New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Hand defends Class S title, sets sights on State Open
MILFORD — Daniel Hand gymnastics will be the top seed entering the State Open next week after the team defended its Class S state title on Saturday at Jonathan Law.
Daniel Hand outscored all teams across the three state class tournaments with a score of 143.075. Trailing behind Hand in Class S was second place Oxford with a score of 131.750 and third place Stonington at 130.325.
“We feel good, they set the bar pretty high,” Daniel Hand coach Kelly Smith said. “This was our highest team score of the season, so we came in and we wanted to have a good day and we had a really great day. You can't argue with your best score of the season at a time when it matters the most.”
Hand was led by the trio of Morgan Flickinger, Brooke Anderson and Hadley Reiss, who each registered a score above nine in at least one event.
Flickinger scored over a nine in all four events, earning a 9.15 in vault, 9.35 in uneven bars, 9.25 in balance beam and 9.15 in her floor routine.
“I am feeling great, I beat a lot of my own personal records,” Flickinger said. “I was higher than my averages on most events and I think it helped the team.”
Anderson registered a 9.1 on vault and a 9.275 on the balance beam. Reiss posted a meet-leading 9.2 on her floor routine.
“We have the depth to support our team,” Smith said. “We made some mistakes today, we weren't perfect. But we have enough girls that are going to pick up the slack anywhere necessary that we can feel confident in our team as a whole. It is pretty special.”
Hand swept each event with the highest score in each of the four separate competitions.
“One of the keys to our success is that a lot of high school teams struggle on bars, but we are very strong there,” Smith said. “We went 36 on beam today, which is a really high beam score.”
Hand, which was the runner-up in last year's State Open, will head into the week hungry for more.
The other three teams to compete against Hand in the State Open will be Class M champion Ellington/Tolland, Fairfield Warde, and State Open defending champion Woodstock Academy.
“I think it is going to be a close meet,” Smith said. “The other three teams are very talented, and we have a lot of talent and depth on our team. I think it is anybody's meet. We will have to bring what we brought today.”
CLASS S GYMNASTICS
Team results: 1. Daniel Hand, 143.075; 2. Oxford, 131.750; 3. Stonington, 130.325; 4. Killingly, 129.725; 5. Jonathan Law, 128.900; 6. Valley Regional, 123.300; 7. Nonnewaug, 120.350; 8. Foran, 111.600. Vault: 1. Morgan Flickinger (Hand), 9.15; T2. Brooke Anderson (Hand), 9.1; T2. Leah Murphy (Nonnewaug), 9.1. Uneven Bars: 1. Morgan Flickinger (Hand), 9.35; 2. Natalie Morrell (Jonathan Law), 9.05; 3. Brooke Anderson (Hand), 8.9. Balance Beam: 1. Natalie Morrell (Jonathan Law), 9.425; 2. Lydia Laskey (Stonington), 9.35; 3. Brooke Anderson (Hand), 9.275. Floor Exercise: 1. Hadley Reiss (Hand), 9.2; 2. Morgan Flickinger (Hand), 9.15; T3. Molly Clifford (Oxford) 9; T3. Lydia Laskey (Stonington), 9.