Freshman Kara Pisasale lept, twirled and flipped her way to a 9.0 on her floor routine and an led the Huskies with an all around score of 33.7 as the Mt. Hope gymnastics team beat Prout/EWG Co-op and Chariho in a tri-meet on Saturday at Strive Gymnastics in Somerset and improved their record to 5-2 in Division II. The Huskies posted a team score of 128.225, while Prout/EWG Co-p scored a 119.575 and Chariho scored 104.575.

I can’t be more proud,” said Huskies head coach Nicole Daniello. “The team has improved with every meet.”

Pisasale, who won multiple Orange Crate Derby’s in Bristol as a youth and ran cross country this season, had the best all around score with a 33.7 and was the top scorer on floor with a 9.0, on vault with an 8.7, and on bars with an 8.1. She scored a 7.9 on beam.

“Kara’s been a great addition to the team,” said senior co-captain Avery Furtado. “She’s just a freshman and is going to do some great things. Her floor routine is elegant and pretty. It’s really fun to watch. I am super proud of how far she’s come.”

Pisasale has been a gymnast since third grade, according to Coach Daniello. “She has been competing with difficult skills on floor (back layout with a one and half twist) and scored a season high last Saturday with a 9.15.”

Senior captain Caroline Nash placed second on the team with an all-around score of 33.325, with an 8.675 on vault, an 8.65 on floor, an 8.0 on bars and an 8.0 on beam.

Nash, a very consistent and prideful gymnast, has stepped up her beam and floor routines this season with an assortment of difficult stunts.

“I have upgraded my jumps on beam and so far, I have stuck them all,” she said, “My floor routine is the best that it’s ever been.”

The captains feel that the whole team has stepped up their routines this season. But Nash feels that to compete at states, the Huskies have to keep striving to be their best.

“We have to keep working hard,” she said.

“The team’s improving. We’ve all gotten stronger and better.” said Furtado, who is finally healthy and competing at a high level after injuring her back a few seasons ago.

“I’ve definitely come a long way,” she said. “My back is stronger now and I have gotten a lot better.”

Furtado also has a new floor routine this season, that sports a front half, a round-off layout and a round-off cut. She tallied an all around score of 30.55, with an 8.25 on vault, an 8.0 on beam, a 7.85 on floor and a 6.45 on bars.

“Avery has been consistently improving all season long,” said Coach Daniello. “Her top events are vault and beam. She added a new skill to her bar routine, a sole circle half, which increased her start value and improved her score.” 

With her captains performing well and the addition of the new freshmen, Coach Daniello feels that the team could contend for states this season.

“We will be very competitive with Caroline, Avery and Kara,” said Coach Daniello. “Freshman Sarah Sustakowsky, sophomore Isabella Brando and junior Madeleine St. Pierre all contribute to our team scores every meet. It has been a total team effort.”

Sustakowsky is strong on the vault and performs in all the events. She had an all around score of 29.35, with an 8.6 on vault, 7.4 on floor, a 6.9 on beam and a 6.45 on bars.

Brando scored an 8.15 on vault, a 7.55 on floor and a 7.4 on beam. St. Pierre scored an 8.2 on floor, a 7.4 on beam and a 4.6 on bars. Cassidy Aeria scored a 7.9 on vault and a 6.2 on beam. Natalia Quezado-Grant scored a 7.4 on vault and a 4.8 on bars. Maxine Scott scored a 6.3 on floor and a 4.8 on bars.

The Huskies have just three more meets before states in February.