BEVERLY — Last night the Beverly girls gymnastics team accomplished two of its season-long goals — an undefeated season and the Northeastern Conference crown.
This meet was previously scheduled for the middle of the season against rival Danvers, but a heating issue at the YMCA Sterling Center forced Beverly to reschedule to what was the last meet of the season for both teams.
The two undefeated squads in the NEC competed for the top spot, but the host Panthers ran away with title, 140.125-134.25. For the second year in a row, Beverly earned a perfect 9-0 season and coach Lauryn Ginsburg couldn't have been more thrilled for her squad.
"It ended up being a blessing in disguise that the meet got rescheduled to when it did," said Ginsburg, who is in her third season as head coach. "It made it a lot more intense; the girls really thrive under the pressure and stick their routines and show off more."
After first two rotations (vault and bars) the Panthers were ahead 68.675-66.3. Danvers' junior captain Roni Levine claimed first on vault (9.075), followed by the Panthers' Taylor Metta (8.7) and freshman Heather Gomes (8.625).
Gomes continued her solid performance on the uneven bars, placing first with a 9.2. Levine (8.7) and Panthers captain Adrianna Beatrice (8.7) tied for the No. 2 spot.
Gomes nailed her balance beam routine (9.35) and placed first in the all-around with 36.525. The rest of the Panther team completed their beam routines without a fall. Beverly went six for six on the beam with an impressive 35.925 team score.
"That was another one of goals as well, to go six for six without a fall," added Ginsburg. "That was the first time we did it all season, so it was kind of cool that we finally did it when it really counted. The beam routines really solidified it for us."
Metta, a senior captain, placed third in the all-around (34.325) and competed in her final meet of her high school career. Metta has competed in the all-around in all nine of the Panthers' meets this season and has done so without question.
"I'm going to miss all of the seniors," said Ginsburg of the six who are graduating in the spring. "They're a really great group of kinds and almost all six of them compete for us. It's hard to lose six kids in one year and their such a strong senior class."
Levine has another year on the Falcon (8-1) squad, and although her team didn't get the ending it was hoping for; Levine had a one of her best meets of the season placing second in the all-around with a 34.925.
Unlike the Panthers, Danvers has a very young team this season and coach Heather Boepple is happy with the way her girls performed.
"They've done a fantastic job and the girls have just gotten stronger and stronger," Boepple said. "I saw the younger girls contributing more and more as the season went on. I think we're just going to get better."
