Edison, N.J. - For the 14th time, the St. Thomas Aquinas gymnastics team has been crowned the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 2 champions. The Trojans dominated the podium, in their home gym, on their way to posting a team score of 111.450. STA was followed by Bridgewater-Raritan who finished in second with a 109.175, and Scotch Plains-Fanwood who finished in third with a 108.550.
While the Trojans had multiple, different gymnasts place at or near the top of the podium, Supriyha Moore delivered STA's top all-around performance. Moore finished in third place in the all-around with a 36.950. Along with her third-place all-around performance, Moore also placed in the top five on the vault, uneven bars, and balance beam. She finished fourth on the vault with a 9.400, fourth on the bars with an 8.850, and third on the beam with a 9.400.
Beyond Moore, St. Thomas Aquinas' depth was on display as the Trojans also saw Olivia Donato, Nina Sanguiliano, Jenna Cerchio, and Allie Pompliano place in the top-three in different events. Donato tied for first on the vault with a 9.500, Sanguiliano finished first on the bars with a 9.300, and Cerchio and Pompliano finished first and third on the floor with a 9.550 and 9.425 respectively.
Finishing in second, and advancing to the state championship based on their score, along with St. Thomas Aquinas, Bridgewater-Raritan was led by Alison Lardieri. Lardieri placed in the top-five in every event on her way to finishing second in the all-around with a score of 37.200. Lardieri was the beam champion with a 9.500 while finishing fifth on the vault with a 9.350, third on the bars with an 8.950, and tied for fourth on the floor with a 9.400. Sanjana Thayi also garnered a top-three result for the Panthers, finishing in third on the vault with a 9.425.
In third place, Scotch Plains-Fanwood was led by the trio of Delaney Farley, Ella Burgio, and Nicole Perez. Farley placed eighth in the all-around while Burgio ended up in a three-way tie for ninth. However, it was on individual apparatuses that the duo, plus Perez made their mark. Farley had the highest place of the three, placing second on the floor with a 9.475. Perez placed fourth on the beam with a 9.350 and Burgio placed fifth on the bars with an 8.825.
Westfield's Shannon Gibbs won the all-around with a 37.350. She tied for first on the vault with Donato, was second on the bars (9.000), second on the beam (9.450), and tied for fourth on the floor with Lardieri.
Rounding out the team scores, Westfield finished in fourth with a 107.950 and Watchung Hills finished in fifth with a 98.450.
At Other Sectionals...
No.1 St. John Vianney Takes Care of Business in Central Jersey
St. John Vianney competes on the vault in the Central Jersey Gymnastics Sectional. (Photo by Nicole Mehl - JSN)
The St. John Vianney gymnastics team posted a 114.150 to take home the Central Jersey championship. Finishing behind the Lancers, Middletown South came in second with a 110.350 and Hunterdon Central finished in third with a 109.900.
Vianney was led by Giovannina Beltra who won the all-around title with an impressive 38.325. Beltra also placed in the top-three on the vault, bars, and floor. Beltra finished second on the bars and floor with a 9.725 and 9.600 respectively and third on the vault with a 9.750.
Hunterdon Central's Ava Sutphen posted an impressive 9.800 on the vault on her way to winning the event.
Mount Olive Repeats as Top Team in North I
Mount Olive repeated as the North Jersey, Section 1 champions with a score of 108.075. The Marauders were followed by Ramapo, who finished in second with a 103.875, and host, Ridgewood, who finished in third with a 103.175.
Mount Olive was led by Morgan Summer and Anna Tava. Summer was the top competitor on the vault with a 9.500 and finished third in the all-around with a 36.025 and floor with a 9.400. Tava was the runner up on the bars, scoring a 9.075.
Avery Lauterback, an independent gymnast from Emerson, also repeated as the North I all-around champion finishing with a 37.500.
Colts Neck Wins South Sectional Crown
Colts Neck scored a 110.975 to win the South Section crown. Jackson and Freehold Township scored a 108.050 and 107.700 respectively to round out the top three.
Colts Neck was led by Maddie Marinaccio and Katelyn Glick. Marinaccio placed third in the all-around for the Cougars, scoring a 36.525, while Glick tied for top honors on the beam, scoring a 9.550, and tied for second on the floor with a 9.350.
Freehold Township's Alexis Czarrunchick won the South Section all-around title with a 37.425.
The high school gymnastics season will conclude on Thursday and Saturday with the state team and individual championships at Brick Memorial High School. The team championship will be held Thursday while the individual championship will be held on Saturday. The teams that advanced to the state championship are St. John Vianney, St. Thomas Aquinas, Colts Neck, Middletown South, Hunterdon Central, Bridgewater-Raritan, Hillsborough, and Mount Olive.
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