The High Flyers front row from left, Ashley Smith, Emily Smith, Eliana Rodriguez, Haily Herrera, Megan Martinez and Megan Crawford. Back row from left, Kwani Lopez Moya, Valarie Valdez, Aubrianna Telachy, Ashley Hammond and Anna Kirkland. Not pictured is Elizabeth Merrill. Photo by Chris Smith
HIGH FLYERS News:
Members of the High Flyers Gymnastics team will compete in the state championships this weekend in Albuquerque.
The girls in level two and three will face off against all qualifying competitors from across New Mexico for a chance to win state championship titles.
The team will enter the state competition on strong note. At the Monopoly Meet held Feb. 14 in Belen, which was the last regular competition of the year, the level two team earned a second place team trophy and many individual season high scores.
During the meet, Megan Martinez placed first on all four events and took home the first place all-around trophy for her division. Ashley Smith placed second all-around with second place finishes in uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise. Megan Crawford tied for first on vault and earned third place all-around.
In her age division, Ashley Hammond earned 9.0 on vault, 9.25 on balance beam and 9.475 on the uneven bars to win first place with a combined score of 36.425.
For her age division, Elizabeth Merrill earned her highest score of the season, winning at uneven bars with a score of 9.35. She scored a 9.075 on the floor exercise and placed second all-around. Emily Smith placed first on uneven bars and second on floor exercise and vault for a third place all-around finish in her age division.
Anna Kirkland took first place on uneven bars with a score of 9.275, second on balance beam and third on vault to place second all-around in her group. Pojoaque’s Kwan Jemu Lopez Moya placed fifth in her group.
Valarie Valdez won second place all-around in her division, narrowly beating teammate Aubrianna Talachy, who placed third. Valdez also took home first place on uneven bars and second place on balance beam and vault while Talachy won first place on vault and received her first ever 9.0 score in competition, winning second place on the uneven bars and joining the High Flyers’ 9.0 club.
Hailey Herrera took second place on uneven bars and balance beam, finishing third all-around in her age group. Eliana Rodriguez placed third on vault, balance beam and floor exercise and finished fourth all-around.
