High school gymnastics: sophomore Cassie Wiersch hopes hard work pays off for her and Avon teammates

Cassie Wiersch always sets the bar high, striving for excellence. The Avon High sophomore reaped the benefit of her high-level commitment last year by qualifying to the Division I state meet in balance beam. Wiersch finished 17th at state with a score of 9.05, just 0.10 from an all-state (top 10) berth, putting an emphatic finish to a fantastic freshman year. Wiersch qualified to state by finishing ninth out of 17 qualifiers at the Mentor Division I district with a score of 9.235. She advanced to districts by finishing ninth of 12 district qualifiers with a career-best score of 9.35 at the Hudson Division I sectional for group B. She also qualified to districts with a seventh-place finish in all-around (35.825), 11th in vault (9.025) and 12th in the uneven parallel bars (8.8). "It was super cool to be competing, you know, right along with some of the best teams here in Ohio," Wiersch said. "A lot of my teammates came down to Columbus to support me, and it just made it extra." Wiersch wasn't overwhelmed by the pressure of competing on the big stage at the state meet. "There's always a lot of nerves in any meet but I thought I handled it pretty well," she said. "I was very excited. It didn't feel like there was too much pressure. I made it and that was such a big deal to me. I had a lot of fun and didn't have any falls. I just wanted to do my best routine there for the experience." Though it wasn't her best score of the season, Wiersch stayed on the beam. Her goal is to remain at the top of her game, but she understands it can't happen without upgrades on beam and her other three disciplines. "I'm upgrading my back handspring series on beam to a back handspring tuck," said Wiersch. "I'll be changing my dismount from a cartwheel to a round-off tuck. These upgrades increase my starting point value in beam from a 9.9 to a 10.0." Wiersch advanced to Level 9 status after a year at Level 8 last year. She was a Level 7 gymnast for two years. She started the sport at the age of six at Great Lakes Gymnastics in Avon Lake before moving to Xtreme Gymnastics in Middleburg Heights four years later. And now, she has the poise of a savvy veteran. "What stood out most about Cassie last season was her calm demeanor in high-pressure meets," Avon coach Chelsea Cahill said. "I expect her to bring the same professionalism and confidence she displayed all of last season into this season." Wiersch's upgrades should make her more competitive, individually, but her main goal is to help improve her team after a tremendous postseason run last year. Avon qualified to the district meet for the first time in the 13-year history of the program by grabbing the third of four team spots in a 26-team field from section B. Avon finished with a team-record 139.5 points at sectionals. It was the fourth time during the season that the Eagles eclipsed their all-time scoring mark. It was a vast improvement from a ninth-place finish in 2021. "If the team stays healthy, I don't think making state is out of the realm of possibility," said Wiersch. "Things are going to be different from last season, but to have a chance at state we'd have to be scoring around 140s at districts." Wiersch is likely correct. It should take a score of 140 or better at districts in 2023 to qualify to state. Last year, Magnificat took the sixth and final state-qualifying berth at the Mentor district with a score of 141.725. Avon struggled as a team at Mentor and scored only 133.9 to finish 11th of 12 teams in its district debut. The Eagles welcome back nine letterwinners, including four returning individual district qualifiers — Wiersch, senior Maddie Geiger, junior Reilly Small and junior Emily Sussman. "Last year the district tournament presented a completely new environment and experience for the girls," said Cahill. "It was the first time in school history that the Eagles qualified as a team. This year, with the return of six district competitors (four individual district qualifiers), the girls have a better understanding of what to expect. The goal is always to build upon what has already been accomplished and to do so in a manner that garners growth, camaraderie and sportsmanship." Sussman set a school record at the Hudson sectional, taking seventh in balance beam with a score of 9.45. Geiger (35.125) and Small (33.725) finished 13th and 20th in the all-around and didn't make the top-12 cut, but did qualify in other individual events. Small qualified in balance beam (9.375) and vault (9.125). A 2021 Division I state qualifier in balance beam, Geiger advanced in floor exercise (9.075). Contact Paul Heyse at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.