A Shore Conference Gymnastics Feature.

By: Bryant Ho

Brick – St. John Vianney, located in Holmdel, are your 2023 Shore Conference Gymnastics Champions. The top-ranked Lancers started the season strong and rode their wave of big scores all the way to the championship with a record-breaking 114.675 to take home the 2023 Shore Conference title.

Giovannina Beltra, a sophomore at Ranney School is part of the state co-op program and competes for St. John Vianney. Beltra secured first-place and she set a Shore Conference record after a historic performance with an impressive 38.625 including a first-place win on floor exercise with a 9.6.

SJV’s powerhouse Christina Fallon brought home second place with a score of 38.2 and Rumson-Fair Haven’s Natalie Lindgren rounded out the top three with a strong 37.55.

A new Shore Conference record was also set on the uneven bars by Christina Fallon with big skills and a huge score of 9.825. The old record has been held since 2006 by Austyn Fobes. Fallon also topped the beam scoring with a 9.575 to win first-place.

Consistency has proved to be the secret to success for St. John Vianney. “These girls came in here with a goal and they met it. They worked really hard to be consistent for this so I’m super proud of what they did today,” Head Coach Tracie Vaz remarked.

With a 12-0 record coming into the Shore Conference Tournament, a solid roster of talent at Middletown South took second place. Led by senior Emma Gentile, whose consistently high performance this season, led her to land sixth place all-around (37.1) and bring home a first-place vault score of 9.8.  

“This season has been amazing so far. The team is comprised of talented individuals. The most important thing is that we are a strong team together. It's a family here,” said Head Coach Brittany White of Middletown South.

Colts Neck landed in third place (108.725) with strong and consistent performances all season long. Marlboro brought home fourth, just .05 behind Colts Neck. Freshman Dana Imperial brought her A-game and helped lead the team to a strong finish. The 2022 reigning champions, Freehold Township, rounded out the top five with a fifth place finish. Alexis Czarrunchick continues to be a powerhouse for the team.

As Shore teams prepare for next weekend’s sectional finals followed by states, the post-season will surely bring more top scores and fierce competition from these robust slates of gymnasts.