The 4-1 Whitman gymnastics team finished off a strong season placing second in counties behind the Walter Johnson Wildcats by .15 points this past Tuesday.

This marked the girls’ best performance in years, with freshman Alex Kim placing first on the floor routine and registering a score of 9.1. She also came in third on the vault and fifth all around, which includes all four events: vault, bars, beam and floor.

Despite senior Michele Sandler breaking her foot before their last meet, multiple gymnasts stepped up to fill the gap in the lineup. Junior Lila Hobby and freshman Annie Burton each placed fourth in their respective events of bars and beams.

The team prepped for counties by practicing their routines for each event several days before the actual meet. Some girls also put in extra time at an open gym to make sure they felt comfortable with all of their skills and routines.

Although the four year-old-program is losing seniors Sandler, Mica Hinga and Sarah Dar, the team looks to continue building off its past success with a strong freshman class of Kim, Burton, and Caroline LaPlante.

“I think we’ll be in a good place next year,” coach Sarah Jimenez said. “It’ll be tough to see [the seniors] go, but we still have many girls who bring talent to the team in different capacities.”

Despite falling short of first place in counties, the team is confident that next year will yield even higher results.

“We placed third in counties last year, second this year, and I know we can come in first next year,” junior Anna Deziel said.