Kamiakin’s Saige Polanik wins first individual state gymnastics title

Saige Polanik has been at the top of the state gymnastics podium before with her Kamiakin teammates.

But Polanik, who has been a key part of the Braves’ three-year championship run in Tacoma, finished her high school gymnastics career Saturday with her first individual state title.

Polanik tied with defending champion Elena Fowler of Holy Names for the Class 1A/2A/3A vault title at the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall. Both scored a 9.575.

“I wasn’t expecting to come home with a state title,” said Polanik, who joined Michelle Fletcher (2011), Kelsey Jaquish (2013) and Alexis Lawrence (2014) as Kamiakin state vault champions. Southridge’s Kiya Bjorge won the event in 2012.

Polanik, who placed third in Friday’s all-around, took third on bars and tied for fifth on beam and floor in Saturday’s individual finals. She shared fifth place on beam with her sister Piper, a freshman. The top eight 1A/2A/3A finishers in each event received medals.

“It was an amazing experience for my senior year, tying with my sister,” Saige Polanik said.

Polanik plans to join another of Kamiakin’s state champion teams — the girls track and field squad, which has won the past four 3A titles.

Polanik will attempt pole vault, befitting an athlete who has won a state gymnastics title on vault. She also was fifth at state last fall in diving, a sport she took up as a junior.

“I’m just gonna see how it goes and wing it,” Polanik said. “The coaches told me I’d be good at it. YOLO (you only live once).”

Kamiakin freshman Abby Winstead, who tied for fourth in the all-around, picked up two individual medals Saturday. She placed second on beam and eighth on floor.

“I did everything I wanted to do,” said Winstead, who got a 9.500 on beam, just shy of Auburn Mountainview’s Kayla Porter (9.525).

Southridge’s best finish on the day came from freshman Makayla Hui, who tied for ninth on floor.

Friday night, Woodinville won its seventh Class 4A team title in 10 years with a state-record score of 187.375. In the all-around, Marisa Savage (38.475) led a 1-2-3 Woodinville finish.

This story was originally published February 20, 2016 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Kamiakin’s Saige Polanik wins first individual state gymnastics title."