COLUMBUS

The balance beam isn’t the ideal place to start a gymnastics meet.

But that’s where Seymour was to begin Friday night’s Columbus East Sectional. The Owls had a few struggles with the event and ended up with a 25.0

Seymour recovered from there and finished sixth as a team with a 102.75.

“We had a rough night tonight,” Seymour coach Angie Mellencamp said. “The girls were up first on beam, so the nerves really got a hold of them to start the meet. But they really picked it up after that.”

The Owls did advance one individual to regional, and that came on the beam. Kellsye Warner finished sixth in the event with a 9.125.

Warner also finished 10th on the bars (9.0), tied for 10th on the vault (8.95) and took 15th on the floor (8.9) on her way to an eighth-place all-around finish (35.975). Avery DeHart tied for 14th on the vault (8.8) and took 18th on the beam (8.35) and 20th on the floor (8.575) and 14th in the all-around (30.4).

Brett Kleber was 18th on the bars (8.45) and 20th in the all-around 23.125. Jenna Thomas finished 22nd on the floor (8.375).

Seymour’s best score came on the vault, a 26.175. The Owls scored 25.85 on the floor and 25.725 on the bars.

“We still had falls on floor that we don’t normally have — a bobble here and there,” Mellencamp said. “But bars went pretty well tonight.”

Columbus North (111.875), Bloomington South (110.575) and Columbus East (108.1) claimed the three team qualifying spots to Friday’s East Regional. Owen Valley finished fourth with a 106.275, and Franklin Central was fifth with a 102.85, just a tenth of a point ahead of the Owls.

Mellencamp was pleased with the strides her team made this year.

“I am so proud of this team,” Mellencamp said. “These girls started out at the beginning of the season scoring 98s, and we had 105s throughout the season. My biggest goal with the girls is that they are constantly improving, and this group of girls definitely did that every single meet.”