Girls’ gymnastics fourth in Conference, hope to do better at regionals

Kennedy O’Connor

The girls’ gymnastics team on the podium after their 3rd place win at York on January 20.

The girls’ gymnastics team did well individually at the MSL Conference but hope to improve as a team at regionals. They placed 4th at the MSL Conference meet on Wed., Jan. 24 at Elk Grove.

Coach Anthony Avella said, “We started off the first two events with a strong showing on floor.”

He added that he was happy that the girls were able to perform new skills for the first time at the meet. However, he felt that the second two events were not as strong.

Avella said, “We still didn’t quite hit our routines in the last two events, which is something we still have to work on.”

Kennedy O’Connor, ‘20, who performed in all-around, floor, and vault, said, “We didn’t do as well as we had hoped for, but that’s only going to give us the determination to go and clean up our routines and work even harder.”

Avella believes the team still has opportunities to improve.“It’s important to perform routines effortlessly,” he said. “If you want to be a successful program for the long run, then we need to be able to adapt well.”

Four girls made podium, which included the top 15 people in each event, for their individual routines. Top finishers included O’Connor, who placed 8th with an all-around score of 35.35, and Julia Betts, ‘20, who finished 12th with an all-around score of 34.95.

O’Connor said, “I think conference went okay for me. I had a few wobbles on the beam and bars, but vault and floor were strong. I think my best event was floor, which I placed 8th on with a score of 9.2.”

As the team heads to regionals, Avella stressed the importance of doing well as the top teams and top five individuals will automatically qualify for sectionals.

O’Connor said, “In the end, I am hoping for the team to qualify for state. Last year, we qualified to state as a team, and it was an amazing experience that I would love to relive.”

+2