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Senior Kellie Kidd won three individual events and the all-around competition to help the Valparaiso girls gymnastics team capture its second consecutive state championship at Perry Meridian High School.

The first place finish was the Vikings state record seventh title which broke a tie with Homestead. Their other state titles were won in 1981, 1991, 1994, 1997 and 1998. Lorie Cook has been the coach for each of them.

Valparaiso (113.575) outdistanced Roncalli (110.6) for the top spot with Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger (110.5) third and Columbus North and Hagerstown (110.15) tied for fourth. Chesterton (108.6) was sixth, Fort Wayne Snider (102.7) was seventh and Lawrence Central (101.225) eighth.

Kidd repeated as the all-around winner accumulating 38.85 points in the four events repeating as balance beam champion (9.60) and also won the title in the floor exercise (9.750) and the vault (9.80). She finished second in the uneven bars with a 9.7. Kidd becomes just the seventh individual in state tournament history to win at least six state gymnastics titles.

Valpo also received strong performances from freshman Steffanie Long who placed third in the floor exercise and senior Emily Holmen who finished fifth in the bars and seventh in the beam.

Fremont senior Kayla Heator scored a 9.725 in the uneven bars to become the first gymnastics champion in her school’s history. She finished third in the all-around with 37.875 points.

Lawrence Central junior Alixandra Richey finished second in the all-around 38.450 behind a second place finish in the beam and a fourth place in the vault.

Center Grove senior Katelyn Fernandes finished second in the vault with a 9.775 falling short of winning her fourth consecutive state title in the sport. She would have become the first in state tournament history to win four straight in any event.

Results

DWENGER’S ALICIA ROCHE NAMED MENTAL ATTITUDE AWARD WINNER
Members of the IHSAA Executive Committee selected Alicia Roche of Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger High School as this year’s winner of the Mildred M. Ball Mental Attitude Award.

Roche, who was nominated by her principal and coach, was determined to have best demonstrated mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability among all seniors during the meet.

Academically, Roche has achieved a 4.3 GPA on a 4.0 scale taking a significant number of honors and AP courses during her four years. She is undecided on college at this time but intends to study Pre-Medicine.

She has been a state finalist all four years and was named an All-State performer the last two seasons. In addition to gymnastics, Roche has been involved in NHS, a Peer Mediator, a member of the Key Club and Spirit Club. She has also volunteered numerous hours to her parish and the Hartford Hospital.

She is the second Bishop Dwenger gymnast to earn the mental attitude joining Laura Szczepanski in 1996.

She is the daughter of Jamie and Christine Roche.

Following the meet, Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the corporate partner of all IHSAA tournament events, presented a check for $1,000 to Bishop Dwenger High School in the name of Roche.

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, 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.