After finishing second to its longtime rival Mount Si in the conference meet the weekend before, Mercer Island took its turn at the top of the podium last Saturday, winning the 3A SeaKing district title.

The team beat Mount Si by .338 of a point to win the title at Sammamish High School. The Islanders earned a team score of 153.175, over the Wildcats’ 152.837 score.

Just eight teams in the state earn a spot at this weekend’s state competition at the Tacoma Dome, three of which come from the SeaKing tournament.

During Saturday’s competition, the top five scores in each event counted toward the overall team score. In the all-around competition, Kristin Trumble was sixth with a 32.325 score, while Vanessa Gaffney was seventh with a 32.20 score. In the vault, Kari Johnson was sixth with an 8.475; in the bars competition, Gaffney was fourth with a 7.6; Trumble was fifth with a 7.4 and Johnson was sixth with a 7.35. In the bars competition, Trumble finished third with an 8.55, while Johnson was 10th overall with a 7.85.

Other members of the team who will be at the state competition include: Monica Airut-Murphy, Olivia Groh, Emily Lightfoot, Cheyanne Lewis, Tonayo Crow, Sydney Zeldes, Gaffney, Kelly Grady, Johnson, Liana Shibuya, Trumble and Stephanie Pedreira.

This weekend’s state meet will begin on Friday, with the team march-in at 6:20 p.m. and the competition following.

For a full schedule go to the Reporter Web site for a link.