Niwot gymnastics ends season with state championship

Cougar gymnasts have rounded out an impressive season with the team's first state championship in six years. The Niwot team won regionals, then capped off the season by winning state, both by considerable margins.

Athletes named winning a state title as one of their greatest ambitions at the beginning of the season, and they were ecstatic as they claimed the Class 4A title on Nov. 9.

On Nov. 1, the Cougars challenged four other teams at the Mountain Range Regional Meet, walking away with a first place finish, with a margin of victory of nearly ten points.

Niwot dominated the regional meet, securing first place in all except one event. Sophomore Evie Saunders led the all-around with 37.05 points, winning all events except floor, where she landed in second place.

Senior Maeve Flentie took 20th place in the all-around competition at regionals, followed by junior Kylee Schlepp in 21st place. Both athletes participated in three of the four events that took place, and turned in strong performances.

Flentie took second place in the uneven bars and balance beam, and tied with Schlepp for third place in floor. Schlepp also tied Niwot's Isabella Foster for fourth place in vault, and earned sixth place on beam.

With a 180.025 score, the Cougars improved from their 2023 regionals score of 176.150 by almost four points. The Cougars' top finish at the regional meet earned them an invitation to the state championships the following week.

The regional competition provided gymnasts with goals for their upcoming meet. "Last week, I did not do too well on bars, but it was good to come back this week and do better," junior Lilly O'Neill said during the championship meet.

After the win at regionals, the Niwot team prepared for the state meet, held at Thornton High School. The 4A team competition was originally scheduled for Nov. 8, but athletes' plans were altered by a postponement to Saturday morning due to inclement weather.

O'Neill explained on Saturday, "We did not know if we were going to be able to go today or not ... so it was pretty stressful, but we are happy that it happened today."

Despite their anxiety about the weather's impact on the meet, athletes performed exceptionally well at the state competition, claiming first place in the Class 4A with 180.975 points. Niwot's last state victory was in 2018, making the win especially exciting for Cougar gymnasts, as they all had yet to experience a state level first-place finish.

Flentie said, "When I found out that we won, I just started crying immediately, because I was like, [it is] my senior year." She was delighted to be a part of Niwot's win in her final season with the group.

The team beat its fourth-place finish from the year prior, an accomplishment supported by countless Niwot athletes. Saunders won the all-around competition and earned a 37.100 score, ending her remarkable first year with the Cougars at the top. She walked away from the individual event competitions later in the day as 4A beam champion, and secured sixth place in vault.

O'Neill ended the team competition tied for third place in the all-around, and finished fifth in the floor finals and third on beam. Flentie earned 9.300 points in the uneven bars finals, putting her in second place for the event.

After months of tenacity, the Cougars voiced pride in their achievements and gratitude for coaches Marisa Purcell and Maddi York. Sienna Wood said joyfully, "We have worked really, really hard to get here."