Submitted by admin on Wed, 04/18/2018 - 00:17
long beach open 18

Wildfire’s last team competition prior to the SoCal State Championships was a three day event; that being, the Long Beach Open held at the Long Beach Convention Center. Appearing were 2734 gymnasts representing some 98 teams. Wildfire entered 26 athletes who participated in the Level 7, 8, 9 and 10 competitions. From this competition, these girls brought 11 top three All Around championships with an additional 37 individual event top three award rankings. This included 16 Gold Medal finishes, 5 for All Around. By the end, Wildfire came away with two team championships as well, they being for Levels 7 and 10. Fifty teams competed for honors as part of the Level 7 team competition . Wildfire, with a 9.650 individual event team average came in 1st as the leading scoring team from that 50. As part of the 16 teams representing to compete for Level 10 team championships, Wildfire posted the highest Level 10 team score of the meet, indicating a individual event team average of 9.500.

Congratulations to our two Level 10 All Around Champions, Jr. B - Sydney Gonzales (37.250, 1st Vault - 9.600, 2nd’s on Bars - 9.625, Beam and Floor 9.500) and Jr. C - Emily Lopez (37.575, 2nd Vault - 9.650, 1st Bars 9.475). Sydney is presently on the J.O. National Team. All Around standout Nicoletta Koulos finished her session as the Sr. A Silver Medalist (38.025). Nico, a member of the 2016 - 2017 J.O. National Team and four time J.O. National qualifier, won Gold here on Vault (9.750) and Floor (9.625). 2017 National qualifier, Jordyn Duffield entered three events on the weekend completing her experience there winning each of them. She finished the meet as a three time Gold medalist, the events being Vault (9.750), Beam and Floor (9.650). Medals for All Around also went to 3rd place finishers, Jr. B, Nancy Kiner and Jr. C, Juliana Harrison.

Wildfire’s Level 9 Jr. C - All Around Champion (37.325) Thu Nguyen finished her competition ranked 1st among the full list of 39 Jr. C’s competing. From the complete roster of 147 Level 9 gymnasts participating, including every session and all age group, Thu ranked 7th. All Around Silver Medalist Avery Byun (37.250, 1st Vault - 9.550) herself ranked 9th among that total number of 147 Level 9 gymnasts competing. Wildfire entered three Level 9 athletes and our third included the Long Beach Open Jr. C Beam Champion, Audrey Easter, she placing 6th AA.

Of the 56 Level 8 gymnasts in her session, Wildfire’s Kaitlyn Tran ranked 7th among all of them she winning All Around Bronze as a Jr. C. (2nd Vault, 1st Beam - 9.700). Kaitlyn’s Beam score was the second highest of the entire count of 145 Level 8’s who participated at the Long Beach Open, which included every session and age group. Wildfire’s second Level 8 entrant of our team of two this year, finds Brianna Nguyen finishing 5th AA as a Jr. C, she placing 3rd on Bars, 2nd on Beam.

From the total number of 336 Level 7 participants, Wildfire’s Thi Nguyen, Jr. A - All Around Champion (38.525, 1st Bars - 9.850!, 1st Floor - 9.950!!) placed 2nd AA among them, that roster including every session and age division. Thi’s Bar and Floor scores were ranked at 1st. Teammate Arianna Espinoza, Jr. A Silver Medalist, posting a 38.275, (2nd Floor - 9.700), did by score, rank 8th as part of that number of 336 Level 7 gymnasts competing. Standout individual event performances included those by Sr. A, All Around Champion Amanda Acosta, for Beam (9.500) and Floor (9.750), Jr. C, Dayenu Munoz for winning Vault (9.725) and Jr. C, Brianna Taurek on Vault (2nd - 9.700). Dayenu’s Vault score was the second highest posting for a Level 7 vaulter, while Brianna’s Vault score ranked 3rd.