Gymnastics extended its 7-0 streak in a win against Natick 145.9-130.6 in the SOA Tuesday, Jan. 28. Preparing for its next meet, the team’s senior night, the Tigers prevailed to stay undefeated.
“The mindset of this meet was great I think, lots of people got almost perfect scores and that’s really impressive. Natick did good, but we did better,” said sophomore Simona Batista-Ciani.
The girls engaged in team chants to set spirits high for the meet. According to Batista-Ciani, the energy expressed before the meet indicates how well the meet will go.
The meet kicked off with senior Molly Haughton receiving the highest score on vault, laying the foundation for yet another successful meet for the Tigers. Her score was a 9.3, leaving the audience in awe as she leapt into a handspring.
“I didn’t participate in this meet, but from what I saw I was a bit nervous at the start. Everyone was doing great, but Natick was just doing really well too,” said sophomore Julia Brown.
The team’s momentum began to pick up as senior Sofia Dukakis dominated the uneven bars, honing in a 9.5 that boosted the team’s final score immensely. “She has a really good mindset, and she’s super talented,” said Batista-Ciani. “She’s also really smart when it comes to how she trains.”
Sophomore Greer Howard performed similarly on the bars, with poise and a positive attitude that aided her in achieving her 8.9 score. “Bars are the most fun event, definitely the one I enjoy the most,” said Howard.
The Tigers kicked up the heat with precision on beam and a superb score by junior Samantha Shu. Oftentimes regarded as the most difficult event, the beam event had no effect on Shu as she received a 9.0 for her excellent performance.
“Everyone gave a great performance, I couldn’t even shout out to just one person even if I tried. Everyone was just super excited to compete and I love that so much. Motivation to compete is the key to making it far in the season,” said Cassie Ford, the head coach.
As the Tigers prepared for their floor routines, the meet was almost over but their spirit certainly was not. To conclude the meet, freshman Lucia Grapski performed beautifully on floor and scored a whopping 9.6. This near-perfect score was the perfect ending to an amazing meet that resulted in an undefeated record coming into senior night.
“The season has been going so well so far, I’m excited to see how it goes in the future as we continue to get better as a team,” added Brown.
The team, 8-0, faced Brookwood on Thursday, Jan. 30 at the SOA and reigned victorious. The Tigers will face Framingham away Sunday, Feb. 9.
