NOBLESVILLE — With a goal to make it to the state finals, Lapel junior Madi Carpenter has moved one step closer.
The Bulldogs gymnast had a consistent evening Friday, Feb. 28, at the Noblesville Sectional, placing third in two events, fourth in two others and third overall.
Carpenter said earlier this season — her second year of high school competition — she wanted to make it further in the postseason and reach the state meet.
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Prior to last season, she had competed solely at the club level.
As a sophomore, she made it to the Valparaiso Regional but didn’t advance to state.
At Noblesville, Carpenter — Lapel’s lone gymnast — placed third overall with a score of 36.625, topping her score of 36.125 accomplished at last year’s sectional meet.
Carpenter placed third on beam (9.150) and floor exercise (9.175) and fourth on vault (9.350) and bars (8.950).
The top-six place winners in each event and in the all-around qualified for the regional.
Carpenter has the same criteria this week, when she will compete in Saturday’s Portage Regional, which begins at noon Eastern Time, for a spot in the IHSAA Gymnastics State Finals set for March 14 at Worthen Arena, on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie.
At the 2019 Valparaiso Regional, Carpenter was 18th in the all-around (34.625). Her highest placing at the regional was a ninth on bars (9.175). She was 19th on vault (9.000), 24th on floor (8.475) and 25th on beam (7.975).
The Lapel standout got a tournament tune-up prior to last week’s sectional when she competed at the final regular-season contest at New Palestine on Tuesday, Feb. 25.
In a meet that included full teams from New Palestine — a sectional runner-up at Connersville last weekend — Muncie Central and Shelbyville, Carpenter placed second in the all-around with a score of 35.7.
She was first on vault (9.075), second on beam (9.45) and bars (8.525), and third on floor (8.65).
