THE WAKEFIELD gymnastics team kicked off their season last week against Winchester and earned their first victory yesterday against Medford. (Courtesy Photo)
WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield High gymnastics team kicked off their 2025 season on Jan. 2 against Winchester. Although the Red and Black ended up with the victory, the Warriors had a good start to a season with plenty of promise.
Wakefield finished last year with a record of 5-6, steadily improving as the year went on and finishing on a three-meet winning streak.
The Warriors have a good mix of returners and newcomers this season with more than 25 student athletes signing up.
Meg Delory, in her second season as head coach, has three captains to help set the tone in 2025: seniors Michaela Lyons and Giuliana O’Neill along with junior Sophia Tulipani.
“Team bonding has been a huge priority for the captains this season and they’ve done a really great job of helping to facilitate commitment and involvement from all team members — no matter their gymnastics skill level,” said Delory. “I challenged the captains to be examples for attendance and effort at practice and they’ve certainly delivered so far. I’m really proud of their growth and the way they lead by lifting others up, too. It helps that they love the sport and share that passion with the team.”
MICHAELA LYONS is one of three captains ready to lead the Warriors in 2025. (File Photo)
Passion for gymnastics goes above wins and losses. Delory and assistant coach Elise Rich encourage their team to cultivate passion for the sport, which includes creating a positive environment for all student athletes to be their best.
In that regard, the Warriors aced their season opener which they hosted at WMHS with longtime Winchester coach Candice Lentini quick to admire the environment the Warriors created.
“Candice has been leading a successful program for decades so it meant a lot when she reached out to me to commend the entire Wakefield gymnastics team for their genuine sportsmanship, kindness and support,” said Delory. “A gymnastics meet is unlike any other game or competition for this reason; don’t be surprised to see Wakefield gymnasts cheering for the other team just as fiercely as they’re cheering for their own.”
Along with the captains, Wakefield will have experienced gymnasts like freshman Isabelle LoCoco ready to set the tone. This year, the varsity Warriors will have returners after several years away from the sport including Cara Carangelo, Tori Grace, Liv Wall, Danielle McCauley and Morris Morneault.
As always, there are also newcomers to gymnastics that will be excited to learn the ropes.
“I’m really proud and excited to say we have a few team members who will compete in gymnastics for the first time including Baileigh O’Callahan and Liv Manzi,” said Delory. “Our JV squad also has significant potential to move up into the varsity lineup this year; Danika Manzi and Maya Farber are showing immense promise on vault, floor and beam. It’s not every season that new-to-the-sport athletes can rotate into the varsity line-up, but there are definitely opportunities this year.”
In that spirit, the Warriors will work hard to hit their goals — or more aptly, their routines — for ’25.
LIV WALL sticks the landing on vault against Winchester in Wakefield’s first meet of the season. (Courtesy Photo)
“‘Hitting routines’ is something we always aim for,” says the coach. “Whenever we can pull off hitting 6-for-6 routines on any event, it’s a huge accomplishment regardless of scores or final outcomes. That’s true whether the gymnasts have been competing year-round for a decade or are performing in front of a judge for the first time ever.
“More generally though, I always say that I want our team to be safe and have fun. Gymnastics can be tough. There’s a lot of pressure and sometimes even fear that can develop in athletes if they aren’t in the right environment; my goal is to help put our team in the right environment so that they can feel confident, happy and proud when they’re out there competing or training at practice.”
The Warriors won’t have plenty of time to hit their goals and routines this season as they will experience the fastest campaign in program history with just five weeks of competitions. Starting last week, the regular season will end on Feb. 6.
For Delory and assistant coach Elise Rich, that’s all the more reason to make the most out of every opportunity.
“No season would be possible without the partnership I have with my co-coach Elise Rich,” said Delory. “That’s especially true this year because of the size of our team, their range of skill, and the nature of the sport.”
Wakefield’s energy of their first meet, which includes comprehensive support from all team members to create a successful and welcoming environment, was duplicated in their second meet against Medford at home yesterday. The Warriors picked up their first win of the season, improving their score from 114.6 in meet one to 122.75 in the victory.
A full story will appear at a later date.
