THORNTON — Six years ago, Alyssa Carroll suffered a back injury that nearly ended her aspirations in gymnastics.
Saturday, she capped off her high school career with a bang.
The 17-year-old Windsor High School senior, who competes for Thompson Valley, won three of the four Class 4A individual championships on the second day of the state gymnastics meet at Thornton High School, adding to the second consecutive 4A all-around title she captured Friday.
“It feels so good, and it’s good to finish off on a good note,” Carroll said. “I’m really glad I finished off on vault, because I feel like vault is my strongest. To get that 9.9 (score from one judge) was just amazing. I almost cried.”
Carroll recorded the top scores in each of the individual apparatuses Friday to secure the 4A all-around title.
Saturday, she won the vault with a 9.85 score, the uneven bars with a 9.7 score and the balance beam with a 9.75 score. The 5-foot-1 gymnast finished second, behind Standley Lake’s Jordan Ireland, in floor exercise.
As a sixth-grader, Carroll suffered a lesion of the spine that made the right side of her back hurt and made it difficult for her to get out of bed in the morning. It also stopped her gymnastics career for nearly five years before she came back to the sport, joining the Thompson Valley squad.
“I wasn’t expecting to win. I wasn’t expecting to be good my first year back,” she said. “It’s been super nice just being out there and having fun.”
She became the first Class 4A gymnast to win consecutive all-around state titles since Mountain Range’s Ann Simmons accomplished the feat in 2006 and 2007. Simmons also swept the individual events in 2007.
Carroll hopes to continue her career at the collegiate level next year. But for now, she’s just grateful that she is competing again.
“I’m just glad to be back,” Carroll said.
Joe Nguyen: jnguyen@denverpost.com or
