March 18, 2025 // Diocese

Bishop Dwenger Captures Sixth State Gymnastics Title

Eric Peat

Kobi Johnson couldn’t believe it.

The Bishop Dwenger sophomore had just completed her floor routine at the IHSAA Gymnastics State Finals, a routine she admitted she “hadn’t really been practicing that much.” Yet her score of 9.625 suggested otherwise.

“I was very surprised by my score – normally, scoring that high at the state meet is not realistic,” Johnson said afterwards. “When I saw the score go up, I was really excited and didn’t believe I could get that score at state.”

However, Saints head coach Rose Nix knew better.

“Kobi just has these dynamics in her tumbling and a beautiful dance and presentation,” Nix told Today’s Catholic. “When she got off the floor, I thought, ‘That has got to win first place today.’”

Not only did Johnson’s floor routine earn her an individual state title in the event, but it helped Bishop Dwenger capture the team title on Saturday, March 15, at Ball State University’s Worthen Arena in Muncie. The Saints ended the day with a score of 112.975, finishing 1.275 points ahead of second-place Valparaiso. The victory marked Bishop Dwenger’s sixth state title in gymnastics – tied for second most in state history – and first since 2012.

“I don’t celebrate that much, but when we won state, I was actually so happy that I gave my coaches hugs for the first time in my life,” Johnson said. “We took a group hug, there were tears – everyone was crying.”

A year removed from placing third at the 2024 State Finals, this young Saints squad was poised to etch its name into Bishop Dwenger lore. After a season-best 113.125 points at the Concordia Sectional, the Saints set a new program record by posting 113.800 points at the Huntington North Regional – the second-best score in the state this season. To realize this potential at the state finals, Nix knew her team would have to start strong – particularly after being assigned to begin the meet with balance beam, a “make-or-break event” in Nix’s eyes.

“In other events, you can cover up if you mess up a little, but in beam, if you mess up a little, you’re usually on the ground,” Nix explained. “I knew we had good routines on the beam, so I felt like, ‘Let’s take this to our advantage.’ I told the girls, ‘All we have to do is stick.’ So, they were bound and determined to stick those beams.”

Stick they did, and after Johnson’s stellar performance in the floor routine, the Saints grabbed control of the meet by claiming three of the top four spots in the vault. This increased Bishop Dwenger’s lead from 0.250 points to 1.700 points – a wide margin in gymnastics. The Saints secured the championship by hitting on three of their four routines on the bars, all the while overcoming any anxiety in tense moments with humor.

“There’s never a moment when we’re serious,” Johnson laughed, right on cue. “Something is always funny; something is always a joke. Other teams may not like it, but it keeps us calm, joking around.”

Nix, who has coached Bishop Dwenger to all six state titles and nine runner-up finishes in her four decades leading the program, said this team possessed the same close-knit relationships and selfless nature that her other state champions had. What sets these girls apart, Nix said, is their joyful disposition.

“There was just something about the air to this group,” Nix said. “They laughed a lot; they had fun a lot. One judge came up to me after the meet and said, ‘Rose, I want to tell you, you guys looked so happy out there. You guys are laughing, but you knew when to buckle down and focus, and you locked in.’”

Individually for Bishop Dwenger, junior Avery Gleave finished second in both the vault and the balance beam, while placing third in the floor exercise. Sophomore Maria Szczepanski placed third in the uneven bars and fourth in the vault, and Johnson added a third-place finish in the vault to her state title in the floor.

Perhaps the only thing more impressive than their performances is the fact that the Saints don’t have a single senior on their team. With four juniors, four sophomores, one freshman, and another talented eighth grade class on deck, there was no stopping the girls or their coaches from dreaming about a repeat title next year. But regardless of what the future holds, Nix and company will blaze ahead keeping the Lord at the center of everything they do.

“As a team, we prayed like 20 times that day,” Johnson recalled of the day of the state finals. “Before we left school, we said a Rosary in the school chapel; after practice the night before the meet, we said a Rosary again; and when all the coaches left, everyone got down on their knees around the bed. In the morning, we said a prayer before each event. Basically, every time we do something, we say a prayer.”

“I always tell them, you’re doing this for God’s glory, not yours,” Nix said. “That’s more important than teaching them gymnastics. We want them to be able to look back and say, ‘That meant a lot to me,’ and not just because we won. We want to teach them good values.”