JCC Gymnasts Win Region, State Titles

(From left) Maja Jovanovic, 14, Halle Kwatnez, 12, and Lauren Henderson, 11, have recently won state or regional gymnastics titles.

Gymnasts representing the Marcus Jewish Community Center’s Perimeter Gymnastics program have won regional and state championships for the second consecutive year.

Lauren Henderson, 11, was named Region 8 Xcel Gold all-around regional champion with a score of 38.075 at the 2015 Xcel Regional Championships the first weekend of May in Savannah. The Woodward Academy student also finished first in floor exercise with a score of 9.575.

At the Xcel State Championships in Lawrenceville in April, Lauren ranked second all-around and second in vault and floor exercise.

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Halle Kwatnez, 12, who attends Davis Academy, was named Xcel Platinum state bar champion and Region 8 Xcel Platinum bar champion with scores of 9.15 and 9.25, respectively.

Maja Jovanovic, 14, a student at Henderson Middle School, was named Xcel Level 6 Georgia beam champion with a score of 9.225.

“I could not be more proud of all of our competitors,” said Stacey Harris, the director of the Perimeter Gymnastics program. “These talented girls not only excelled on the state level, they performed exceptionally at the regional meet, competing against more than 1,600 gymnasts from eight states.”