By Chris Paul
The Londonderry High School Gymnastics team hosted its first meet of the season on Thursday, Dec. 16, and was able score higher then the three other teams attending.
The Lancer squad had a team score of 128.8 and gave them one and a half point victory over Salem High School, who finished in second with a score of 126.5. Goffstown High School took third place with a 113.55 and Spaulding High School was fourth with 101.15.
Senior gymnast Ella Houghton did very well in the first meet of the season. Houghton competed in all four events, placing in three of them and taking second in the All-Around category.
As a team, Lancer gymnasts finished in the top three in all four events with Houghton taking the top spot in floor and the beam.
Starting with the vault, Londonderry had two girls take the top two positions.
Senior Nikki Stone finished with an 8.4 to lead the competition and Houghton was just behind her with an 8.25. Junior Marline Fitzgerald just missed making the top three with a score of 8.15.
In the Bars, just one Lancer was able to make it into the top three spots.
Senior Makenna Lord scored a 7.5 to place third, just three-tenths of a point away from the winner.
In the third event of the evening, Londonderry had two girls take the top two spots in the beam.
Houghton finished in a three-way tie for first in that event with a score of 8.7 and Lilly Haggard finished in a tie for second with an 8.6.
The final event of the evening also had two Lancers in the top two places.
Houghton was the top scorer in the Floor Exercise with score of 8.6 and her teammate, junior Peyton Beirne took second place with an 8.3.
Houghton also took second place in the All-Around category to finish the evening.
The Lancer Gymnastics team will now wait until next year to compete in their second event of the winter season.
The team will host their second meet of the season on Thursday, Dec. 16, with a competition against Keene, Exeter and Milford.