DeCiccio, Aronica excel at Buffalo Challenge

The Niagara Gymnastics team from Gleason's Gymnastics attended the Buffalo Challenge on Jan. 21.

The event was held at Greater Buffalo Gymnastics Center on North French Road in Amherst. Niagara's Level 4 team had a strong showing and was awarded third place in the team competition.

Amherst resident Abby DeCicco, a second grader at St. Christopher School, competed in the 6-8 year-old division and had her best outing of the season.

DeCicco was able to compile an impressive all-around score of 36.150 with season highs in all four events. Her strongest event was the floor exercise where she earned 9.175. She was also sharp on the bars and beam, earning 9.15 and 9.1, respectively. She rounded out her meet with 8.725 on the vault. DeCicco received an eighth place medal in the all-around for her performance.

In the 11 and over division, Meghan Aronica, a fifth grader at Willow Ridge Elementary School, had a solid meet. Her all-around score of 35.875 was good for 11th place.

She looked particularly strong on the bars, where she earned 9.25 and on the balance beam, earning 9.175. Aronica's beam score was a new season high.

Farrell earns eighth all-around

Niagara gymnasts from Gleason's Gymnastics competed in the 21st annual Leatherstocking Invitational meet held the weekend of Jan. 13-14 at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

Sweet Home High School senior Jamie Farrell, a Level 8 gymnast, earned eighth place all-around. She scored 8.925 on both balance beam and floor, earning fifth place in each event. Farrell also placed 10th on both vault and bars.

Teammate Lily Jagodzinski, a seventh-grade student at Casey Middle School, also competed and earned a high score on the floor event. Niagara Level 8 placed second in the team competition.

For the Level 7 team, Sweet Home Middle School sixth-grader Jill Daddario placed eighth all-around with 35.15. She placed eighth on floor (9.05) and ninth on vault and beam.