Lee Shines on Beam as Montgomery Gymnastics Places Fifth at Somerset County Championships

Nicholas Mistretta

MHS ’79 Cougar Sports Correspondent

MONTGOMERY, NJ — Montgomery High School gymnastics turned in a 98.675 team score at the Somerset County Championships on Wednesday, Oct. 21, finishing fifth in a field led by undefeated Hillsborough.

The Cougars were paced by Kelly Lee, who delivered Montgomery’s strongest individual performance of the championship meet, finishing sixth in the all-around with a 35.500 and posting one of the county’s top scores on balance beam. Hillsborough captured the county team championship with a 110.550, followed by Bridgewater-Raritan at 106.500, Ridge at 104.700 and Watchung Hills at 100.675. Montgomery followed at 98.675.

Lee Leads Cougars in All-Around
Lee put together a consistent four-event performance for Montgomery, scoring 8.700 on vault, 8.200 on bars, 9.450 on beam and 9.150 on floor exercise. Her 9.450 on beam was the third-highest score of the championship, trailing only Bridgewater-Raritan’s Alison Lardieri, who scored a 9.700, and Hillsborough’s Erin Gengler, who posted a 9.475. Lee also turned in Montgomery’s top floor score at 9.150 and led the Cougars on vault with an 8.700. Her 35.500 all-around total placed her sixth overall among the county’s all-around competitors. Bridgewater-Raritan’s Alison Lardieri won the all-around championship with a 37.550, followed by Hillsborough’s Emily Minetti at 36.725 and Erin Gengler at 35.900.

Desai Adds Strong All-Around Performance
Shriya Desai also competed in all four events for Montgomery and finished with a 32.425 all-around score. Desai recorded an 8.450 on vault, 8.225 on bars, 8.450 on beam and 7.300 on floor. Her bars score was Montgomery’s best of the meet, edging Lee’s 8.200. Veronica Adamovich was Montgomery’s third all-around competitor, finishing with a 26.050 after competing on vault, bars, beam and floor.

Beam Provides Montgomery’s Best Individual Result
Balance beam proved to be one of Montgomery’s strongest events. In addition to Lee’s standout 9.450, Desai scored an 8.450 and Gabby Saujani contributed an 8.050. Clara Donde Leo added a 7.350 and Adamovich scored a 6.400. Lee’s performance put her among an impressive group at the top of the county standings. Lardieri won the event at 9.700, Gengler followed at 9.475 and Lee was next at 9.450. Hillsborough’s Emily Minetti scored a 9.350, while Bernards’ Sofia Carreira posted a 9.300.

Verma — No, Different Sport; Montgomery Gymnastics Shows Depth Across Lineup
Montgomery received contributions throughout its lineup across the four events. On vault, Lee’s 8.700 led the Cougars, followed by Desai at 8.450 and Adamovich at 7.950. On uneven bars, Desai led Montgomery with an 8.225, Lee followed at 8.200 and Saujani recorded a 6.750. Adamovich scored a 5.100 and Suhana Gupta added a 4.025. Montgomery’s floor lineup was again led by Lee at 9.150. Saujani recorded an 8.000, Desai a 7.300 and Adamovich a 6.600. Addy Dundi also competed for the Cougars, posting a 5.000.

Hillsborough Captures County Crown
Hillsborough’s depth across all four events ultimately separated the Raiders from the rest of the county field. The undefeated Raiders finished with 110.550 points, four points ahead of runner-up Bridgewater-Raritan. Hillsborough also placed multiple gymnasts near the top of the individual standings. Minetti finished second in the all-around at 36.725, Gengler was third at 35.900 and Emily Baum followed closely at 35.650. Bridgewater-Raritan’s Lardieri produced the championship’s top all-around performance and won both beam with a 9.700 and floor with a 9.500, while Bernards’ Sofia Carreira posted the meet’s highest bars score at 9.475. Hillsborough’s Ashley Womack led vault with a 9.450.

Cougars Leave Counties With Several Strong Performances
For Montgomery, the county championship provided an opportunity to measure itself against some of Somerset County’s strongest gymnastics programs. The Cougars entered the meet at 2-5 and finished fifth in the team standings, highlighted by Lee’s top-six all-around finish and top-three beam performance. Desai added another complete all-around effort, while Saujani contributed important scores on bars, beam and floor. With the championship portion of the season underway, Montgomery leaves the Somerset County meet with a 98.675 team score and several individual performances to build upon — most notably Lee’s 9.450 on beam and 35.500 all-around showing.

Photo Credit: Nick Mistretta/headlinenewsmontgomry.com