Forty varsity gymnasts from eight schools competed in the first-ever Conference 13 championships, following the VHSL realignment, last Monday, Feb. 3, and the team from George C. Marshall High School came out on top. With the victory, the Marshall team advances to the regional championship, marking the first time in nearly 40 years that the team has done so.
The competition, which took place at Mount Vernon High School, saw gymnasts from the following schools compete: Thomas Edison, Falls Church, Robert E. Lee, George C. Marshall, Mount Vernon, J.E.B. Stuart, and Wakefield high schools, and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
Marshall junior Morgan Stahl placed first on vault (9.5), bars (9.2), and beam (9.775), and also took first in all-around with a total score of 37.700. Senior co-captain Casey Howard placed first on floor exercise with a score of 9.525. Freshman Kiran Sullivan placed fourth on uneven bars (7.900), second on beam (8.875), and third in all-around (33.975). Freshman Lindsay Price finished fourth on vault with a score of 8.750.
Stahl and Howard competed in regionals last year, with Stahl advancing to and placing at the state level.
Marshall finished in first place with a total score of 136.775. Mount Vernon was second with 124.075. These two teams will move on to the 5A North regional championships this Friday, Feb. 14, at Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn. Although individual gymnasts from Marshall have advanced to regionals and states in recent years, this marks the first time since 1977 that Marshall will advance as a team to regional competition.
