Prep Gymnastics: Nighthawks gymnast repeats as champ

First, Jiselle deAnda was surprised she was crowned the optional all-around champion Saturday at the 15th annual Sundevil Invitational gymnastics meet at Mt. Carmel.

Then, the Del Norte senior was at a loss for words when she discovered she is now a two-time champion of the meet.

“Really? Are you sure?” she asked. “I really don’t remember. I’ve been in so many gymnastics meets over the years that it’s hard to remember each one.

“This is exciting, though. Since this is senior year, I’ll probably remember this one a little longer than last year.”

With a win on the vault (9.200 score), a second on bars (9.475) and a fourth on beam (9.100), deAnda piled up an all-around score of 36.425. Del Norte teammates Anna Webb (35.900) and Lanai Modeste (35.550) finished second and third, respectively.

The only miss for deAnda was in floor exercise as she failed to place in the top six.

While deAnda was claiming the individual optional title again, La Costa Canyon captured the team championship.

The Mavericks’ 187.175 team points edged out deAnda’s Del Norte team, which finished with 183.725. Host Mt. Carmel, the defending champion, was in an unfamiliar place in third with 183.723 with Poway next with 178.400.

“We took some steps forward,” LCC coach Jessica Garrett said. “It wasn’t our best meet, but some of our core kids stepped up, although we have some work still to do.

“This meet is so close to the (San Diego Section) finals that it’s a good indicator of where we are at the moment and where we can go.

“I felt like we needed one more meet and there’s never anything wrong with winning the meet.”

Del Norte coach Ilea Williams pointed to deAnda’s effort on bars as a major improvement this year.

After an 8.4 in last year’s meet, deAnda’s 9.475 on the same apparatus this year was good enough for second behind Poway’s Taylor Mumby, who had a 9.550.

“That’s a huge improvement,” deAnda said. “I worked in some bigger moves that really helped out.”

Next year a new champion will be crowned because deAnda will be a student at UC Riverside, which does not have a gymnastics team.

For someone who practices an average of four hours a day, six days a week, giving up her passion — the section finals will be May 22 on the same Sundevils floor — is a difficult step to take.

“I’ve been doing this sport for 15 years, since I was 3,” deAnda said. “I can’t even calculate how many hours I’ve been in a gym.

“Gymnastics has been my whole life. It’s made me who I am today, and I will miss every single second of it next spring.

“It’s going to be real strange without gymnastics. Hopefully, I can find a gymnastics club near campus. Or maybe I can start a gymnastics club at UCR.”