Howell's Fobes wins floor at state meet

CHRIS KELLY staff Howell's Austyn Fobes competes on the balance beam during Saturday's state championship meet at Rutgers University.

Austyn Fobes added further laurels to her extraordinary debut year by winning a state championship Saturday.

The Howell High School sophomore won the floor exercise at the NJSIAA State Gymnastics Championships held in the Livingston Recreation Center at Rutgers University. Her score of 9.700 was good enough by .005 to bring home the gold medal. Jahni Stasil, of Bishop Ahr, and all-around champion Chelsea Steinberg, of Ridge, tied for second behind Fobes with 9.675 scores.

Fobes' teammate Brianna Ecklof, a freshman, was sixth with a 9.500.

In the all-around competition, Fobes, who was the Shore Conference and Central Jersey champion, was fifth with a total score of 37.825, Stenberg's wining score was 38.775.

Besides her floor exercise win, Fobes was fourth on the vault (9.600), 17th on the uneven bars (9.200) and 12th on the balance beam (9.325).

Seniors Lindsay Diamond, of Colts Neck, and Lauren Jack, of Marlboro, two of the most successful gymnasts the Freehold District has had, ended their careers on a high note.

Diamond, was 14th in the all-around (37.175). The University of Rhode Island-bound Cougar was third on the vault (9.650) and sixth on the uneven bars (9.450). She took 18th on the floor exercise (9.350).

Jack was 16th in the AA scoring 37.075. Her best event was the uneven bars where she was ninth (9.400). The Mustang was 25th on the vault (9.300) and 19th on the beam (9.250).

Fobes and Ecklof were two of the key additions to the Howell High School team that sparked the Rebels to an undefeated dual-meet season and the Shore Conference A North Division Championship. The Rebels won the Shore Conference Championship and were runners-up at the NJSIAA Central Jersey state sectional.