VALPARAISO | Many a young gymnast have sat in the stands at the Valparaiso Regional, thinking about the day when they might be down on the competition floor.
Vikings sophomore Haley Whipps was one of them.
"I remember being a little girl watching all the high school gymnasts," Whipps said. "I knew a lot of them because they were in my mom's gym. Before bars, I was so happy, thinking, 'Wow, I'm actually here.' This is what I've waited for my whole life. It brought tears to my eyes."
Tears of joy, that is.
Whipps led a 1-2-3 finish in the all-around that carried the top-ranked Vikings to their straight title and state-best 16th overall.
Valpo posted a 113.025, with Chesterton claiming the second state berth at 109.475.
"We don't often have three all-arounders," Valpo coach Lorie Cook said. "Obviously, they're very talented kids. They're great athletes. They want to do well. They have pride in the tradition here and pride in what they do. They practice well. We've had to work a little with controlling emotions, and I think Steffanie (Long) has been a great example. She's very calm, which is obviously very helpful."
Whipps posted a 37.975 to edge Long (37.5) and Algozine (37.475) for the top spot.
"We're kinda amazing," Long said. "For one team to go 1-2-3 shows we're all really close in scores. We're all together. Mrs. Cook felt like that even with a young team, we could win big if we executed well.
Whipps captured vault, matching her personal best with a 9.85, to lead four Vikings on the awards stand in the event.
"They're dynamic, quick, powerful," Cook said. "They're up in the air. They fly."
Long defended her floor exercise title with a 9.7, nipping Whipps (9.65), who went before her.
"We all feed off each other," Long said. "One person hits their routine and that just pushes the next one to do better."
Algozine joined the awards party by claiming uneven bars honors with a 9.6, 0.1 in front of Whipps. She hit a routine that she changed just two weeks ago.
"This is a whole new experience to me," Algozine said. "It's so much fun. Our team is great. We bond together. It's a blast. I can't wait for state."
Chesterton qualified despite performing short-handed. Emily Kozak was held out for precautionary reasons with an injury and usual all-arounder Bri Hendrix didn't vault.
"I was pleased how we pulled together under some adversity," Trojans coach Kathy Wilburn said. "The girls could've been thinking, 'oh, we're missing somebody here and there,' but they didn't let it get them down."
PREP GYMNASTICS | VALPARAISO REGIONAL
More Valparaiso Regional coverage is on PAGE B3.
Most gymnastics regional championships
1. Valparaiso 16
2. Fort Wayne Dwenger 14*
3. Columbus East 12
4. Merrillville 11
Does not include Friday's Huntington North Regional result
