Published January 29, 2021
By JENNIFER GENTILE
STONEHAM—The Melrose High gymnastics team was edged by rival Stoneham, 131.8-128.75 on Saturday, January 23 at Stoneham High. Melrose won two events in the day—vault and bars—but ultimately fell to the Spartans.
Melrose started the meet strong with a solid win in the vault, 34.15-33.5, behind the talents of Meghan Radzik, Brooke Heidebrecht, Sofia Pitcher, Sophia Weissman, Taylor Pesce and Grace Burke. Burke captured first place among both teams with an event high score of 8.8. Among those also scoring were Pesce (8.6) Weissman (8.35) and Pitcher (8.4).
Melrose was missing some top scorers on Saturday. Down numbers on their roster for this one meet, coach Denise Valdez used the opportunity to showcase underclass talent, and that was on display in the bars, beam and floor.
Making their debuts as freshmen were Jordan Tobin and Adele McAndrews, joining fellow freshmen Grace Gentile and Raessler Guthrie in the starting rotation. Tobin kicked off the uneven bars, before teammates Sofia Pitcher, Raessler Guthrie, Brooke Heidebrecht, Sophia Weissman and Grace Burke competed. Melrose won the event 30.7-29.9 with all-around Grace Burke earning an event-high score of 8.3.
Melrose fell to Stoneham in the beam, 33.25-31.1, after several gymnasts struggled to stick their routines. Competing clean for Melrose was Grace Gentile, who earned points along with Olivia Hitchman and Grace Burke. Grabbing the top score for Melrose was strong all-around Sophia Weissman (8.3).
Going into the floor Melrose was still within reach, down just 96.65-95.95. But Stoneham’s lineup proved too competitive for Melrose. Their all-around, Hannah Hall, scored a meet-high 9.3, while her teammates Faith Stockbridge, Sarah Norris and Sam Luongo all scored in the mid to high 8.0’s for the Spartans. Representing Melrose in the floor were Jordan Tobin, Sofia Pitcher, Brooke Heidebrecht, Taylor Pesce, Sofia Weissman and Grace Burke.
Melrose’s Weissman showcased a great performance and earned a strong 8.8 for the team, but overall, the Red Raiders didn’t have enough in the event to change the outcome of the meet. Melrose took their second loss of the season, 131.8-128.75.
They look to rebound when they host Reading this Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at the YMCA Metro North in Saugus. Look for the event to be live streamed at www.youtube.com/c/mhsgymnasticsvideo.
Remaining meets
Fri. Jan. 29, 7:30 PM v. Reading @ YMCA Metro North Saugus
Sun. Feb. 7, 12:00 PM v. Arlington @ YMCA Metro North Saugus
Sat. Feb., 13, 9:00 AM @ Wakefield High School Fri. Feb. 19, 7:30 PM v. Burlington @ YMCA Metro North Saugus
