Repeat title appears likely for Tift County gymnasts

Tift County gymnasts have cashed in on their past several trips to Atlanta and hope to again tonight.

After winning the all-classification state meet at Westminster last year, the Blue Devils defeated Lambert and host Lovett in a meet three weeks ago. They then won last weekend’s 32-team state qualifying meet at Lovett.

A repeat championship tonight at Westminster would be the third for a South Georgia program, a feat first achieved by Colquitt County in 2006.

“I like our chances,” Tift County coach Jodi Roberts said. “We’ve been really focused and confident, but not overconfident. We’ve focused on what we’ve got to do and have gone out there and done it.”

Tift County enters today’s 7 p.m. state meet favored to repeat, especially after dominating qualifying last weekend. With a score of 112.825, the Devils easily outdistanced Newnan’s 109.15 and Alpharetta’s 108.825 to lead six qualifying teams and 12 qualifiers in each individual exercise.

Beth Roberts, Jodi Roberts’ daughter and one of Tift County’s three current or former Level 10 gymnasts, led the Devils by sweeping vault (9.8), bars (9.7), beam (9.825), floor exercise (9.75) and the all-around (39.075). Teammate Libby Barbour, another Level 10 gymnast, qualified fourth in the allaround (37.25), sparked by a second-place floor finish (9.6).

Roberts’ performance edged Alpharetta’s Kelsey Kopec, the two-time defending state allaround champion, who won three individual events at state last year. Kopec qualified third for tonight’s all-around (37.7), finishing third on floor (9.375) and vault (9.65) and seventh on beam (9.425) and bars (9.25).

Lambert, Lowndes and Lassiter round out today’s six qualified teams.