By: Rich Fisher
First they made the states, then they made a statement.
The South Brunswick High gymnastics team, in its first-ever trip to the NJSIAA team tournament, proved it belonged among New Jersey’s elite on Saturday by finishing fourth (out of 10 teams) with a score of 108.150.
Granted, a 108 is somewhat low for a group that had been scoring in the 110’s in recent weeks, but coach Erika Casey noted that everyone’s scores were down in the event. Bishop Ahr won with a 112.425, Red Bank Catholic had 111.700 and Hillsborough had a 109.325.
"Not just our team, but a lot of other teams didn’t have great team scores," Casey said. "I mean, who would have thought a 108 would have been good enough for fourth? When we heard the 10th-place score announced (a 104.975 by Ramapo), I was like ‘Oh my God, we’re going to be top 5.’ And we were only a point behind the third-place team.
"We had some major mistakes that could have pulled us down by more than a point. Not that there’s anybody to blame, because a lot of other teams made other mistakes too."
Casey noted that there is a different judging system in states, as two USAG judges join the two from the NJSIAA to put the total at four.
"It actually makes it a little more fair, because the high and low scores get thrown out," Casey said.
South Brunswick’s top all-around performer was freshman Jess Macay, who finished 28th with a 35.900. Freshman Shannon Martin was tied for 31st at 35.825 and sophomore Marissa Liptak was 34th at 35.475. Chelsea Steinberg of Ridgewood won all-around with a 38.775.
Macay was a medal winner on beam with a score of 9.425, which tied her for seventh place with Hillsborough’s MaryKate Lynch.
Breaking it down in each event, Macay’s scores were 8.300 on vault, 9.050 on bars and 9.125 on floor; Martin’s were 9.375 on vault, 8.700 on bars, 8.625 on beam and 9.125 on floor; and Liptak’s were 9.275 on vault, 9.025 on bars, 7.925 on beam and 9.250 on floor.
Because they qualified as individuals as well, the three girls were entitled to compete again in the afternoon session in hopes of improving their scores. However, if the later score was lower, that is what they ended up with. Macay and Liptak opted to go again, but after taking a week off from competition, Martin stuck with her morning scores.
"Fortunately for Jess, her total went up," Casey said. "Her original total was 35.025 so her final standings went up about a point. She had nothing to lose. If you weren’t in the top five before individuals, it was worth going again. She had a fantastic second round and really came through. Seventh place is great for a freshman. Definitely a highlight for her season."
Unfortunately for Liptak, her score slipped slightly in the afternoon session. But as Casey noted, it was worth a shot for someone of Liptak’s enormous talent to try and get higher in the standings. In Liptak’s morning session she had a 9.35 on bars, a 9.325 on beam, and 8.4 on vault and a 9.275 on floor for a total of 36.35.
"She had two falls on beam the second time and didn’t score high on vault or bars," Casey said. "It just wasn’t her day. Not that she didn’t put in 110 percent, but mistakes happen. You move on.
"She’s only a sophomore. For her not to re-compete would have been silly. If anybody had the potential to medal it was Marisa. If it’s a senior and you had a good all-around meet and you’re happy how you competed in your last meet, it would make sense not to go again. But as a sophomore, you’ve got nothing to lose by re-competing."
Martin decided not to re-compete after putting up her numbers, as she was coming off a break after going on a vacation. She just missed medaling in vault, as 9.4 was the cutoff.
"Even though Shannon was away all week, it didn’t affect her performance," Casey said. "Knowing that she hadn’t been executing her skills all week you never know what could have happened. But she pulled through and got exactly what she should be scoring."
As for the remaining girls who competed in the team competition, Ellise Kaplowitz closed out her impressive career with a 9.15 on vault, and 8.1 on bars and a 7.55 on beam.
"I have to give her credit, she tried a new skill on beam, which if it hit, would have shown in her score," Casey said. "Unfortunately, two falls on the beam is an automatic point off. Just for her to go up there and try a new skill and push the envelope a little, I give her credit for that."
Finally, Sarah Caputo had a 9.05 on floor, which counted toward the Vikings’ team score.
"It was a great floor routine for her," Casey said. "It was very clean. She’s one of our top floor girls, that’s why we put her in there."
Overall, it was one heck of a way to finish up one heck of a season for the Vikings. And considering all three all-around performers are eligible to return next year and the year after, it’s scary to think what the future might hold.
"It was a great accomplishment to get to states for the first time," Casey said. "We were confident going in because of the season we had been having. We made some mistakes so we knew we jeopardized our team total a little bit. What that cost us nobody knows. But they did fantastic. They did exactly what they were asked to do."
And in doing so, made an impression on the rest of the state and made a name for themselves in the annals of SBHS gymnastics.

