WPIAL Crowns Team and Individual Gymnastics Champions at Moon

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) contested its team and individual gymnastics championships at Moon Area High School this past weekend, with Moon claiming the team title and Baldwin’s Abby Rexrode taking home the all-around individual gold in the advanced division.

Moon’s team championship is its seventh in program history, and sixth since 2012. The Tigers’ seven titles are the second most in WPIAL history, only training North Allegheny’s 18.

Baldwin’s Abby Rexrode is the school’s first individual all-around champion since 1998, when Mary DeFrancesco claimed her second of two crowns. She joins DeFrancesco (1997, 1998), Dana Scanlon (1992), and Kim Calderone (1983, 1984) as the only Fighting Highlanders to capture all-around gold.

TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS RECAP [Results]
With victories in the vault and uneven bars, Moon took home the WPIAL team title on Friday, Feb. 11, posting a total score of 143.666 to top Baldwin’s 143.116 mark.

The Tigers used scores of 37.466 in the vault and 35.050 in the uneven bars to score the event wins, adding a runner-up finish in the floor exercise (36.825) to claim the overall victory.

Baldwin finished first in the balance beam and floor exercise events, posting respective scores of 35.825 and 36.925. Central Valley was runner-up in the balance beam with a score of 35.275.

Thomas Jefferson, who finished third overall with a score of 141.542, placed runner-up in the vault (36.967) and uneven bars (33.600).

Central Valley (140.358), Montour (131.892), and Pine-Richland (130.017) rounded out the six-team field.

INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS RECAP – ADVANCED DIVISION [Results]
Thanks to a win in the balance beam and runner-up finish in the floor exercise, Baldwin’s Abby Rexrode captured the all-around gold on Saturday, Feb. 12 with a total score of 37.775.

Rexrode scored a 9.500 in the balance beam to top teammate Mia Dougherty, and netted a 9.575 in the floor exercise to finish behind Freedom Area’s Daisy Lewis in the event. She also brought home a fifth-place finish in the uneven bars (9.200) and a ninth-place effort in the vault (9.500).

Lewis finished runner-up to Rexrode in all-around with a total of 37.425, and brought home gold in the vault and aforementioned floor exercise. She posted a score of 9.825 in the vault, beating out Moon’s Lauren Hoff (9.675) for the top spot, and was given a 9.675 for her floor exercise routine.

Dougherty finished third in all-around with a score of 36.900, thanks in part to her runner-up finish in the balance beam (9.325).

The uneven bars champion was Deer Lakes’ Elizabeth Orosz, who registered a score of 9.425 to edge Pine-Richland’s Nadia Constantakis (9.325).

INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS RECAP – INTERMEDIATE I DIVISION
Hopewell’s Meghan Kelly took home the all-around gold on Saturday, Feb. 12, finishing with a score of 36.175 to top Plum’s Sarah Kvortek by 0.075.

Kelly won in the uneven bars with a score of 9.075, and placed third in the balance beam (8.900) and floor exercise (9.300). Her uneven bars tally was just 0.150 ahead of Kvortek’s runner-up mark.

Kvortek’s silver medal all-around performance was highlighted by a victory in the vault competition, as she scored a 9.400 to top Montour’s Dailyn Hopkins (9.375).

Hopkins earned the win in the balance beam, posting a 9.100 to finish ahead of Paige Warzynski. Baldwin’s Annabelle Herrle claimed gold in the floor exercise with a score of 9.350, edging Hopkins by 0.050.

Central Valley’s Amber Wilson placed third in all-around with a tally of 35.675, earning high finishes of third in the vault (93.50) and uneven bars (8.875).

INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS RECAP – INTERMEDIATE II DIVISION
Moon’s Kasey Sheffield claimed the all-around title on Saturday, Feb. 12, registering a score of 33.975 to edge Central Valley’s Maddix Anderson (33.675).

Sheffield’s best event finish was a runner-up effort in the uneven bars, as her score of 8.100 only trailed Central Valley’s Sydney Slater (8.150). She also finished fourth in the floor exercise (8.475), fifth in the balance beam (8.500), and seventh in the vault (8.900).

Anderson’s runner-up effort in the all-around competition was boosted by a victory in the balance beam. Her score of 8.750 topped teammate Mia Marchionda (8.650), and she finished second in the vault with a tally of 9.100.

North Hills’ Riley McElhinney won the vault competition with a score of 9.175, topping Anderson for the gold. The floor exercise event was won by Moon’s Irelynd Anthony, who posted an 8.600 to edge Burrell’s Sydney Lawson (8.500) for the gold.

West Allegheny’s Kali Burke finished third in all-around with a score of 33.025, earning a best finish of seventh in the uneven bars (7.875).

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