Hampshire Regional finishes 2nd at Western Mass. Gymnastics Championships (PHOTOS)

WESTFIELD — The Hampshire Regional gymnastics team found itself in a hole after the first two rotations of Saturday afternoon’s Western Massachusetts Championships at Westfield High School.

With only the beam and floor events left, the Raiders knew they had to put forth their best effort to make a comeback and challenge Westfield for the top spot.

Their attempt at a third straight Western Mass. championship fell just short, as they finished only six-tenths of a point behind the Bombers en route to a second-place performance. Westfield amassed 138.3 points to win the title, with Hampshire second (137.7).

Minnechaug (128.2), Agawam (122.9), and Chicopee Comp (90.70) rounded out the top five teams.

“We had a great meet, they (Westfield) just had a better one,” Hampshire coach Lisa Anthony said. “They deserved it today. Based on their performances, they deserved it.”

Mistakes in the earlier events were too much for Hampshire to overcome despite its efforts in the floor exercise.

“We had some falls on beam and some falls on bar that really hurt us in the beginning,” Raiders coach Stacy Ashley said. “We knew we had to come back from that and get some higher scores.”

Hampshire senior captain Tyler Hetu was the final participant of the entire competition, and all eyes were on him as he went through his floor routine for the final time. Hetu finished with a smile and pointed right at his fellow captain and best friend, Maddie Hollister, before the entire Raiders team surrounded him with hugs and tears.

Hetu — a six-year star for Hampshire — put a cap to his illustrious career on Saturday. What he’s endured over the past year made that moment so special.

“I’ve been doing gymnastics all my life, but because of a lot of medical issues, I’ve started to take it lightly — I’m not able to do it year-round,” Hetu said. “High school gymnastics is all that I have. So closing it out, my teammates are the ones who have been through it with me thick and thin. It was good to go out on a high note and acknowledge my appreciation for them.”

Hetu finished second in the all-around with a score of 35.2, slightly trailing only Agawam’s Terceira Vaughn (35.45). He’s undoubtedly been the leader of the group for the past few years, and what Hetu brings to the table as an athlete and captain is invaluable for Hampshire.

Aside from his own accomplishments, he’s always the first one to greet his teammates after an event with a double high five and a big smile and hug. Anthony and Ashley sang his praises following the meet.

“Tyler’s been a fantastic teammate, leader, and friend to everyone on the team for six years,” Ashley said. “I think those emotions were an accumulation of the whole year and the reality of him graduating sank in. All the kids love him, and we love him.”

Elsewhere, Hampshire received strong performances from Julia Sicard (first place, bars), Hollister (sixth place, all around), Ryen Delisle (fourth place, floor), and Catalina Ocampo (fifth place, floor).

Contributions from a variety of athletes helped give the Raiders a strong chance at capturing yet another sectional crown.

“This team is a great group of kids, and they support and love each other, and I think that makes it easier for them in these meets,” Anthony said. “They’re collaborative, and we’re proud of them because they really worked hard.”

Each year at the Western Mass. championship, a Senior of the Year award is given out to someone who embodies what it means to be not only a terrific gymnast, but also a kind-hearted person in society.

For Hetu, the 2023 recipient of the award, knowing he fits in those categories meant the world to him.

“Obviously athletic awards mean a lot, but something on character like this means a lot, too, because I try to put my heart and soul into gymnastics,” Hetu said. “And I feel like this is one of the times where that got recognized.”