High School Gymnastics category
Western Pa. gymnastics community forming new league after WPIAL decides to drop sport
With logistical hurdles such as facilities and equipment and the lack of a PIAA-sponsored state championship at the forefront of their concerns, WPIAL officials decided recently to discontinue sponsorship of gymnastics at the high school level. The decision disappointed athletes, coaches and teams who had put in many hours working...
Thomas Jefferson gymnastics celebrates WPIAL, state titles
Thomas Jefferson’s gymnastics team enjoyed yet another top-of-the-line season in 2025-26. The TJ gymnasts won their second consecutive WPIAL championship, then went on to capture the state title. “It’s a big accomplishment. We had a great season,” coach Jodi Cummings said. “TJ had a younger team this year, but they...
Westmoreland County athletes of the week: Hempfield’s Ava Hickman, Franklin Regional’s Sal Colangelo
Ava Hickman School: Hempfield Class: Junior Sport: Gymnastics Claim to fame: Hickman won first place all-around and on the balance beam and also took third on the bars and sixth on the vault at the WPIAL gymnastics championships. She competed in the gold division. What was it like winning the...
North Allegheny gymnast reaches elite level, still has goals in mind
North Allegheny junior Hannah Seidl tried all kinds of sports and activities when she was younger. But only one turned her world upside down. Seidl has grown from a novice tumbler to a Level 10 gymnast with her sights set on qualifying for nationals. “My mom stuck me in the...
Oakland Catholic gymnast wins WPIAL all-around crown; Thomas Jefferson takes 2nd straight team title
Oakland Catholic’s Madeleine Wingerter took home the all-around title at the WPIAL gymnastics championships Saturday at Moon. Thomas Jefferson, meanwhile, was crowned the team champion for the second year in a row. Wingerter used three second-place finishes to claim the Advanced Division championship. “I was really shocked,” Wingerter said, “but...
North Hills’ Paige Hollengberger a unique multi-sport athlete
Paige Hollenberger has a lot on her plate throughout the school year, but it’s a packed schedule she has learned to embrace and enjoy. A gymnast, a lacrosse player and a member of the band at North Hills High School — on top of being a strong student — Hollenberger...
Freeport’s Allyson Turk hopes to build off medal-laden sophomore gymnastics season
Allyson Turk has an unwavering commitment and tireless determination, perfect qualities for an up-and-coming high school gymnast. And she’s only a sophomore. The Freeport athlete earned the silver medal in the silver division all-around competition at the Pennsylvania Classic held Feb. 22 at Huntingdon High School. Turk was the state...
‘Almost flawless’: Mt. Pleasant’s Olivia Kovach offers picture-perfect performance at WPIAL meet
Mt. Pleasant’s Olivia Kovach put on a picture-perfect performance at this year’s WPIAL individual gymnastics championships. Her coach indicated it was near-seamless. Kovach dethroned three-time champion Abby Rexrode from Baldwin in winning the WPIAL Advanced Division all-around title Feb. 8 at Moon. “It was something I really wanted this year,”...
Kiski Area’s Ellie Arnold caps freshman season with WPIAL gymnastics gold
Kiski Area’s Ellie Arnold recently wrapped up an unforgettable freshman season in gymnastics. The 14-year-old won the WPIAL all-around championship in the Intermediate II Division on Feb. 8 at Moon. Arnold, who also is a leading athlete in the Kiski Area girls soccer program, finished first on the vault with...
Thomas Jefferson gymnasts celebrate 3rd WPIAL team title
The girls on the Thomas Jefferson gymnastics team were all smiles, beaming perhaps, following the WPIAL championships held Feb. 13 at Moon. The Jaguars edged North Allegheny for the team title, winning by a 141.975-141.425 score. The final team standings were TJ, North Allegheny, Central Valley (140.425), Baldwin (139.35), Beaver...
South Hills Record notebook: Abby Rexrode again leads way for Baldwin gymnasts
The Baldwin gymnastics team was led once again in 2024-25 by the talented Abby Rexrode, a senior athlete and multiple-time WPIAL titlist. After winning the past three WPIAL all-around championships in the advanced division, Rexrode placed second at this year’s WPIAL finals with a 37.9-point total — three-tenths of a...
Westmoreland H.S. athletes of the week: Mt. Pleasant’s Olivia Kovach and Jeannette’s Markus McGowan
The Westmoreland County Athletes of the Week is presented by Smail Kia. Look for the tags and look for the savings at Smail Kia in Greensburg. Olivia Kovach School: Mt. Pleasant Class: Junior Sport: Gymnastics Claim to fame: Kovach narrowly won the all-around title at the WPIAL gymnastics championships, outscoring...
Mt. Pleasant’s Olivia Kovach dethrones 3-time champ to win WPIAL all-around gymnastics title
Mt. Pleasant junior Olivia Kovach dethroned three-time champion Abby Rexrode of Baldwin in the all-around at the WPIAL gymnastics championships Saturday at Moon. Kovach, who was runner-up in the all-around last year, used a first-place finish with a 9.8 score in the beam to claim the Advanced Division championship. She...
Big stage awaits North Allegheny junior gymnast
A gymnastics trip to Las Vegas prevented North Allegheny junior Sarah Patterson from competing at last season’s WPIAL individual championships. This season she left nothing to chance. Patterson, a Level 9 gymnast and one of the program’s top all-around performers, will take part in the WPIAL individuals this season after...
Gymnasts ring in new year at high school invitational
Hundreds of high school gymnasts and USAG competitors participated in the three-day Happy New Year Invitational on Jan. 3-5 at Kiski Area. It was planned and organized by coach Renee Ruggeri, owner of Ultimate Gymnastics in Delmont, with participants traveling chiefly from Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. “This was not...
