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03/26/2012 12:00 AMThe Branford gymnastics team put together one of its best seasons in program history this winter, a campaign highlighted by Brian LeRoux's squad notching a few victories with freshman Cynthia Lerman taking home All-Southern Connecticut Conference honors.
The Hornets-whose athletes were Lerman, senior captain Marai Hashimoto, junior Jenn Lassman, sophomores Jess Beler and Aaryne Antell, plus freshman Chaylea Finn-notched their trio of wins versus Hamden, the first two occurring in the opening week of the season by scores of 59.6-40.5 and 82.9-56.8. Branford then gained another win against the Green Dragons (90.75-87.9), placed ahead of Shelton to take sixth place at the SCC Championship, and capped the campaign by posting its best score with a 108.10 in a loss to Law.
"This was a team of kids who wanted to work hard to get to a higher level and did a great job in improving during the season," said LeRoux, who was assisted by his daughters, Jamie and Lisa LeRoux.
The one athlete who will not return is Hashimoto, who competed on bars and floor for Branford, placing sixth in the further event in a regular-season meet and then doing the latter event at SCCs. LeRoux said that Hashimoto also did a fine job in her capacity as captain.
"Mirai was a good leader and hard worker who always made sure the team was on task and did a great job of communicating with her teammates," said LeRoux.
One of those teammates was Lerman, whose rookie season culminated with her scoring a 31.9 at the SCC Championship to place 10th in all-around and gain all-conference distinction. Lerman's highlights of that meet were scoring an 8.8 to take fifth on vault, along with totaling an 8.4 on beam and 8.3 on bars. During the regular season, Lerman took first on vault, bars, and the all-around in a meet against Hamden and North Haven, prevailed in floor in another contest against those two squads, and was second in the all-around in meets with Hand and Law.
"Cynthia was our best gymnast this year and it's a blessing when you get a well-rounded athlete like that on your team," LeRoux said.
Lassman also proved a well-rounded gymnast for Branford-one who LeRoux praised for her courage-as she competed in all four events, took third in the all-around in the meet with Hand, and then scored a 7.9 on vault to finish fourth versus Law in the season finale. Beler was also an all-around gymnast who took fourth on vault against Hand and who LeRoux complimented for her enthusiasm. Antell also competed in all four events for the Hornets, faring best on beam, an event she did at SCCs, and later took fifth in against Law with an 8.0. Finn made her varsity debut by performing a floor routine against Law.
The return of such a talented group of underclass athletes already has LeRoux chomping at the bit to see what his Hornets can achieve in the winter of 2012-'13.
Said LeRoux: "With bringing back most of our team, plus whoever else wants to get on board, we should be even better next year."