Waterford lands pair on squad as well
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff Writer
All year long, the talk on the Wisconsin high school gymnastics scene were the trio of all-arounders for Burlington Combined – junior Jenna Fitzpatrick, and sophomores Bailey Fitzpatrick and Molly Benavides.
So, it was no surprises when those three topped the Wisconsin High School Gymnastics Association All-State team, announced late last week.
Gymnasts are selected to fill one spot on the team, and all three were picked as first-team all-arounders.
In addition, BBW had three other gymnastics make the team in Division 1 – senior Lauren Otter, junior Ciara Johnson and junior Jacquie Fiorillo.
Waterford sophomore Sam Dziak earned second-team all-around honors in Division 2, while senior teammate Sam Jahnke was an honorable mention pick for floor exercise.
BBW head coach Diane Biedrzycki said it was nice to see a season’s worth of success pay off for those three.
“That’s nice for them,” she said. “I felt like all season long, they were the three best gymnasts in the state.”
Bailey Fitzpatrick won the WIAA Division 1 all-around and uneven bars titles for the second straight year, while Jenna Fitzpatrick won the sectional all-around crown and finished third in the state all-around meet.
Benavides struggled on uneven bars at the state meet, causing her to finish eighth in the all-around, but won the Division 1 vault title and tied for the floor exercise title.
Each of them brought something special to the gym, she said.
“Jenna, being the oldest, (she) brings work ethic, every day,” the coach explained. “You never have to question she’s giving 110 percent. Obviously, this year, she brought a really improved skill level.”
Biedrzycki added that Jenna was always a leader.
“She’s always helping girls who are struggling, or who are having a bad day,” Biedrzycki added.
“Bailey brings a little more of a lightness,” the coach went on. “(She) has a lot of fun doing gymnastics. When you see her on the competitive floor, she gets down to business.
“I guess she and Molly are the same way,” she added. “To be at such a level, and compete at such a level, and have fun with it, it’s kind of surprising.”
The three are very different gymnasts, though.
“I think they give us kind of a broad range of styles,” Biedrzycki said. “Jenna is kind of a graceful, balletic style, while Molly is more of a powerhouse.
“Bailey is kind of a mix of the two.”
In addition to the three all-arounders, Fiorillo was a second-team selection on vault, while Otter – who scored a 9.50 on the event at state – was second team on the balance beam.
Johnson earned second-team honors on the floor exercise. None of the three qualified for state as individuals, but all were critical to the team’s success throughout the year. BBW won the sectional crown, and finished second at state for the third straight year.
“That was rewarding,” Biedrzycki said. “Those are three darned good gymnasts.”
For Waterford, Dziak came out for the team for the first time, and worked all season to add content to her routines.
“She’s a very hard worker, every day,” said Waterford coach Carrie Buelow. “Very focused, willing to try new things.
It paid off at the sectional and state meets, as Dziak qualified as an individual on all four events and in the all-around. At state, she finished 11th in the all-around and fourth on the balance beam.
“It was pretty amazing, considering it was her first year out,” Buelow said of Dziak’s state performance. “It just proves how strong of a gymnast she was in the past, and how hard she worked all season. Our goal was to win a state medal.”
Jahnke qualified on the floor exercise and finished 20th.
“Being a senior, and four years on the team, it was a huge accomplishment for her,” the coach said. “She was just so excited to be a part of the state meet.
“To go on her own as a senior was such a huge deal,” Buelow added. “She’s a great person.”
Waterford finished 10th at team state with a season-best score of 129.15.
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