Blazers stick it against Springbrook

Nelson H. Kobren Gymnasium, April 24 -

Blair's gymnastics team won their first meet of the season and their first and only home game against the Springbrook Blue Devils. The team placed first in all events and won 153.3-123.8. Freshman Sophia Seidel won top honors with an all-around score of 34.9, tying with Springbrook's Hannah Brande.

Consistent performances from all members of the team clinched the victory for the Blazers. Although Brande and Seidel tied for first place, Blazers dominated the higher ranks; junior co-captain Anna Hadfield, freshman Taylor Smith and junior co-captain Abby Cember took second, third and fourth places respectively with scores of 34.1, 31.0 and 29.3.

Seidel scored well in all four events. She tied for first with Brande on bars with a score of 8.5 and placed first on floor with a score of 9.0. She also placed second on vault, scoring 8.8, and took third place on beam with a score of 8.6. The event was taken by Hadfield, who outscored the competition with a spectacular score of 9.1, the highest score of any Blazer in any event. Hadfield also performed notably on bars, placing second with 8.3, and placing third on floor with 8.2

According to coach Hillary Wynn, the girls' scores have improved tremendously and they have gained considerable confidence and energy throughout the meet. Hadfield stressed the importance of the strength of the girls' performances in this meet in particular. "This is our first and only home meet and we really wanted to make this count and do our personal bests," she said.

Senior co-captain Nazanin Yousefnejad, was also pleased with the win and the support from the audience. "I think everybody did really well today and it was nice to have a crowd cheering for us for once," Yousefnejad said. As the only senior on the team, Yousefnejad feels sentimental about her last home meet. "I'm going to miss all the girls and miss playing for Blair," she said.