Not only did they show well in the South Finals, two teams placed in the top five in the State Finals and five seniors went on to Fort Myers, Florida for the National High School Gymnastics Association's Senior Showcase.
First, in the MIAA South Sectional, Sharon took second place overall, edged by less than three points. Mansfield placed fourth and Oliver Ames finished 11th. For individuals, Sharon's Samantha Kaplan finished first overall while Mansfield's Alexa Anastos was sixth and Sharon's Jessica Chabot was ninth. Nine other Hockomock gymnasts finished in the top 50.
Both Sharon and Mansfield advanced to the MIAA State Finals and continued to thrive. The Eagles were edged again, this time by just 1.3 points for a second place finish. Mansfield finished fifth overall but were second to only Sharon on the beam. Kaplan finished second all around overall in the state, falling short but just 0.1 point with a 37.725. Anastos finished 9th with an all-around score of 36.350.
Kaplan and Chabot were joined by Mansfield's Madison Krysko, Attleboro's Meridith Moreau, and Oliver Ames' Corrine Paul as five of 21 Massachusetts gymnasts that headed to Florida.
From The Boston Herald's Kat Hasenauer Cornetta:
For Oliver Ames senior Corrine Paul, the Senior National meet allows her a chance to finish her season on her terms. An injury the week of the State Individual meet took her out of the last few meets of her senior year. Final team selection typically occurs during the State Senior Superbowl and State Individual meets. But the strength of Paul's performances throughout the season earned her consideration for the team.
"I'm not fully recovered, but I'll be able to contribute on vault and bars," said Paul at a practice earlier this week. "A lot of our girls are doing all-around, and a few of us will contribute by being specialists."
Paul's most valuable contribution to the team's cause could be on vault, where she will compete a pike tuck. Vault is one of the team's strongest events in general, with a Yurchenko full (roundoff onto a springboard, back handspring onto the vaulting table and a full twist in the air) in their lineup.
Both Anastos and Kaplan were named Boston Herald Girls Gymnastics All Scholastics.
"Competing at the DCU center on podium for States was one of my most memorable gymnastics experiences," Kaplan told HockomockSports.com. "That was where we shined as a team and had multiple underclassmen step up to help advance us to New England's. Senior nationals was an experience I'll never forget."
The trip to Florida saw her competitors turn into teammates, something that was an easy transition.
"Seniors from all over Massachusetts who spent years competing against each other got to come together and compete as a team," said Kaplan. "We made friends and a team we will never forget. Because of the team spirit and support we showed each other everyone competed at their top level, and before we knew it we were national champions. A lot of us ended our gymnastics career that weekend and it was certainly an exciting way to go out."