Niles West girls gymnastics competed at their home meet against Maine East last Thursday, Dec. 7. Starting the season off strong, the Wolves won, with a combined score from freshmen, junior varsity and varsity, of 111.000, beating Maine East by seven points.

Senior Matilda Yunan took first place in varsity vault, with a score of 7.60. Yunan emphasizes how her season has been off to a great start. 

“I think we did really well and worked hard as a team. Everybody stayed strong and pushed through the mistakes that we made but I hope that for the rest of the season, we continue to stay strong and push ourselves to be better,” Yunan said.   

On the uneven bars, senior Alyssa Khamoo placed first in the varsity division with a score of 7.30. “I think the meet on Thursday went really well for myself and for the whole team. After our first meet, our only goal was to improve ourselves for the next and we did that, and the scores showed that as well,” Khamoo said.

Freshman Emelia Oleniczak placed second on uneven bars in the same varsity division, and sophomore Sydney Lee placed third. Lee also placed second on beam with a score of 7.20 in the varsity division. 

Floor is a favorite event for many gymnasts. It is where they can not only showcase their tumbling passes but also express themselves to show the judges more of what makes them who they are. Oleniczak, Yunan and Khamoo, in order, placed in the top three in the varsity floor division.

In the all-around varsity division, Niles West’s very own Oleniczak took the victory at the top of the leaderboard, beating her opponent from Maine East by a little over two points. 

Coach Adrian Batista anticipates the remainder of the season, expressing joy in coaching such a motivated group of gymnasts.

“I am just excited to see the energy this team is bringing. These girls are fought in, they are working their butts off, and they’re just really motivated to do the best they can. They’re expectations are just to be successful and fantastic,” Batista said. “I am happy to be coaching, it is a great group of kids and I look forward to the rest of the season.”

The team practices after school in preparation for their meets. Now that this competitive season is on its feet, the gymnasts are working to perfect their skills in their routines.

“I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and to see how all the routines progress as we get closer to the end,” Khamoo said.