The Yorktown Patriots warmed up for the state gymnastics tournament with convincing victories at the Liberty District and 6D North Region championships.
The Patriots won the district championship on Feb. 2 with a 146.150 team score, then finished first in the region Feb. 11 with a 143.650 total. Both meets were at Washington-Liberty High School.
The region title was Yorktown’s first since 2016, also the last year Yorktown qualified for states.
The Virginia High School League’s Class 6 state meet is Feb. 20-21 at Kellam High School in Virginia Beach. The team finals are on Friday, with the individual competition Saturday.
Yorktown won its only state title, then at the AAA classification, in 1975, a year after earning its only runner-up state finish.
The turnaround, versatility and improvement this winter have been significant for Yorktown, which did not qualify for last year’s region competition and placed fourth in the district with a 126.65 score.
This season’s 16-member team includes 12 new gymnasts, of whom eight are freshmen. Many of the 16 compete year-round for the Arlington Aerials club program.
“I have been impressed with all of their work ethic and dedication toward high-school gymnastics, and their understanding of the routines and commitment it takes to be successful at this level,” Yorktown coach Charlotte Reilly told ARLnow.
Reilly said all of the gymnasts have competed in meets throughout the season, even some with no prior involvement in the sport.
“It takes all of those types of team members, and they have the excitement to get better. I like, and you need, all of that,” Reilly said.
Two top-performing newcomers are sisters Teagan and Tatum Wielechowski. Teagan is a junior and Tatum is a freshman. Teagan participated in Yorktown’s girls diving team last winter instead of gymnastics.
In gymnastics this winter, the sisters were top performers in the district and region.
Teagan Wielechowski won the all-around competition in each meet, with a 38.375 total at districts and a 37.5 at regions.
At districts, she won all four events, scoring 9.725 on the uneven bars and balance beam, 9.325 on the floor exercise and 9.6 on the vault.
At regions, Teagan Wielechowski won the uneven bars (9.35), floor (9.2) and vault (9.75). She placed eighth (9.2) on the beam. Tatum Wielechowski was second on the bars (9.225), third on the floor (9.125) and 10th on the beam (9.1) at regions.
Yorktown senior and team veteran Anya Clemmer participated with an injured foot at the region, but still did well.
“Anya has been on the team since she was a freshman, and she has been a great performer,” Reilly said. “She really toughed it out at regions with the hurt foot.”
Clemmer was third on the bars (8.925), fourth on the floor (9.025) and fifth on the beam (9.375). Yorktown’s Zoe Hoang was seventh on the vault (8.85).
Also scoring in the region and district meet were Vivian Walker, Eden Cogert, Elena Haas, Havana Duda, Monica Rose Valdiviez and Natalie Mixter.
At districts, Clemmer was second in the all-around (36.975).
“We are not a one-man show,” Reilly said. “We have a lot of talent all around.”
Wakefield High School gymnast Maddie Wearing had a strong region meet, with a second on the beam (9.6) and a tie for ninth on the bars (8.5). At the district meet, Wearing was third in the all-around (35.825) with a tie for third on the beam (9.575), a third on the vault (9.05) and a tie for fifth on the floor (8.65).
The Washington-Liberty Generals, a top district and region team and state contender for many years running, finished second in the district meet with a 136.175 total and was sixth in the region (135.95).
Individually at the region for W-L, Jori Willford tied for fifth on the floor (8.95) and tied for ninth on the beam (9.125). Sophie Meyer was seventh on the beam (9.275) and tied for ninth on the bars (8.5).
At districts for W-L, Melissa Roman Lau was fifth in the all-around (33.75), Willford was seventh (33.65) and Taylor McDonnell eighth (33.425), with Jane Perry tying for fourth on the vault (8.775).
