Lady Falcons win 2023 WA State 4A Gymnastics Team Championship

by Christina Ruana

The Woodinville Lady Falcons soared to a 4A state championship on Feb. 24 at the 2023 WIAA Washington State Gymnastics’ 4A Team Championships at Sammamish High School, edging out Camas High School by less than one point.

It was an incredibly tight competition, as the top teams across the state were evenly matched. The Woodinville lady gymnasts successfully defended last year’s title and once again demonstrated their amazing skills, talents, discipline and composure under pressure with their second consecutive state championship.

Gymnast powerhouse Katie Barker took first place in her signature floor event with a 9.625. The senior gymnast tied for eighth in the vault and bars, 13th in the beam and finished fifth in overall.

Emily Brouwers took first place in bars with a flawless 9.50 routine. The junior tied for sixth in the vault, seventh in the beam and tied for 12th in the floor exercise. She finished second overall.

Gigi Calozza (senior) finished third in the vault, tied for third in the floor, 36th in the bars and 26th overall.

Ainsley Mann tied for fifth in the beam, 16th in the vault, 13th in the bars and 24th in the floor. The Woodinville sophomore finished eighth overall.

Collectively, these four earned an invitation to compete in the following day’s individual state champion competition.

In the individual events, Barker finished ninth in the vault, eighth in the bars and second in the floor exercise. Brouwers tied for fifth in the vault, fourth in the bars and sixth in the beam. Calozza finished eighth in the vault and floor. Mann finished seventh in the beam.

The overall 4A state championship win would not have been possible without the stellar performances by every gymnast during the postseason. Woodinville needed five high scores for each event to contribute to the total team score. Woodinville has a deep bench, which includes Ava Clark (senior), Lauren Kok (junior), Sarah Ruana (junior), Rachel Minter (junior), and Sophia Brittingham (sophomore), whose performances were critical to the WHS team’s success.

Congratulations to the Woodinville Falcon gymnasts and their coaches Kathie Koch and Shannon Kelly for a very successful season.

Top Four Team Scores - 2023 Washington State 4A Gymnastic Team Championships

Woodinville - 180.400

Camas – 179.575

Sumner – 173.950

North Creek – 163.85

Individual All-Around Results at 2023 Washington State 4A Gymnastics Team Championships:

Second – Emily Brouwers – 37.20

Fifth – Katie Barker – 36.625

Eighth– Ainsley Mann – 36.15