Some may compare the energy and the screams from the crowd to the Super Bowl during the gymnastics Union County Championship hosted by Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School on Thursday.
The Blue Devils were unfazed by the pressure and were ready to perform as they chanted their iconic Westfield chant before the tournament began.
Westfield started off strong on the vault. Sophomore Katherine McDermott performed phenomenally as she averaged a 9.2 to take 6th place in vault for the Blue Devils. To top it off, senior Jessica D’Agosta blew away any nervous Blue Devil energy as she secured first place in vault with a 9.45 average.
“I was really proud of how my vault went,” said D’Agosta. “Being the first event, it was a strong way to start the meet off and get excited for what else was to come.”
The Blue Devils ended the vault with a 27.7 and were looking to push ahead of other teams, such as Dayton, on bars.
Westfield’s past performances on the bars have been unforgettable, and the Blue Devils hoped to repeat that. Senior Ally Pacifico and sophomore Chloe Katz tied with an 8.55 average. This was crucial as it could possibly have marked a turning point for Westfield in the meet. Unfortunately, the other teams had luckier performances as Westfield took fourth place on bars.
However, the Blue Devils refused to back down as they faced the challenging beam next. Westfield dug in deep since this part of the tournament would be huge to take a lead on the other competing teams.
The competing Blue Devils answered the call. Junior Vendela Surgent placed an unbelievable first place with a 9.1 average to give Westfield the score it needed. In addition, senior Ariana Keith backed up her teammate as she placed sixth with a remarkable 8.7 average and Katz secured an important third place finish with a 8.85 average.
This set the tone in the worn-out, hot Raider gym and left many speechless. The Blue Devils meant business.
Floor was up next, and this score would be important to the Blue Devils’ finishing placement. It was evident Westfield had prepared long and hard for this as the Blue Devils performed magnificently. Sophomore Nora Collins came ready to perform as she placed third with an average of 9.42.
This was a major score for Westfield since it moved it up in the scorecard. Many were hopeful this would be the deciding factor for Westfield to take a remarkable place in the championship.
With Westfield’s amazing scores and outstanding performances, the Blue Devils placed second, just falling short behind champion Scotch-Plains Fanwood. Westfield’s result was still absolutely amazing since the Union County Championship is considered one of the most competitive meets across New Jersey.
However, the Blue Devils weren’t done making their mark on the meet.
At the end, the all-around scores for the best performers made it clear Westfield could compete with the top teams in the state. Surgent took an astonishing sixth place with a 35.2 scored average, and D’Agosta placed an incredible fourth place with a 35.325 scored average.
This was a great achievement for the Blue Devils, and their work-hard efforts paid off as they finished as one of the best.
When asked about the team’s energy and how it affected the team’s performance, D’Agosta said, “The energy from the whole team was definitely there which I think plays a huge role in motivating everyone and keeping it fun.”
These resilient Blue Devils will surely remember this meet as one of their best as they showed the rest of the gymnastics teams in New Jersey that Westfield doesn’t play around.
