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Chesterton's Sophia Hunzelman earned the all-around title while Valparaiso's Whitney McKeon, Rachel Moneta and Jenna Algozine each finished in the top six helping the Vikings to their third state championship in four years during the IHSAA Gymnastics State Finals at Worthen Arena in Muncie.

Hunzelman, just a freshman, collected the all-around state championship with 38.200 points, the first freshman to do so since 2005 and the eighth in the 45 years of the event. She also became the second Trojan gymnast to win the top honors joining Lauren West who won as a junior in 2002. Defending champion junior Claire Thompson of Columbus North finished as this year's runner-up with 38.075 points. Senior teammate Ashley Holliday was third with 37.600.

Valpo's McKeon finished fourth overall, Moneta was fifth, including the floor exercise state title, and Algozine tied for sixth place as third-ranked Valparaiso accumulated 112.375 total points resulting in the school's state-best 12th crown under coach Lorie Cook. Defending state champion Columbus North, ranked second entering the meet, settled for the runner-up position with 112.075 points. Top-ranked Chesterton placed third with 112.050.
Moneta capped her junior season winning the floor with a score of 9.550 with classmate Algozine third with 9.475. Algozine also added a third place finish in the uneven bars with a 9.625. McKeon, a sophomore, placed third in the balance beam with a 9.325.

Hunzelman tied Columbus East junior Adison Minor for the uneven bars crown with 9.650 points. Thompson repeated as the balance beam state champ amassing 9.775 points and Holliday was best in the vaulting competition with a 9.750.

45th Annual IHSAA Gymnastics State Finals 
March 11, 2017
Worthen Arena, Ball State University, Muncie, IN

Final Team Scores
1.    Valparaiso: 112.375
2.    Columbus North: 112.075
3.    Chesterton: 112.050
4.    Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger: 111.875
5.    Carroll (Fort Wayne): 109.400
6.    Columbus East: 109.375
7.    Bloomington South: 108.550
8.    Merrillville: 106.450
9.    Homestead: 105.900

State Champions 
All-Around: Sophia Hunzelman (9) Chesterton, 38.200.
Vault: Ashley Holliday (12) Columbus North, 9.750.
Uneven Bars: (Tied) Adison Minor (11) Columbus East, 9.650; Sophia Hunzelman (9) Chesterton, 9.650.
Balance Beam: Claire Thompson (11) Columbus North, 9.775.
Floor Exercise: Rachel Moneta (11) Valparaiso, 9.550.

Ashley Holliday of Columbus North named Mildred Ball Mental Attitude Award Winner
Following the event, members of the IHSAA Executive Committee named Columbus North High School’s Ashley Holliday as the recipient of the Mildred M. Ball Mental Attitude Award.

The award is presented annually to a senior participant in the state finals who is deemed to have best demonstrated mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability in gymnastics.

Ashley has competed at the State Finals in each of her four years, helping lead Columbus North to a team Regional Championship each of those years and a State Title in 2016. A two-time team captain, she was the State Champion in the Uneven Bars in 2015, was the runner-up in Bars as a Freshman, and also finished as the runner-up in the Vault competition at last year’s State Finals. Ashley has earned two varsity letters in Track and Field, and three more in Cheerleading. In addition to excelling as an athlete, Ashley is the Student Council Secretary at Columbus North, is a member of the National Honors Society, and volunteers at Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

The daughter of Rob and Cathne Holliday of Columbus, Ashley will attend Indiana University in Bloomington next year to study Accounting and Finance at the Kelley School of Business.

The IHSAA Executive Committee, on behalf of Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, presented $1,000 to Columbus North High School's general scholarship fund in the name of Ashley Holliday.

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 also oversaw the licensing and training of all contest officials in the state of Indiana.