Sky is the limit for Green Wave gymnasts

The South-West Conference championship eluded the Green Wave recently by the narrowest of margins.

Yet the New Milford High School gymnastics team is seeing only the bright side these days as coach Bethany Mihaly's young squad looks ahead to potentially big things to come.

Junior Alison Profeta earned third place all-around Feb. 7 to claim a spot on the all-South-West Conference team as NMHS hosted the annual league championship meet.

The Green Wave standout scored 35.15 for the four events, highlighted by a first place at 9.25 in floor exercise and a runner-up in vaulting at 9.0.

Green Wave freshman Alyssa Grioli and soph Erica Davidson backed up their teammate's effort with respective all-around ninth and 12th-place all-around scores of 32.3 and 31.3.

Frosh Kaitlyn McDonald also competed all-around, accumulating 26.6 for her four routines.

Also lending their talents that day were juniors Ashley O'Berry and Julia Krier and freshmen Taylor Fish and Kalee Oelgoetz.

Newtown went home with the SWC team title with 129.05,edging the Green Wave's 128.85.

Nonnewaug (126.35), Joel Barlow (123.05), Pomperaug (120.95) and Oxford (104.5) also competed in a well-balanced field of six schools.

"I was very pleased with our SWC performance as a whole," reflected coach Mihaly, who has guided the NMHS program to a New England title and numerous state championships during her long tenure. "We posted our second best team score of the year."

Still, coming off a 15-12 regular season campaign marked by injuries and a bout with the flu, the NMHS girls can do better ... that's their coach's plan.

"That being said," she remarked, "are there improvements to be made before states? Absolutely!"

The Green Wave will get the chance to step it up when they compete Saturday, Feb. 23 at NMHS in the state Class M divisonal meet.

Alison Profeta is also qualified to vie March 2 in the state open meet at Pomperaug High School in Southbury.

Coach Mihaly always sees the upside to her athletes' potential and feels this group, with nary a senior on the roster, could well make its mark in the next year or two.

"The good news is that the team is very young," the Green Wave gymnastics mentor reminded, "and has lots of growing room for the next several years."

For more photos, visit www.newmilfordspectrum.com.