THORNTON >> The Broomfield gymnastics program continues to hold tight to its standing among the top clubs in Class 5A.
On Thursday night at Thornton High School, the Eagles finished the team portion of the 5A gymnastics state championships with a score of 181.625 to place third.
For the Eagles, who won state in both 2021 and 2022, and finished in a tie for runner-up last fall, it was the fifth straight year they finished in the top three statewide.
“We did absolutely phenomenal today,” Eagles head coach Abby Anderson said. “The girls did everything, and more, than I could have hoped for. We went a season high on all four of our events and we had a top-three finish, so I don’t have any complaints. We also had everybody qualify for Saturday and have one person qualified in every event, and we had our top-five finisher in the all-around.
“So, it’s going to be exciting for individual events on Saturday night.”
The Eagles, who are tied for sixth all-time with four team titles, led after three events on Thursday. They scored a 46.225 on the vault, a 43.150 on the uneven bars, a 46.075 on the balance beam and a 46.175 on the floor.
Junior Liliana Wojahn was the Eagles’ top finisher in the all-around with a score of 36.925. Her best event led to a fourth-place finish on floor Thursday night.
“I thought I did really well,” Wojahn said. “It was a season high for me. All I did was be myself, and I knew that as long as I tried my best, that’s all we could ask for. As long as I tried my hardest and gave it my best, I knew I was going to be happy with the result.”
Also for Broomfield, Keira La Hue (35.625) finished 13th in the all-around. Kaya Duncan (28.575), who finished runner-up on beam, fifth on floor and eighth on vault, was 31st. Miata Santos (27.225) was 35th. Aspen Palillian (26.375) was 44th.
Defending champion Mountain Range (184.200) took first place, and Overland (181.900) finished runner-up for the second straight season. Arvada West’s Layla Petz won the all-around title with a score of 38.750.
The gymnastics state championships will continue this weekend, with some of the competition postponed in preparation for incoming weather. The Class 4A team finals, originally scheduled for Friday, will take place on Saturday morning. The 4A and 5A individual finals, previously scheduled for Saturday morning, will now be held Saturday afternoon and evening.