High school gymnastics: Medina well on its way to GCC repeat title

MEDINA — The defending Greater Cleveland Conference champions took their first step toward another title Tuesday. Colleen Johnson, Macy Maxworthy and Addison Kasian finished 1-2-3 in the all-around — and won four of the five individual events — as the Medina gymnastics team claimed first place at the GCC regular-season meet. The Bees (137.7) defeated reigning state runner-up Brunswick (136.05), Strongsville (132.35), Mentor (131.2) and Solon (129.45) in the five-team competition, which counts one-half toward the overall league crown. Five-time state champion Jordyn Thomas and 2019 state qualifier Anna Taylor did not compete as they wrap up their club gymnastics commitments, but were cheering on their Brunswick teammates. "There was a good amount of pressure on us because we have big goals this season," said Maxworthy, a sophomore who won the uneven parallel bars with a 9.0. "Repeating as league champions is one of them, so I'm very proud of my team for working hard and pulling through tonight." All-Gazette sophomore Johnson earned a 34.8 in the all-around to edge Maxworthy and All-Gazette senior Kasian, who each posted a 34.5. All three athletes counted scores in every event at the 2020 state team meet, where Medina placed ninth. Johnson also was first on the vault with a 9.2, while Kasian took the floor exercise with a 9.1. Johnson, Kasian and senior Meghan Deighton are returning state individual qualifiers for the Bees. "We know we have to work just as hard to win the GCC and get back to state again," Johnson said. "We have the girls who can do it and some newcomers who will contribute a lot. "I know I want to keep progressing from where I was last year while being consistent and becoming stronger." Deighton, who is less than 10 months removed from reconstructive right knee surgery, competed on the beam and bars. The three-time All-Gazette honoree looked physically strong and didn't display a hint of the major injury while airborne. Sophomore Maddy Todorovich was the second-leading scorer on the floor for Medina, which incurred an uncharacteristic four falls on the beam. Blue Devils sophomore Lili Kotar tied for first on the beam with a 9.1 and scored a team-high 8.55 on the bars. They were her only events as coach Jacqueline Krist limited the participation of anyone with a minor injury in their season opener. "It was great to get back in the gym, starting our season and being a team again tonight," Kotar said. "We've come really far from where we were at this time last year and everyone has definitely improved a lot. "Having to take a couple of months off because of (the threat of) COVID made it really hard to get your skills back at first, but we're just happy being able to compete together." Lexi Clark paced the Blue Devils on the vault with an 8.95 and fellow junior Sophia Tomecko led them on the floor with an 8.65. Sophomore Alaina Timko added a 9.0 on the beam and junior Lana Dakdouk had an 8.85 on her specialty, the vault. Brunswick senior Emma Gray scored a team-high 32.3 in the all-around, while senior KaraBeth Nemet had a 31.55. The Blue Devils would have made things much closer with Medina had they not struggled mightily on the floor, which was their second rotation. "This gave the girls a pretty honest idea about where we are right now, which isn't a bad thing," Krist said. "It was definitely a test, starting our season here in a big gym with everyone looking down from the stands. "And unfortunately, it was half of the GCC season, so we've got some ground to make up if we're finally going to be league champions." Thomas and Taylor will make their debuts Saturday at the McGee Invitational. The meet, hosted by Dublin Jerome, annually includes many of the elite squads in Ohio. Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com. Follow him @BrianDulik on Twitter.