Darien claims FCIAC gymnastics title

STAMFORD -- After being edged for the FCIAC championship by the slimmest of margins a year ago, claiming the coveted league title topped the Darien High School gymnastics team's list of goals this season.

Mission accomplished.

The Blue Wave, who finished a close second behind Staples last year, are the queens of the mat once again in the FCIAC, and with not one senior on the team, it's a position they seem primed to hold.

Behind a wealth of impressive performances, Darien won the FCIAC Gymnastics Championships for the second time in three years with a team score of 135.850 Friday night at Westhill High School.

Wilton placed second (131.300), followed by Trumbull (131.050), Fairfield Ludlowe (126.350), Staples (122.700) and Greenwich (121.550).

"It feels so great to win FCIACs," Darien junior Charlotte Morgan said. "One of our goals was to come back and win it this year. I won my freshman year in this same facility, so it's nice to do that again here."

Added Blue Wave junior Morgan Whitehead: "There's still a lot of room for improvement, but it feels real good. We did our best though and that was obviously pretty good. Our whole team supported each other so well."

Whitehead and Morgan helped spark the Blue Wave to the triumph. The talented Whitehead won the vault with a score of 9.20 and took home the floor exercise title (9.175). She provided a fitting finish to the meet by executing a creative and dazzling floor exercise routine.

"To go on the floor is amazing," said Whitehead, who finished with an all-round score of 34.275, good for third place. "There's only one floor and it's bigger than four inches, so you just go out there and do what you have to do."

"The floor is her favorite routine, she loves to perform," Darien coach Salina Tavella said. "It was a beautiful thing."

Morgan, who placed fourth in the all-around (34.075), was third on the vault (8.9) and fourth in the floor (8.650). Sophomore Katherine Mosher had a second place finish on the bars (8.70) and freshman Lauren Medwed took second on the beam (8.850) for Darien.

Wilton was led by sophomore Chelsea Levander, who won both the bars (9.300) and beam (8.900). She was also the all-around winner, compiling 36.150 points.

Kate Flewelling, a senior, helped power Trumbull to its third place finish, recording a second place finishes in the vault (9.100) Flewelling was second in the all-around (34.300).

"It was a great performance by our team," Trumbull coach Cara Loux said. "Our team had a lot of energy, which is key in the sport of gymnastics. Kate always has a positive attitude out there. She has done a great job for us in her first year on the team."

Junior Angie Wacek had Greenwich's best performances. Wacek was eighth in the floor exercise and finished in a tie for seventh on the balance beam.

"Our team is young, so we came in here not knowing how we were going to do, but I thought it went well for us," Wacek said. "Everyone did their best out there."

"I'm real happy with how our team did," added Cardinals senior Jen Freda, who scored a 7.80 on the vault. "FCIACs is always a tougher meet to compete in because the competition is so tough."

GHS coach Sue Knight was pleased to see her younger gymnasts rise to the occasion.

"This was the first time a lot of girls on our team competed in this meet, so this was a good experience for them," Knight said.

Senior co-captains Alex Mahoney and Becci Reike also earned high scores for the Cards. Mahoney scored a 7.5 in the floor exercise, while Rieke posted an 8.2 on the beam.

Fairfield Warde placed seventh overall with a team score of 104.600, followed by Westhill (92.500).

"We have an inexperienced team with only two girls who are year round gymnasts," Westhill coach Ellie Southworth explained. "But the team has gotten stronger as the year has gone on. For what we have, we have had a good season."