EWA Gymnasts Compete at Nationals
EWA GYMNASTS COMPETE AT NATIONALS
Two Level 10 gymnasts from Eagle’s Wings Athletics (EWA) competed at National competitions in Dallas the weekend of May 8 – 10. USA Gymnastics (USAG) sponsored the Junior Olympic (JO) National Championships and the National Invitational Tournament at the Dallas Convention Center. The meet was attended by dozens of collegiate recruiters looking at the some of the best talent in the country.
Casey Dreyer, a freshman from Plano, was one of 56 athletes competing in the Junior C division at JO Nationals. She tied for eighth place on balance beam (9.525) and 13th place all-around (37.725). She earned 9.575 on vault, 9.425 on floor exercise and 9.2 on uneven parallel bars to round out the individual events. Her coaches, Alex Atamas and Helen Verucchi, were pleased with her performance.
USAG also sponsors the Junior Olympic National Invitational (JO-NIT), a competition held to allow an additional 192 athletes the opportunity to compete nationally and be seen by NCAA coaches. Less than one-third of the 1500 Level 10 gymnasts that compete at State competitions are seen at Nationals. USAG developed the JO-NIT so that coaches already in attendance for JO Nationals can see and evaluate more athletes for recruiting purposes.
Allen High School sophomore Makenzie Johnson competed in the Junior D division at the JO-NIT. She tied for silver on vault with a score of 9.375. She earned fifth place on uneven bars (9.025), tied for eighth on balance beam (9.05) and took seventh all-around (36.25).