Winning group posted a 5-3 season
By JENNIFER GENTILE
SAUGUS—The Melrose High varsity gymnastics team finished their winning season with an appearance at the annual Middlesex League Meet held at Burlington High on Monday, Feb. 10.
Melrose placed seventh overall with a total of 129.5 points. Winner Reading was the runaway victor with 140 points. Melrose finishes another winning season 5-3.
Melrose was fairly shorthanded going in and it reflected on the score. “It was definitely was not our best performance,” notes coach Denise Valdez. “We were short handed. Hillary [Bush} was out. She is a score on bars and floor. We also had to pull a gymnast from vault and bars. I did put in freshman Charlotte Blanchard on floor. She did a great job.”
All season, vault and floor were their strength and that was the case last Monday. Melrose had a solid vault behind the work of Caroline Lee, Maya Weissman, Aislin Savage, Abby Dennison, Sumin Kang and Noah Williamson, who medaled with a 5th place finish. “Vault was pretty good,” says Valdez. “Noah stuck his tsuk and everyone else was on.”
And in floor, Melrose saw a best score from Isabelle Ferrante, who has qualified for State Individuals thanks to her strong season. She earned a 9.0 for Melrose in floor, an event who also saw teammates Charlotte Blanchard, Aislin Savage Noah Williamson, Ashley Muller, Sumin Kang compete in.
Seeing two gymnasts, Williamson and Ferrante, medal at the meet was a source of pride for coach Valdez. “They both did a great job. Isabella qualified for State Individuals on floor,” she notes.
Much of this season was also anchored by consistent gymnasts like Aislin Savage and Sumin Keng who were 3-event athletes that kept Melrose in each meet. “They are both my go-to on any event,” says their coach. “They always are willing to jump in and do whatever they can to help the team.”
On Friday, Feb. 7 Melrose celebrated Senior Night during their last home meet against Malden, whom they beat convincingly. There, they honored three outgoing gymnasts, Ella Ugino and captains Maya Weissman and Abby Dennison. “My seniors were a great asset to the team. They really were great role models. They will be missed,” says Valdez.
Melrose has a fairly young team coming back so the future remains quite bright. As they enter off-season, they are prepared to work hard to be even more competitive in 2026. “We talked about what they can work on during the offseason,” says Valdez. “Some will be working on twisting, others will be working strength on bars. I know we will do ok. This team was fun to work with. They really were competitors. I can’t want to see them grow in the sport.”