Moscrop girls combine for gymnastics first

The Moscrop Panthers came to compete at the 2020 B.C. High School gymnastics championships earlier this month in Richmond, riding a wave of nine top-10 performances to place fourth overall among 89 teams in aggregate standings.

Led by a quartet in Level 2 senior girls, Moscrop counted 20 medals in total, including a silver all-around by Emily Wong-Abdul. The Grade 11 athlete  topped the vault and placed third on floor, while finishing fourth on bars and fifth on beam, en route to her second all-around showing.

Wong-Abdul trailed Earl Marriott’s Isla Toxopeus by a slim margin, tallying an aggregate score of 36.950 out of 40, to Toxopeus’ 37.025.

Maya Mah posted silver in both vault and floor to place fourth all-around, while Karen Warren took silver in vault en route to seventh place. For Mah, the difference between fourth and third was just 0.375. Along with 18^th all-around Kathleen Lac’s bronze in vault, their results pushed the Panthers to the top and its first-ever Level 2 girls title.

Wong-Abdul had begun the short high school gymnastic season a month earlier with first-place showings at the Moscrop Invitational and Fraser North zone championships, along with a silver at the UBC meet.

Maxwell Hill, a Burnaby North student, placed third overall in Level 5 boys, scoring medals in rings (gold), parallel bars (silver), pommel horse and high bars (bronze). He racked up a tally of 71.600 points, technically tied with MEI’s Michael Frew for second place, and three points back of Merritt’s Drew Kanigan’s gold medal performance.

Moscrop’s other top-10 finishers included Level 1 juniors Emily Lavin (eighth all-around; bronze on beam), Julia Ellis (ninth all-around, including gold on vault and bronze on floor), and Emylia Costopoulos (10^th all-around).

Coming in 11^th all-around was Kayanna Vu, who scored silver on beam, while Sophia Battiston placed 12^th all-around, with a silver on floor. In 13^th place was Claire Desmeules.

In Level 1 senior girls, Noosheen Vazinkhop stood 12^th all-around. Jasmine Wong, meanwhile, came in 14^th all-around in Level 3 girls, including a bronze on bars.

Here are more results from the provincials: GIRLS, Level 1 – Josefin Warholm, 23^rd A/A; Daniella Ferrigno, 30^th A/A; Kaylee Chavez, 35^th A/A; Amy Yaremko, 43^rd A/A.

Level 1 boys – David Wu, 8^th A/A (3^rd vault, 4^th high bar); Jake Milkovic 9^th A/A (1^st high bar).