Battlefield’s Mandy Brown and Stonewall Jackson’s Meghan Hammel put up big numbers for their teams Saturday at Stonewall’s Aloha Classic as both finished in second place in the all-around competition.

            Battlefield competed in the Maroon Division, which featured of the area’s most skilled squads. The Bobcats finished in fourth place with a score of 100.825, 6.100 points behind first-place Potomac Falls.

            The scoring was different from standard meets because only the top three finishers per team in each event had their marks tallied.

            Brown’s 36.1 score in the all-around competition placed her 0.8 points behind Potomac Falls’ Jenna Padilla. The sophomore standout for the Bobcats came in third on the vault (9.175) and second on the uneven bards (9.025). She tied for fifth on the balance beam (8.75) and was third on the floor (9.15).

            Hammel notched a second place showing by earning 35.475 points through four events. However, since Stonewall Jackson’s competition in the Gold Division was not of the same caliber what Battlefield faced in the Maroon Division, her showing catapulted the Raiders to their second-straight victory of the season. The team took out second-place Colonial Forge 94.975 to 91.925.

            “It was definitely a confidence booster for all the girls,” said Stonewall coach Amy Romberger.

            The obvious stand out performance from Stonewall came courtesy of Hammel who was all-but-recovered from a long-lingering knee injury. According to Romberger, the junior gymnast entered the competition determined to “nail everything.”

            Her Tsukahara (a half-on jump mixed with a backflip) launch on vault won the event for her with a 9.25. Hammel’s 9.3 score on the floor was actually better than every competitor in the Maroon division and allowed her to finish second only behind all-around champion Elizabeth Flint of Annandale. The only event Flint did not win was the vault.

            Romberger commented that Hammel is working on her front handsprings for beam instead of the back tuck like she used to do and her strength on bars is much improved.

            “We hope to see her release moves tomorrow,” Romberger said Tuesday, the day before the Cedar Run District championship meet. “In order for her to be able to score very well on bars, she’s going to have to put her release moves back in.”

            It was the lack of a highly-skilled release move that kept her from knotting a 9.0 in that event as she ended up with an 8.775.

            While Hammel certainly led the charge for Stonewall on the Raiders’ home court, teammates Kristen Fisher and Tanya Ramseyer helped the Raiders team capture first place on the floor exercise by typing for fifth place (8.2). The three of them were all slated to compete in the all-around at the Cedar Run District championship meet this past Wednesday with Burgandy May possibly joining them.

            The coach’s hope for the meet was just for her all-around competitors to advance on to regions.

            “We’re capable of doing well and placing as far as getting out of the districts,” said the first-year head coach.