Wawasee’s Emily Allen and her Warrior gymnasts are looking up this season. (Photo by Mike Deak)

SYRACUSE – If there is any soothing of the soul for this year’s Wawasee gymnastics team, there is value in experience returning. But for Nika Prather’s team, being so close to a team goal missed at the sectional has lingered all offseason.

The one thing Prather and many of the returners will point to as last year’s moment to remember was a near flawless set of beam routines. In an event Wawasee historically has struggled, only to fall just once at the sectional and take second overall in the field with a 25.225 was huge.

A fourth-place team finish, though, 1.825 points behind regional-bound DeKalb, could have been different with a better showing on bars and floor. And Prather is starting there.

“I have replayed that sectional in my mind over and over,” Prather stated. “Those kids stepped up in a big way. I just keep thinking where did we go wrong? We didn’t have a bad day at all, but I felt like we were so close. But I also know we left a lot of points out there, points we needed to advance.”

Wawasee lost two main performers to graduation in Kimmie Garber and Esther Hermann. Garber’s loss is huge, serving as a four-year varsity performer and the lone gymnast to qualify for last year’s regional competition. The loss of Garber’s consistent hovering around nine on the floor as well as competitive scores on the vault and beam will be hard to replace.

But Prather feels what could be one her deepest rosters in years may point the arrows upward. Certainly one of her more abundant in terms of numbers and returners.

Emily Allen is the lone senior for the Lady Warriors, and will work all-around. Allen is a very skilled performer, and will likely have the attention of floor judges this year after flirting with nines last season.

The junior class will feature returners Taylor Busse, Deea Coy, Taylor Heck and Molly Smith. Both Busse and Smith were responsible for the sectional magic on the beam last March as neither had a fall on consecutive routines, for Smith the first of her career. Busse almost found herself qualified for regionals as an all-arounder, placing ninth and just one point from advancement. Coy has steadily improved as has Heck, who is motivated to prove she belongs in the varsity rotation.

“We don’t have an A-lister, but we have a lot of talented gymnasts and my juniors are right there,” Prather said. “Taylor (Busse) is like an army sargeant, she is so focused. It’s like she is on a mission sometimes. She can do anything she wants out here. She has so much talent.”

The Wawasee sectional should be loaded once again with a plethora of talent, headlined by Angola senior Alex Nickel, who was second all-around at the state finals last March. Hamilton’s Alex Cool, who performs alone, is also a repeat state finalist and will be back for her senior season. With a host of individuals from Plymouth, Warsaw, Lakeland, DeKalb and Elkhart Central sure to be primed, Wawasee will need to refine its depth as the snow falls.

Wawasee still sits on 23 sectional championships, which is the most in the state. However, the dry spell for the program hasn’t produced a champion since 2004.

Wawasee opens its competition season Dec. 21 at the LaPorte Pairs and returns Jan. 4 for the Elkhart Central Invite. The first home meet is set for Jan. 14 against Angola.