Rising stars: These are the top Shore freshmen, sophomore gymnasts of 2023
The Shore Conference gymnastics championships capped off the league season with St. John Vianney co-op taking the title in record-breaking fashion. And while the Lancers were elevated by several elite underclassmen, they were hardly the only breakout stars in a deep and talented field of athletes.
More: Record-setting performances by winning team at Shore Conference gymnastics championships
Here is a look at 20 of the breakout freshman and sophomore gymnasts from within the Shore Conference this season heading into the state championship and regional meets.
What is the schedule for the NJSIAA state championship and regional gymnastics meets?
Sectionals (North I): Saturday, Nov. 4 at Ridgewood H.S.
Sectionals (North II): Saturday, Nov. 4 at Saint Thomas Aquinas H.S.
Sectionals (Central): Saturday, Nov. 4 at Hillsborough H.S.
Sectionals (South): Saturday, Nov. 4 at Manalapan H.S.
Team Championships: Nov. 8 at Brick Memorial HS
Individual Championships: Nov. 11 at Brick Memorial HS
Top Shore Conference sophomore gymnasts
Cameron Unkle - Middletown North
What is particularly impressive about Unkle is that she finished 14th in the all-around at the Shore Conference meet despite the fact she didn't set a personal-high in any event and actually underperformed slightly in her two strongest events. She matched her season-high in the vault with an 8.7, but couldn't quite replicate her season-high scores of 9.35 on beam or 9.025 in the floor routine. It's clear that at her best, she can compete for the conference's all-around title.
Cameron Czwakiel - Middletown South
The younger sister of Midd South quarterback Jake Czwakiel, Cameron is quite the athlete in her own right. The sophomore finished ninth in the all-around, buoyed by a fourth-place finish in the floor routine. She also finished 10th in the vault with a 9.375. Czwakiel actually underperformed in the beam and bars relative to her season-highs. If she can meet those marks, it's clear that she can contend for a conference title in the all-around.
Christina Fallon - St. John Vianney
The superlatives really don't do Fallon's elite talent justice. The simple facts do an ample job of exemplifying her skill level. The sophomore not only won, but set a record with her 9.825 score on the uneven bars at the Shore Conference meet. She finished second in the all-around, but technically underperformed relative to her regular season scores. Let's put it this way: if she had come within one-tenth of point of all her personal-best scores, she would set a record in the individual all-around with a 39. The previous best score was 38.625 set by SJV great Kristen Politz. Fallon is a generational talent.
Erin Carson - Middletown South
Like all of her teammates at Midd South, Carson excels in the vault and floor routine. In the latter, she finished tied for fifth with Imperial. She posted a solid mark of 9.1 in the vault, good for 22nd in the event. With Carson and Czwakiel, Midd South has a pair of stars returning next season.
Gianna Chapins - Howell
Chapins subtly had one of the most impressive moments of the Shore Conference meet. The sophomore, already dealing with an injury, lost her knee brace midway through her floor routine and still kept her focus with a superb performance. The result? A score of 9.25 — a season-high. Chapins finished 11th in that event and in the uneven bars, setting herself for a promising junior season if she's at full strength.
Giovannina Beltra - St. John Vianney
The star of the Shore Conference meet. She finished off her all-around title with a masterful floor routine that garnered a score of 9.6, giving her an individual title in that event as well. Beltra and Fallon were the catalysts for SJV's record-breaking team win at the event. She also broke the record in the uneven bars, but the problem was Fallon broke the record again two minutes later. And like her teammate, if Beltra matched her high scores in each event then she would break the record in the all-around. This year, she had to settle for just tying the record.
Haley Smith - Freehold Township
Smith is the young standout of a very experienced Freehold Township team that won the Shore Conference in 2022. She was a bit below her season-highs in the vault and bars, but still finished 16th in the all-around. She posted a top ten finish on the beam, scoring a 9.05. Along with 2022 all-around champ Alexis Czarrunchik, she'll try to help Freehold regain the conference title next year.
Isabella Galbornetti - Red Bank Catholic
As previously mentioned, Galbornetti tied for eighth-place in the vault with her freshman teammate Egan. And like her RBC teammates, she also excelled in the floor routine as she finished 12th. The trio of young standouts could help elevate RBC into the team competition next year.
Julianna During - Jackson
Similar to Imperial for Marlboro, During flew under-the-radar as a breakout star as she finished seventh in the all-around. And like some of the other standouts on this list, she turned in a great performance that could have been even better. Her only season-high was in her lowest scoring event, the vault, a testament to her consistency and versatility. She finished fourth on the beam, but is certainly capable of competing for conference title in that event and the all-around.
Liberty Kenney - Brick Memorial
Similar to the last entry on this list, Kenney had a terrific performance at the Shore Conference meet that was somehow well below her incredible potential. She finished 20th in the all-around, highlighted by a 9.2 in the floor routine. But remarkably, she didn't come within one-tenth of her season highs in any event. If she had matched those highs, she would have finished just outside the top five. The sophomore has immense promise heading into her junior year.
Sienna Frangione - Rumson-Fair Haven
Frangione also falls into the high-potential category after some excellent regular season marks. She finished tied for 24th in the all-around, but could've finished in the top 15 if she had matched her season-highs. Still, the sophomore was a big reason why Rumson was able to qualify for the tournament as an alternate route team.
Reese Albano - St. John Vianney
It only feels right to finish off this list with another SJV standout. Albano excels at the uneven bars, finishing fourth in the event with a score of 9.5. She also posted a high mark of 9.075 in the vault during the regular season. But her specialized skills in the bars, combined with Fallon and Beltra, helped propel SJV to their record-breaking victory.
Top Shore Conference freshmen gymnasts
Amelia Russo - Howell
Russo capped off a strong first-year with two top 15 finishes at the Shore Conference meet. The freshman had a 9.3 in the vault, her strongest event, which was good enough to put her in a tie for 11th (her high for the season was actually a bit higher at 9.425). She added a strong showing in the beam, finishing with a score of 8.9 to tie for 14th.
Cate Pongratz - Central Regional
Pongratz turned in some terrific scores over the course of the regular season, highlighted by a season-high 9.3 in the vault back in September. She also had a high score of 9 in her floor routine. The first-year standout couldn't quite replicate that success at the conference meet, but will certainly be one to watch next year.
Dana Imperial - Marlboro
Imperial was the unsung breakout performer at the Shore Conference championships. She finished fourth in the all-around, a natural result of hitting season-high marks at the meet in all four events. She scored a 9.1 in the vault (the only event she didn't finish in the top five), a 9.6 in uneven bars, a 9.35 on beam and 9.35 on her floor routine. As a sophomore, she will be a legitimate contender to win the all-around individual conference title.
Dayton Stringer - St. John Vianney
Stringer is simply elite at the vault. She posted a 9.8 back in September, but came up just short of that mark at the conference meet with a 9.75 to tie for second-place. She posted a high of 9.325 in the floor routine during the regular season, but also came up a bit short of that with 9.1 at the Shore Conference championships. As was the case with SJV's current class of sophomores, she's sure to improve even more next season.
Gisela Sciametta - Red Bank Catholic
Sciametta is yet another elite-level vaulter. She finished seventh in the event at the Shore meet with a score of 9.425, second only to Stringer among freshmen. She couldn't quite match her season-highs in the other events (although she posted a solid 9.1 in the floor routine), but still managed to finish 21st in the all-around.
Kate DeSimone - St. John Vianney
DeSimone is another young star on a long list of them for the Lancers. She's a very well-rounded gymnast, exemplified by her 11th place finish in the all-around (second to Imperial among freshmen). She was a standout on the beam, where she garnered a third-place finish with a score of 9.45.
Lailah Jones - Neptune
Jones hit her peak at the Shore Conference meet, soaring far above her previous high of 8.725 in the vault with a score of 9.25 and finishing 15th in the event. That breakout score, combined with consistency in the other events, got her to a 22nd place finish in the all-around. She couldn't quite match her previous highs in any of the other events, otherwise she would've finished considerably higher in her first year at the meet.
Madison Egan - Red Bank Catholic
Egan is part of RBC's trio of vault specialists, showing as she tied teammate Isabella Galbornetti for eighth in the event at the Shore meet. She overcame a setback in the bars to still finish 18th in the all-around (third among freshman). She also posted a personal-best in the floor routine with a score of 9.1.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore gymnastics: Top freshmen, sophomores 2023
