Reda sisters, Suffern lead Section 1 at state championshps

Suffern sisters Giselle and Lily Reda led a strong effort for Section 1 at Saturday's New York State championships in Utica.

Giselle, a junior for the second straight season, competed in the all-around and she finished the day as the Section 1's highest all-around finisher.

At Valley Gymnastics in Utica, she placed second overall with score of 38.425. Section 3's Grayson Gall edged Giselle out for the all-around title by three tenths of a point. Last season, Reda finished sixth.

"It means a lot," Giselle said. "It feels great to have the opportunity to compete against so many talented gymnasts while representing Suffern and Section 1."

She credits last season's experience competing in the all-around as helping her this time around.

"Knowing what to expect this time definitely helped with the nerves," Giselle said. "It allowed me to prepare better for the meet."

Giselle tied for third on the vault (9.675), tied for third on the uneven bars (9.675), was sixth on the balance beam (9.525) and was third on the floor exercise (9.550).

Last season, Lily, a freshman, made the state championship team as a balance beam specialist. This time around, the third place finisher at the Section 1 championships made a big splash in the all-around.

She finished sixth overall with a score of 37.550.

"I'm very happy with how I placed especially considering how talented all of the other gymnasts in the competition are," Lily said. "It was exciting to be competing in the all-around for the first time."

She finished tied for fifth on the vault (9.6) with Clarkstown South sophomore Khloe Henshaw, was tied four fourth on the floor exercise (9.425), and was third on the balance beam (9.625). She was top 20 in the state on the uneven bars.

Clarkstown's Khloe Henshaw finishes top eight in All-Around

The current Section 1 all-around champion had a mixed day Saturday at the state championships.

Henshaw finished ninth in the all-around with a 36.8.

She took second on the balance beam scoring a 9.75. She finished tied for fifth on the vault with Suffern's Lily Reda. Henshaw was top 25 in the state on both the uneven bars and the floor exercise.

No team championship for the first time since 2021

Saturday's state meet didn't award a team champion for the first time since 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At Valley Gymnastics in Utica, unofficial team scores had Section 3 as the top team at the meet. According to Section 1 coordinator and Mahopac coach Vin Collins, Section 1 finished second by only .25 points.

So the it's fair to say that the gymnasts missed having that competition.

"I did miss the team competition," Hen Hud senior Maggie Johannsen said. "Our team did place second so it would've been exciting to place two years in a row as a team."

That's a sentiment echoed by the rest of Johannsen's teammates.

"I would like to bring back the team competition because it makes the meet a little more exciting," Lily Reda said. "Even though it was unofficial, I'm so proud of all my teammates and I'm very lucky to have competed with them."

Other top Section 1 moments

Some of the other Section 1 gymnasts who finished in the top 15 on their individual events include:

∎ John Jay-East Fishkill junior Emma Dwyer (Wappingers) scored a 9.425 on the uneven bars to finish fifth on the event.

∎ Tappan Zee eighth-grader Stella Bondoc finished the day tied for 10th on the balance beam with a score of 9.350.

∎ Clarkstown South sophomore Gabriella Alcruz finished eighth on the floor exercise with a score of 9.325.

∎ Hen Hud senior Maggie Johannsen tied for 14th on the balance beam with a score of 9.125.

∎ Lakeland senior Olivia Marricco finished 14th on the uneven bars with a score of 9.025.

Twitter:@LoHud_Debbie

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Reda sisters, Suffern lead Section 1 at state championshps