An ankle injury may have hampered Mt. Hope gymnast Reece Pavao’s performance at the New England championship meet, but not her excitement.

“The best part for her was to be around her fellow Rhode Isand teammates,” said gymnastics coach Nicole Daniello. “Normally she competes against those teammates, but it was cool for her to be able to compete with them.”

Pavao was the Huskies’ lone gymnast at the New England Gymnastics Championships, which took place in Connecticut on March 12. The senior placed 38th in the all around event, out of 150 competing gymnasts, with a score of 34.275. Pavao scored an 8.325 on vault, an 8.7 on bars, an 8.6 on beam and an 8.65 on floor. She placed 35th in New England on bars, 47th on beam and 51st on floor for the individual events.

“Reese was excited to compete in this prestigious meet,” said Daniello. “She performed well despite the steep competition. It was packed with gymnasts from all four states [Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire]. It was buzzing with excitement. The competition was really strong. ”

Pavao couldn’t add any of the higher skills that she performed at the state meet on Feb. 20 due to an injured ankle. She scored a 9.15 on her floor routine at states by adding a front full and a wolf jump.

Reese had a solid season, Coach Daniello said. “She was consistent with her scores through out the season. She stuck every beam routine and performed well on all the events. She never fell on floor and never fell off bars. She was super consistent. It has been an honor and a privilege to have coached her through out her high school career.”

Senior gymnast Nora Prendergast also qualified for the regional championship, but she did not compete due to injuries.