The 2015-16 New Hampshire high school gymnastics champions from Londonderry High School capped off their superb campaign with a record-setting effort at the 22nd annual New England Interscholastic Championships at Dracut (Mass.) High School Saturday, March 12.
The Lancers established a new school record for scoring with a team tally of 141.1, a total that placed them seventh among the top squads from New England high schools. The team from Barnstable, Mass., won the regional crown with a 149.075, with Woodstock (Vt.) second with a 147.2 and Medway-Holliston of Massachusetts third with a 146.225.
“New Englands is the hardest meet we have all season,” said LHS coach Heather Tuden. “Not only are we going against the top teams in the region, but we have three weeks to learn all new routines. New Hampshire is the only state in New England which doesn’t use federation rules, so my assistant coaches Emily Panacopoulos and Rachel Blais and I spent hours with these girls ensuring they had all their requirements.
“Considering all of this, we scored our highest team score and broke the previous school record.” she said.
The locals had senior star Jill McIntire tie for ninth place on vault with a score of 9.425.
“We also had strong vaults from Maddie Baumann, Mira Kutney, and Maddie Croteau,” said Tuden.
The Lady Lancers had Seana Kelly lead the team on the uneven bars with an 8.8. “This week she learned a new dismount, which she performed perfectly,” said Tuden.
Baumann, Croteau, and Kutney also contributed to the team score, joining McIntire with strong efforts on the balance beam and in the floor exercise.
“This team has been the most talented team Londonderry has seen in many years. We couldn’t have asked for a better season, and we will truly miss our seniors Jill McIntire, Maddie Baumann, and Jessi Pignone. We wish them all the best of luck with their future endeavors,” said Tuden.
Senior Jill McIntire ended her LHS career with strong work at the New England championships.
Caption: Seana Kelly was a stalwart on the uneven bars for the Lady Lancers at New Englands. Photos by Chris Paul