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South won its fourth consecutive Cook Inlet Conference gymnastics crown on Saturday. And for the fourth year in a row, Dimond was second.
Bolstered by incredible team depth, the Wolverines posted an impressive winning score of 239.35 points. "That's our highest score of the season and might be a school record," said first-year South coach Jessica Portlock. "We beat our goal. Our goal was to get a 235." Freshman Katie Davenport was second in the all-around (35.525). Senior Sarah Salvucci (35.425), senior Haleigh Leitch (35.25), freshman Kallie Randolph (34.85) and senior Brittany Hancock (33.8) were all strong for the Wolverines as they dominated the meet. South won last year's title with a team score of 233.425 and the squad's high score this season was identical: 233.425 again. "Our girls were very consistent," Portlock said. "They are all really hard workers and are dedicated to showing up for practices. It makes it easy as a coach." Led by all-around champion Cara Wilcox, Dimond was second at 212.7 and Chugiak finished third with a 202.95. "South was just too strong," Wilcox said. "They are really good." Leitch, one of the leaders of the South squad, had an off day on a couple of events but came through with a strong performance on the uneven parallel bars, winning the event with a score of 8.85. Davenport, who had her best meet as a Wolverine, was second on the bars with an 8.725, fifth on the balance beam with an 8.75 and third on the floor exercise with a 9.4. "I was way nervous for this meet. Usually I'm not, but I really wanted this performance to count," Davenport said. "I'm very happy. This is my freshman year and I wasn't expecting that. My last pass on the floor I haven't been able to do all year, but I got it down today." Wilcox, a senior, won the all-around by a large margin, finishing with a total score of 36.425, which was .9 points ahead of South's Davenport. "That's my highest score in high school. It's my last meet ever, so it was great to do so well," Wilcox said. Wilcox won the floor exercise with a 9.625 and was first on the beam with a 9.35, but she was happiest with her effort on the vault, where she hit her landing and finished sixth overall with an 8.75. "I was glad I made my vault," Wilcox said. "I haven't been making it very often. It's not that difficult a vault, a handspring front, I'm just a bad vaulter. It's hard for me to twist and make the landing." East's Celina Brown was the top vaulter at the meet, earning a score of 9.25. East's Hayley Sites tied South's Salvucci for third in the all-around with a 35.425.