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Homestead's Creager, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger win gymnastics titles
MUNCIE - Homestead's Jillian Creager won the uneven bars and the all-around competition while Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger carted off with the team championship during the 53rd Annual IHSAA Gymnastics State Finals in Muncie.
Creager tied with Avery Ziembo of Carroll (Fort Wayne) for the state championship in the bars with a 9.675. She added a third place in the balance beam (9.675), tied for fourth in the floor exercise (9.275) and finished fifth in the vault (9.775) to accumulate 37.975 points to earn the all-around crown. She became the third Homestead all-around winner overall and first since Shellen Goltz in 2000. The junior also won the vault as a freshman two years ago.
Kobi Johnson of Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger scored a 9.625 to win the floor exercise enabling the Saints to win the school's sixth gymnastics state championship and first since 2012. It was also the sixth crown under coach Rose Nix.
Bishop Dwenger scored 112.975 points to outscore Valparaiso with 111.700 which took runner-up honors for the second straight year. Angola tallied 108.750 points to end third, its best finish in school history.
Johnson's teammates Avery Gleave and Maria Szczepanski finished third and fourth, respectively, in the all-around standings and the three all finished in the top four of the vault.
The vault was won by senior Megan Garibay of Valparaiso with a 9.775 and Samathan Boster, a Chesterton sophomore carried home the balance beam crown thanks to a 9.675 score.
53rd Annual IHSAA Gymnastics State Finals
Worthen Arena, Ball State University, Muncie
March 15, 2025
Final Team Standings
1. Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger 112.975
2. Valparaiso 111.700
3. Angola 108.750
4. Columbus North 108.275
5. Crown Point 108.150
6. Homestead 108.025
7. New Palestine 106775
8. Northwestern 106.550
9. Bloomington North 104.250
Individual State Champions
Vault: Megan Garibay 12) Valparaiso 9.775
Bars: (Tie) Jillian Creager (11) Homestead; Avery Ziembo (11) Carroll (Fort Wayne) 9.675
Beam: Samantha Boster (10) Chesterton 9.675
Floor Exercise: Kobi Johnson (10) Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger 9.625
All-Around: Jillian Creager (11) Homestead 37.975
Valpo's Skafish named Mildred Ball Mental Attitude Award Winner
Following the event, members of the IHSAA Executive Committee named Ione Skafish of Valparaiso High School as the recipient of the Mildred M. Ball Mental Attitude Award.
Skafish maintains a 4.4 GPA at her school, is a member of the National Honor Society, the Spanish Club, UNICEF, and the Student Athlete Advisory Club.
She has been a four-year member of the gymnastics team, which has finished in the top three at state every year including the 2023 state championship team. She finished 10th in the balance beam and 18th in the all-around competition today.
She is the daughter of Bradley and Jennifer Skafish of Valparaiso, IN. Ione is undecided on her college choice but would like to pursue Pre-Med.
The IHSAA Executive Committee, on behalf of Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, presented $1,000 to Valparaiso High School's general scholarship fund in the name of Ione Skafish.
The mental attitude award is named in honor of the former IHSAA assistant commissioner who served the Association from 1977 to 1997. During her career, Mildred Ball administered the state gymnastics tournament among other sports and oversaw the licensing and training of all contest officials in the state of Indiana.
