Three teams from the FCIAC each placed second in their respective state class championship meets in girls gymnastics, which ended up being the last winter sport which got to complete state championships before the coronavirus pandemic caused the cancellation of the remainder of the 2019-20 high school winter sports season.
Fairfield Ludlowe was runner-up in the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class L Girls Gymnastics Championships while Wilton (Class M) and St. Joseph (Class S) all placed second in their respective state class championship meets on Feb. 29 at Jonathan Law High School in Milford.
A week later St. Joseph placed third at State Open meet behind champion Southington and runner-up Woodstock Academy on March 7 in New Milford and that was the last state postseason event which was completed before the CIAC announced the cancellation of the remainder of its winter postseason tournaments on March 10.
Southington won the State Open with a team score of 136.625 points, Woodstock Academy had 136.1, St. Joseph’s placed third with 135.325, and Stonington took fourth with 132.175.
Schuyler Tomey had an excellent score of 9.475 on the vault for the highest score at the State Open while Fairfield Warde’s Caroline Garrett did very well in the event also as she placed second with a 9.3.
Tomey was runner-up in the all-around with her score of 36.475 which was just 0.1 less than the winning score of 36.575 which Woodstock Academy’s Jenna Davidson achieved.
Garrett placed sixth in the State Open all-around with 35.75 points and that was the second highest all-around score among FCIAC gymnasts.
Ava Mancini of Fairfield Ludlowe was the other conference gymnast who had the highest score in a State Open event as she won the balance beam with a 9.15.
Mancini, who was the recipient of the Ro Carlucci Award as the FCIAC all-around champion when she scored 35.25 and led Ludlowe to its first conference championship on Feb. 15, placed eighth with a 35.3 at the State Open.
Southington won the Class L championship with 138.875 points and Fairfield Ludlowe was second with 136.575.
Tara Chomienne of Ludlowe had the same score of 9.0 as she won the floor exercise and tied for first on the uneven bars while Mancini was runner-up on balance beam (9.05) at the Class L championship meet.
New Milford won the Class M title with 134.8 points, Wilton was second with 133.925 and Fairfield Warde placed third with 132.425.
A pair of Wilton Warriors were event champions as Lilly Byrnes won the floor exercise (9.35) and Olivia Mannino won the vault (9.0).
Garrett placed second behind Mannino on the vault with an 8.925 and Garrett was also runner-up on the floor exercise (9.2) while leading Fairfield Warde to third place.
Woodstock Academy won the Class S championship with 140.425 points while St. Joseph’s runner-up Cadets did very well themselves in racking up 138.325 team points.
St. Joseph had several high finishes in a few events. Tomey won the vault with an excellent score of 9.5 and she tied for third on the floor exercise (9.2). Lindsay Capobianco (9.475) and Caitlin Vozzella (9.275) were second and third, respectively, on the balance beam.
Girls gymnastics was the fourth of the four winter sports which finished postseasons with championship meets. The four other winter sports sanctioned by the CIAC were unable to conclude with the crowning of team state champions.
Danbury’s powerful wrestling program won Class LL and State Open team championships for the fourth consecutive year while girls indoor track and field and boys indoor track and field got to conclude their seasons with state class, State Open and New England championships meets.
The sports of girls basketball, boys basketball, boys ice hockey, and boys swimming and diving were the four sports sanctioned by the CIAC which were unable to finish with either state tournament championship games or state championship meets.