District gymnastics preview: Mt. Spokane looks to topple rival Mead to earn lone 3A/2A state berth

In her first year donning a Wildcats leotard, Mt. Spokane gymnast Jacqueline Bonnett has put together a memorable campaign.

In five Greater Spokane League meets, the sophomore has earned three all-around victories and one second-place finish. But she is just one part of a Mt. Spokane team that has its sights set on a return to the state championships.

Unless rival Mead has something to say about it.

Just one of the 10 teams from District 8’s 3A and 2A ranks will earn a team spot at state after Saturday’s district championships at Mead Gymnastics Center. The Panthers and Wildcats have been the dominant forces on the floor, vault, beam and bars all season.

“We rise as a team or we fall as a team, and if we can knock out our rival and make it to state it would be a huge accomplishment for all of us,” Bonnett said.

In their two meetings this season, Mead has edged Mt. Spokane 163-159.775 and 173.35-169.15. The Panthers, led by all-around standout Annalise Thackston, claimed the league title with the second victory.

Mt. Spokane coach Dana Trantum said that although the rivalry has become more friendly in recent years, there is still a desire to come out on top.

“The cool thing is that I coached the two Mead coaches back in the day, so we have a neat relationship,” Trantum said. “We fight and battle against each other and want to win, but the atmosphere has kinda changed and even the girls are really supporting each other during the competition, which is what it’s really about.”

Although Bonnett has had the lion’s share of success this season, she is surrounded by plenty of experienced talent – a key in racking up big team scores. Team captain Lauren Hunter has an all-around victory to her name this season, while seniors Sam Mason and Maddie Warner have also scored well across the board.

“If you only have one good girl, you can get good scores, but you aren’t winning a team title,” Hunter said. “You need a solid six to eight gymnasts to win, and I think we have that here.”

The Panthers and Wildcats earned fourth-place finishes at the 2020 state championships, with Mead competing in the 4A classification. Now that both are competing at the 3A/2A level, Trantum knows her team is up for a fight to earn the state spot.

“The biggest thing my girls need to focus on is believing in their ability,” Trantum said. “My team has beautiful gymnastics; they just need to focus on the confidence part of it. The fight part of it.

“I tell them, ‘Those girls from Mead fight to stay on that beam, they fight to throw skills that they might be uncomfortable with,’ so that’s what I am trying to instill in my girls right now.”

Mead isn’t short on depth either, with freshman Tabitha Pierce and senior Megan Davis finishing third and fifth, respectively, in the final GSL meet of the season on Feb. 3.

Joining the one team at state will be the top two all-around scorers and the best six finishers in each of the individual exercises.

As one of two team captains, Hunter is urging her teammates to bring their best on Saturday.

“Our goal right now is to have our best meet of the year this weekend,” Hunter said. “No matter how it ends up, if we can say we performed our best it will be a success.”

Other notable gymnasts competing for state spots include Ferris’ Ella Brinkman and Emily Caniglia; North Central’s Kathryn Lawrence; Ridgeline’s Bella De La Rosa; Shadle Park’s Jessica Saari; University’s Maya Meeks and West Valley’s Brenna Vasicek.

The State 3A/2A championships will take place on Feb. 25 at Sammamish High School in Bellevue.

Lewis and Clark fourth in 4A regional

With only three 4A teams in the district, Central Valley and Lewis and Clark traveled to Bellevue last Saturday for a regional competition with District 2. The Tigers finished fourth in the team standings, but only two of the 13 teams advanced to state.

LC’s Isabel Ferney finished third in the all-around competition to earn a state berth. Teammates Jamie Fitzgerald (vault and beam), Katherine Fitzgerald (vault and bars) and Gabriella Ontiveros (beam) will also compete as individuals on Feb. 26 at Sammamish High School.

Central Valley qualified Kyley Schneckloth and Ella Lamoreaux as individuals for state.