Lake Highlands senior Sarie Morrison achieved an unprecedented accomplishment by winning six gold medals at the state gymnastics meet last weekend in Alvin.
Morrison had already won gold in the all-around and team competition when she won all four event finals Saturday at Alvin High School. Morrison scored 9.875 on vault, 9.925 on uneven bars, 9.850 on beam and 9.900 on floor.
Morrison became the first gymnast to sweep all four events, plus the all-around, since Lake Highlands’ Beth Brown and Alvin’s Kim Koening did it in 1994, when the state meet was divided into two divisions.
She also joins Kingwood’s Laura Waldman (1991-93) and Richland’s Kim Thrasher (1986-88) as the only three-time all-around champions. But, according to Texas High School Gymnastics Coaches Association records, no gymnast had swept all four events, the all-around and been part of a team title until Morrison’s sweep this year.
Morrison wasn’t the only Wildcat gymnast to do well Saturday, when the three-person LH team was coming off two days of grueling, but victorious, team competition. LH finished 1-2-3 on the floor event. Hannah Van Meter took second on floor, fourth on bars and fifth on vault. Kristen DeCosta finished tied for third on floor, tied for fourth on beam and fourth on vault.
Seniors Morrison and Van Meter were selected to compete for the Texas National Team, May 20-22 in Fort Myers, Fla. Morrison, believe it or not, has competed with a painful bone spur in her ankle all season and will have surgery Tuesday to remove it. She hopes to compete on bars at the national meet.
