caused the full results in the all-around to be unavailable at press time. "It was an interesting setting to compete in and a good experience," she said. "I had a lot of nerves starting on the beam, but it was probably my best event. I spent the week training to compete all of my routines, and I thought it went pretty well. "I'm looking forward to getting back here next year and, hopefully, to state." Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com and follow him @BrianDulik on Twitter. Team standings: 1. Brecksville 146.1, 2. Hudson 144.175, 3. Brunswick 143.65, 4. Chagrin Falls Kenston 143.15, 5. Medina 141.775, 6. Magnificat 141.725, 7. Strongsville 138.475, 8. Walsh Jesuit 137.65, 9. Padua 136.65, 10. Twinsburg 135.025, 11. AVON 133.9, 12. Mentor 129.8.