The Jefferson gymnastics team competed against the Edison Eagles, the Oakton Cougars, and the T.C. Williams Titans in a gymnastics meet at Jefferson on Wednesday, Jan. 15. Before the meet, seniors on all teams were commemorated for their achievements and hard work for the team.

Jefferson received second-place as a team and had two gymnasts placing in the competition, sophomore Micaela Wells placing 2nd in all-around, 4th on beam and sixth on vault and bars and sophomore Lexie Skeen placing 2nd in vault and 5th all-around.

“Wednesday was senior night, that was a really big deal for us seniors,” senior gymnast Alexis Echano said. “But it was really cool to see the freshman, not only compete and do really well but even some people that didn’t compete ever before for gymnastics. I think that was really inspiring to see them finally do what they always wanted to do and do an actual routine.”

The gymnastics team’s spirits were high throughout the competition, which allowed them to excel in the meet.

“We did pretty well,” Echano said. “A lot of our members, even though underclassmen did really well in place in the top six against really tough schools did really good. So we just built a lot of team camaraderie, and it was just a lot of fun.”

A lot of preparation went into the exceptional meet for the gymnastics team.

“We didn’t have that many people but we set up all our equipment,” Echano said. “We ran through routines and we have a certain set of routines and number of times to get through [them] so that we’re adequately prepared.”

The season’s not over and the Jefferson gymnastics team is still looking to get better for the remainder of the meets.

“We did pretty well but really practice makes perfect,” Echano said, “so I guess just more.”