CRANFORD – Alexa Cerchio won three of four individual events and the all-around, to lead No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas to their fourth consecutive Cougar Invitational crown on Oct. 1, 2026, at Cranford High School.
Cerchio scored a 37.825 to lead the all-around standings. Trojan teammate Vanessa Barreros followed Cerchio in second place with a 36.025, and Westfield’s Madelyn Lee rounded out the top three with a 35.950.
Cerchio also took top honors on the vault, uneven bars, and balance beam.
The vault and beam standings mirrored the all-around standings. Cerchio earned a 9.45 on the vault to finish first on the vault, while Barreros followed in second with a 9.15, and Lee rounded out the top three with a 9.1. On the beam, Cerchio recorded a 9.55 to claim first place; Barreros scored a 9.475 to claim second, and Lee earned a 9.35 to finish in a tie for third with Scotch Plains-Fanwood’s Olivia Kwiatkowski.
Cerchio scored a 9.425 to run away with the bars title. SPF’s Jessica Loewenthal was the next closest gymnast to Cerchio, recording an 8.85 to finish in second. Loewenthal’s Raider teammate, Charlee Tabor, finished in third with a score of 8.825.
The floor exercise was the lone event that Cerchio did not win. Kwiatkowski took the top spot on the floor with a 9.45, edging out Cerchio, who finished in second with a 9.4. Barreros rounded out the top three on the floor with a 9.35.
As a team, STA scored a 109.350 to win the 2026 edition of the Cougar Invitational. No. 5 Scotch Plains-Fanwood finished in second with a 106.875. Westfield finished in third with a 104.950. Summit finished in fourth with a 98.000. Union Catholic finished in fifth with a 94.425. And host, Cranford, finished in sixth with a 93.000.
The Cougar Invitational may have been a preview of the Union County Championship in a couple weeks as five of the six competing teams are from Union County and will be competing at the county championship at Scotch Plains-Fanwood on October 16.
Up next, St. Thomas Aquinas face off with Summit in a dual meet on Monday in Edison, Scotch Plains-Fanwood will see Westfield again in a dual meet on Tuesday in Scotch Plains, and Union Catholic and Cranford will meet again on Tuesday in a dual meet in Cranford.
