FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
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FEBRUARY 17 - 23, 2022 | PAGE 9
Meridian Cheer Season Finishes Strong at UCA Nationals
BY RUBY JONES
SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-PRESS
For the first time in school history, the Meridian High Cheer team was able to compete at the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) Game Day Nationals in Orlando, Florida. On February 10-13, the team spent the weekend competing with other schools from across the nation as they represented their school at a cheer competition of this high level. The trip was a fantastic success and an amazing experience for the team. Out of the 78 teams in their division from all across the nation, MHS came in 12th place. In the Meridian High School cheer program, cheerleaders push each other to be the best they can be. They strive to be positive representatives of their school, to encourage school spirit, and to be hard-working athletes. When asked about the impact the MHS cheer program has had, senior Emma Ward summarized how all of them feel: “Being on the Meridian Cheer team for the past five years has provided me with so many friendships, life lessons, and skills that I will carry with me forever.” With the help of our wonderful coaches, Allison Cray, Elizabeth Watkins, and Axelle Amos, the team
works hard each practice to learn new skills, perfect routines, cheer on fellow athletes, and stay motivated, no matter what obstacles they face. Competing at UCA Game Day Nationals was a fitting end to a season full of growth and achievement. At the UCA Game Day Competition, the team was able to show off what they do on the sidelines while cheering on the football team. They performed a dance to band music, a situational chant in which they reacted to either an offensive or defensive cue, a crowdleading cheer, and finished off the routine with Meridian’s fight song, all with a smile on their faces. “Qualifying for nationals was something I could never have imagined when I first joined 5 years ago,” says senior Elle Elrich. “Having the opportunity to attend was not only an amazing experience but also a great way to represent Meridian and Falls Church City.” They prepared for this competition both mentally and physically for the last six months. From the very beginning of the season in August, they always made sure to keep their eyes on the prize, talking only about when they made it to nationals— not if. When the regional qualifier was
THE MERIDIAN CHEER TEAM Competed this past weekend at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, FL and placed 12th out of 78 teams in their division. (P���� C������� �� R���� D����) moved up a month it left them just a couple of weeks to polish their routine for the competition that would determine their fate. They worked as hard as they could before they attended the regional competition in Richmond, where they took third place, qualifying the team to go to Orlando. In the months following region-
als, they worked hard to raise money to fund the trip. They set up a GoFundMe, sold spirit gear and Little Caeser’s pizzas, held two cheer clinics for elementary schoolers, hosted a fundraiser at Audacious Aleworks and went canvassing door-to-door in many of the neighborhoods in the community. They couldn’t be more proud of
their team, and the memories they made this season will last a lifetime. The team would like to thank everyone who contributed to helping the team get to nationals. They could never have made it to where they are without the support they have received from the community And of course a big thanks to their parents and coaches, who made it all possible.
Wills Fleming (Freshman), Ben McCracken (Junior), and Carson Ruoff (Junior) with a time of 1:41.45, shaving 5.5 seconds off their seed time. The 200 Free Relay, comprised of Ben McCracken, Wesley Sturgill (Junior), Wills Fleming, and Carson Ruoff came out on top with a first-place finish with a time of 1:30.42. The 400 Free Relay, comprised of Wesley Sturgill, Jonathan Katen (Freshman), Eddie Hughes (Senior), and Matthew Janicki had a strong third place finish with a time of 3:35.18, dropping four seconds off their seed time. The Girls Team also continued to impress with their third-place finish in the 200 Medley Relay, comprised of Anna Dickson (Junior), Mya Taheri (Freshman), Lydia Sturgill (Freshman), and Lexi Ries (Sophomore) with their time of 2:01.37. The 200 Free Relay, comprised of Elysha York (Junior), Emerson Mellon (Senior), Alexis Niemi (Junior) and, Lauren Mellon (Senior) placed sixth, but still qualified for the State Meet for their time from a previous meet. The 400 Free Relay team, comprised of Lexi Ries, Lydia Sturgill, Elysha York, and Anna Dickson placed 3rd with
a time of 3:56.97. Lydia Sturgill’s time in the 500 Free of 5:38.02 set a school record, which was previously set by 2021 Graduate, Ellen Chadwick in 2018. Meridian had an excellent showing of Individuals throughout the competition as well. Top five in each Individual Event will continue on to the State Meet this weekend. 200 Free — Wesley Sturgill (2nd), Matthew Janicki (4th), Anna Dickson (4th), Alex Perez (Junior – 11th), Lauren Mellon (12th), and Alexis Niemi (13th). 200 IM – Wills Fleming (4th), Gaspar Green (10th), Jack Flanagan (11th), Mya Taheri (11th), Katherine Steyn (Freshman – 14th), and Clementine Kim (Freshman – 16th). 50 Free – Carson Ruoff (1st), Lexi Ries (4th), Alexis Niemi (10th), Jonathan Katen (12th), Eddie Hughes(13th), and Emerson Mellon (15th). Ben McCracken will also compete in the 50 Free with a Regular Season qualifying time. Diving – Jan Afsah-Mohallatee (2nd), Connor Tweddle (2nd), Julia Hall (3rd), Markus Kummer (3rd), and Helen Jordan (4th). 100 Fly – Ben McCracken (2nd), Carson Ruoff (4th), Lydia
Sturgill (5th), Emil Morin (Senior9th), Ally Campbell (Freshman – 13th). 100 Free – Lexi Ries (5th), Eddie Hughes (7th), Elysha York (9th), Lauren Mellon (10th), Alex Perez (14th), and Wesley Crawford (Freshman – 19th). Carson Ruoff will also compete in the 100 Free with a Regular Season qualifying time. 500 Free – Ben McCracken (2nd), Lydia Sturgill (3rd), Alexa Wagner (5th). 100 Back – Wesley Sturgill (3rd), Matthew Janicki (5th), Anna Dickson (9th), Elysha York (10th). Anna Dickson will also compete in the 100 Back with a Regular Season qualifying time. 100 Breast – Wills Fleming (4th), Mya Taheri (7th), Jack Flanagan (12th), Katherine Steyn (13th), Danielle Kuck (Junior – 15th), and Oliver Csaszi (Freshman – 15th). Congrats to all the athletes who participated in Regionals – it’s been a great season! The 2022 VHSL State Meet will be available for viewing on the VHSL Network. Follow the team on Instagram @meridianswimanddive.
Mustangs Swim and Dive Team Takes on Regionals
BY LEAH KIRK
SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-PRESS
The Meridian Swim & Dive Team is heading to States! Last week, the Mustangs competed in the Region 3B Meet, where nine teams competed to secure their slots for the State Championships this Thursday and Saturday in Richmond. The Mustangs will be sending 22 students to the State Competition this week. The Mustang Dive Team dove into the competition pool on Friday February 4th with the 3B and 6B Region Combined Meet. There the five Divers took on divers from Maggie Walker Governor’s School and Brentsville High School in Region 3B, but also competed alongside the Region 6B Divers as they competed for Region 6B State Championships. The 11-Dive meet was an all day affair but proved to be a success as all five divers qualified for the State Meet on February 17th. From the Boys Team, Connor Tweddle (Freshman) placed 2nd with a score of 228.4 and Markus Kummer (Freshman) placed 3rd with a score of 191.45. From the Girls Team, Jane Afsah-Mohallatee
(Freshman) placed 2nd with a score of 304.70, Julia Hall (Sophomore) placed 3rd with a score of 226.2, and Helen Jordan (Junior) placed 4th with a score of 201.90. Jane Afsah-Mohallatee’s score secured a new school record, surpassing Senior Natalie Burke’s previous record of 286.05 in last season’s State Meet. The Mustang Swim Team started off with a bang as both Boys and Girls Teams continued to shine throughout the competition. Overall, Meridian placed both teams in the top three. Boys placed 2nd and were Region Runner-ups and the Girls were 3rd place. The team had successes in both Individual and Relay events, and will send even more qualifiers to States through their times in other meets during the Regular Season. After last season, which was restricted to only the Top 5 placers in the Region due to Covid Mitigation practices, the ability to qualify during the season allowed the Mustangs to send a much larger delegation than last year. The Boys Team lead the way with a second-place finish in the 200 Medley Relay, comprised of Matthew Janicki (Sophomore),
