Baldwin Gymnastics Finishes Season in Fifth Place at State Championships

When it's time to go out, it's best to go out on top.

's gymnastics squad, competing for the final time this season, did just that at the 2011 Pennsylvania Classic team championships, which were held at Chambersburg Area Middle School on Saturday, March 5.

Well ... sort of.

Baldwin placed fifth out of the five teams it was competing against at Saturday's state championships meet, but the Highlanders were competing in the meet's Gold, or highest, Division.

Unlike the PA Classic individual championships from Feb. 25-26, which featured another level above Gold – the Diamond Division – the state team meet's Gold level is as good as it gets.

Baldwin totaled a score of 131.350 points on March 5, while the state champions from Chambersburg Area High School earned 141.825.

Baldwin finished third as a team in the meet's vault event with a 35.950 total, fourth in the floor exercise with 32.450 points and fifth on both the uneven bars (31.150) and balance beam (31.800).

The Highlanders sent a seven-girl team to Saturday's competition, though just two of them – sophomore Arisia May and freshman Jill McDonnell – competed in all four events.

Though no individual awards were presented, May's 34.392 total was Baldwin's best, followed by McDonnell's 31.742.

Not every girl's score in every event was added to her team's final total. Only a team's top four marks in any given event counted.

May went 9.350 (vault), 8.775 (floor), 8.167 (beam) and 8.100 (bars), while McDonnell went 8.625 (vault), 8.150 (floor), 7.567 (beam) and 7.400 (bars).

Two Baldwin girls – sophomore Maura Costa and freshman Alexa Przywara – competed in three events. Costa went 9.200 (vault), 8.750 (bars) and 8.433 (beam), and Przywara went 8.100 (floor), 7.633 (beam) and 6.900 (bars).

Baldwin's senior Sam Foster and sophomore Hannah Schmitt each competed in two events. Unfortunately, Schmitt's 8.175 score on the vault and 5.567 on the beam were not high enough to count, but Foster's scores of 8.775 on the vault and 7.150 on the floor did contribute to the Highlanders' final score.

Teammate and sophomore Lexi Rebel competed in one event, scoring a 7.425 on the floor.

Baldwin is a nine-time state team gymnastics champion, having won titles in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2005 and 2006.