The Mt. Hope girls gymnastics went undefeated and won their third straight Division II championship on Saturday. The Lady Huskies beat both Portsmouth and Prout with a team score of 136.45 at Strive Gymnastics in Somerset to finish the regular season with a 10-0 record.
“The girls were so excited. The team put up their highest beam total, scoring a team high 36.6 on Saturday. Six of our seven gymnasts stuck their routines. It was an amazing feeling to see them stick beam the way they did,” said Head Coach Nicole Daniello.
Junior Jayme Foreman led the team with an all around score of 35.45. She scored an 8.8 on vault, a 8.2 on bars, a 9.35 on beam and a 9.1 on floor. Junior Kaitlin Quinn recovering from a sprained ankle posted an all around score of 34.70, with an 8.7 on vault, a 7.7 on bars, a 9.25 on beam and a 9.05 on floor.
Seniors Ashley Heald and Brianna Gendreau competed all around for the first time this year. Heald scored a 31.65 with a 8.35 on vault, 7.0 on bars, 8.6 on beam and a 7.7 on floor. Gendreau posted an all around score of 29.70 with an 8.55 on vault, 6.4 on bars, 7.1 on beam and a 7.65 on floor. Standout Meghan Oliver competed on vault, beam and floor, with scored of 8.45, 9.45 and 8.2.
“I feel very lucky to be coaching such talented girls. Most of their skills were learned from their club coaches, so I mostly focus on endurance with routines and nurturing a team culture. In a sport that is extremely individualized, my main goal is for the girls to feel what a true team is like, where teammates support and encourage each other. The feeling of winning as a team is so much more rewarding than winning an individual honor. The girls actually cheered and clapped as they heard the scores announced at Saturday's meet” said coach Daniello.
The Huskies will compete for the what could be there third D-II State title in a row on Saturday at RIC at 1 p.m.