With the gymnastics postseason about to hit high gear, we caught up with Toll Gate and Warwick Vets as they competed against West Warwick on Sunday.

Toll Gate

Last season, the Toll Gate gymnastics team put together its best season in more than a decade. The Titans finished second in Division II in the regular season and third at the state meet.

But it wasn’t a culmination.

“I think it just drives us to do better,” said head coach Christy DeMelis.

And that drive has served the Titans well. They tallied 123.5 points on Sunday to beat West Warwick and Warwick Vets in their second-to-last meet of the season. With the victories, the Titans improved to 7-3. As the post-season approaches, they’re gearing up for a big run, with last season’s success serving as motivation to get even further.

“Once you get that close, you don’t want to slide back,” DeMelis said. “I think last year was great motivation for us. It had been awhile since we finished that high. But now some of these guys don’t know any different. I’ve been coaching for a long time so I saw us at the bottom a lot, but they don’t know any different. They’re bummed when we get beat. They don’t like to lose.”

The core group of gymnasts hasn’t lost very often the past two years. Led by senior Amanda Perra, juniors Aly Cherveny and Alyssa Meizoso and sophomore Ashley Meizoso, the Titans have again been one of the premier teams in the league this season.

“We’re still kind of led by the same core group of girls, and they really do a lot for us,” DeMelis said.

In fact, those four compete in every event, bringing different strengths to the table.

“They’re our top four every meet,” DeMelis said. “I know I can count on them. Amanda Perra is probably our most valuable. Ashley and Alyssa are always working hard. Aly is really good on vault, and she’s been great this year. They all have strengths in different areas, which helps us even things out.” The Titans are also relying heavily on sophomore Rachael Macrae, who contributes on beam, bars and floor exercise.

“She’s been a big addition,” DeMelis said.

Senior Sarah Maloof is also a major contributor, while freshmen Katie Favino, Molly Fox and Abby Phalen are also in the mix. Senior Arielle Lineberry is out with an injury but is still a big part of the team.

These days, the Titans are focused on finishing strong. Their final meet of the season against South Kingstown was scheduled for Monday.

After that, their younger gymnasts will compete at the coaches’ invitational, with the full state meet set for Feb. 22 at Rhode Island College.

Perra, along with Alyssa and Ashley Meizoso, have qualified for the all-around competition at states, while Cherveny is qualified for everything but bars.

Macrae will compete on beam and floor, with Maloof also qualified for floor.

Aside from individual goals, the Titans also have their eye on a championship.

Mount Hope finished the regular season with the best record in Division II, but a series of injuries has left the door open.

“This year Mt. Hope has been the best team in the division, but they had three of their best girls get hurt so that’s going to make states very interesting,” DeMelis said. “I think we’ve got a shot. It’s going to be us, South and Mount Hope and I think any of us can win it.”

Warwick Vets

In some ways, the Warwick Vets gymnastics team is always in a bad spot.

The Hurricanes might call it a good spot.

Without a lot of club gymnasts, the ’Canes are almost always at a disadvantage every time they head into a meet. But as much as that impacts the standings, it doesn’t seem to carry much sway with the team, itself.

“They have fun with it, and they love it,” said head coach Angela Santopietro. “That’s what matters. They’re a great group of girls. You get some kids who really care about their scores, but these girls just want to go out there and have a good time. We go into some meets knowing that there’s no way even if we make everything. We’re competing against club gymnasts. We just go out and do the best we can.”

That’s not to say the ’Canes aren’t competitive. Though the season is short, improvement is a constant theme, and the ’Canes work hard to make it that way.

“We do really well,” Santopietro said. “We don’t have a lot of gymnasts like other teams have. We have cheerleaders and dancers and kids who play volleyball and other sports. Gymnastics is a sport where you usually start at age 2 and keep doing it for years and years. A lot of these girls are doing it for the first time, learning new skills, but they do a really good job. Our one senior this year, Sarah Jeon, her freshman year she didn’t really even compete. Now she’s competing three events. That’s the kind of improvement we see.”

The ’Canes have a young roster this season. Freshman Kristen Hyle is leading the way as one of the top all-around gymnasts, with Haley Gould and Jordan Doughty also making big contributions. Erin Balzano, Melanie Boyajian, Victoria Duquette, Marisa Major, Bryanna McCormick and Ryanna Vittorioso have all played big roles, as well.

Losses to West Warwick and Toll Gate dropped the ’Canes to 1-10 on the season, but with the post-season rolling around, there’s still a lot to build toward. Doughty, Hyle and Gould have all qualified as individuals for the ‘A’ state tournament.

“Our main goal is to qualify as individuals so it’s great for them to get there,” Santopietro said. “We know that we’re not going to go in there and take first, but they’re excited that they qualified. It’s a big accomplishment.”

And it’ll be another step in the building process. With such a young team, the ’Canes figure to keep improving in the coming season.

“This is my fourth year coaching and over the four years, we’ve improved drastically,” Santopietro said. “My first year, we were scoring in the 90s, but we’ve been up almost to a 120 this year. That just shows how much they learn every year.”