These Bulldogs like keeping busy, staying on top

You've certainly heard the phrase "busy as a bee." How about "busy as a Bulldog?"

The Batavia Bulldogs girls gymnastics team has been very busy lately and their demanding schedule paid off during Monday night's annual Tri-Cities meet against St. Charles Co-op and Geneva.

Competing for the third time in seven days, the Bulldogs made very few mistakes and performed extremely well in all four events to establish a new school record score of 142.2. St. Charles Co-op was a distant second (137.1) and Geneva took third (130.15).

"It's pretty amazing," Batavia coach Taryn Boyce said. "When you have a lack of falls it's huge. We still had a few, but when you have three instead of eight, and you add more skills and difficulty, it's a huge difference."

The hectic combination of practices, meets and the holidays could hinder a team, but Batavia simply thrived during this time.

"It really says something about them that they're able to stay focused as competitors," Boyce said. "This will give them confidence to do what they are capable of doing. They're working well together and continuing to bond and grow as a team."

The Bulldogs couldn't have asked for much more from Rachel Besic, who won vault (9.4), floor exercise (9.4) and bars (8.95). After finishing second in the all-around in last January's Tri-Cities meet, Besic comfortably took top honors last night (36.85).

"I've been very solid the last couple of meets and it has really boosted my confidence," Besic said. "I've simply been practicing my routines over and over again and have been sticking them."

Batavia's performance overshadowed the season-high 137.1 posted by St. Charles Co-op, who certainly should be a forced to be reckoned with once the regional season arrives later this month.

St. Charles Co-op, which had 22 days between this meet and its last one, concluded on a high note when Stephanie de la Torriente scored a dazzling 9.55 on beam.

"It was the first one I hit all season," said Torriente who was out for a while this season with strep throat. "I've fallen with the aerial and back tuck but I was very happy to be able to do it cleanly tonight."

Senior Liz Fairweather posted the top scores on vault (9.2) and floor (8.95) for St. Charles Co-op. Fairweather, who had finished in the top three in floor exercise in her previous three Tri-Cities meets, fell short of that honor this season. Teammate Danielle Goebbert was able to compete, but not as an all-arounder as she sustained a toe injury recently in practice.

"There's still work to be done and we just need to put things together as a team," St. Charles co-op coach Amy Lill said. "We need to stay healthy and be consistent."

While winning and setting a school record made it a festive night for Batavia, it proved to be a joyful occasion for all gymnasts. Many of the girls have known each other since grade school and have been part of the same gyms and clubs. It's the love of the sport and the opportunity to perform on the biggest area stage that inspired Batavia senior Fuqua to compete last night.

Fuqua, who won the all-around in the Tri-Cities meet last January, missed Saturday's Larkin Invite with pneumonia and bronchitis. She wouldn't miss the Tri-Cities meet though.

"There was an extra push to get healthy," she said. "It's a fun meet with a lot of fans and friendly rivals. It felt even better to be a part of it."