For the Daily Reporter
CONNERSVILLE — Saturday was a day of near-misses for Grace Shanahan.
The New Palestine sophomore finished seventh in two events in the Connersville Regional, falling just short of a trip to the Gymnastics State Finals. The top six in each event advanced.
Shanahan scored a 9.125 on the floor, coming within .075 of the sixth-place finisher. She was the final competitor on her final event of the day, the bars, and her 8.8 was just .05 off the sixth-place finisher.
“I was really nervous, so I guess I could have done better,” Shanahan said. “To come as an individual and do all-around, which I didn’t do last year, is kind of different and nerve-racking. But I still have two years.”
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryShanahan began her day on the beam and finished 13th with an 8.55. She also took 20th on the vault with an 8.3.
The net result was a 10th-place all-around finish with a 34.775.
“Grace was really nervous, so beam kind of got to her a little bit, and that’s her best event,” New Pal coach Debbie Bruns said. “Starting on beam, she really didn’t get a chance to get the nerves out of the way, and she had a fall.”
Meanwhile, Dragons junior Sarah Thompson competed in one event at the regional, finishing 13th on the floor with an 8.775.
“I didn’t like it,” Thompson said. “I did a lot better at sectional.”
Both Shanahan and Thompson were members of the New Pal team that qualified for regional last season. The Dragons finished fourth in the Connersville Sectional this year, one spot out of making it to regional as a team.
Fifth-ranked Columbus North won the regional team title with a 112.175. No. 3 Columbus East (111.325), led by all-around champion Adi Minor’s 38.975, and Seymour (102.05) also qualified for state.