By Brenda Sexton

The Courier-Herald

Sumner and Bonney Lake gymnasts head into the state Class 3A tournament Friday and Saturday at the Tacoma Dome with a load of optimism.

Bonney Lake’s Kelsi Potterf won the floor exercise Saturday and finished sixth in the all-around at the West Central District meet at Auburn Mountainview High.

The Panther senior, who finished sixth at state last year in the floor exercise, also finished ninth in the balance beam Saturday.

Teammate Kelsey Wells-Henderson finished sixth in the vault with a score of 8.350.

The two will lead the Panthers’ march into Friday and Saturday’s state tournament.

Auburn Mountainview won the competition with 167.925 points. Mount Rainier captured second with 152.7 points, followed by North Kitsap, 132.9, Bonney Lake, 139.225, Kennedy, 131.350, and Hazen, 131.125.

The top 13 from Saturday’s meet, which included athletes from the Seamount, Western Cascade and South Puget Sound League 3A advance to the state meet.

The Spartans’ Aja Ruswick will compete at state in four events – the vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.

Saturday, her highest finish was a second-place medal in the balance beam and third in the floor exercise.

In the beam she finsihed behind Cecily Schwagler of Port Angeles. Jessica Buchholz of Capital and Tani Sullivan of North Thurston finished 1-2 ahead of Ruswick in the floor.

Spartan teammates Lisbet Fernandez and Rachel O’Donnell quailified for the state meet in the bars.

Fernandez also will compete in the beam and floor.

Joining Potterf and Wells-Henderson for Bonney Lake will be Hope Dickson on the bars and Amanda Hawkins on the beam.