Stick The Landing News
Gymnastics Victoria State Trials 2

Nadiu edges Cross by 0.034 as Level 7 sets the drama at WAG Trial 2

Sophie Strano leads a tight Level 8 Division 1 field at CYC, while Emma Hale posts the bars score of the competition

3 May 2026  ·  Stick The Landing

TL;DR Arianna Nadiu (Melbourne Acrobatic Gymnastics Academy) won Level 7 by just 0.034 points at WAG Trial 2 and Border Challenge Trial 2, while Sophie Strano (Jets) led a competitive Level 8 Division 1 field with 47.332. Emma Hale's 13.033 on bars was the standout individual performance of the competition.

Level 7 at WAG Trial 2 came down to the last calculation. Arianna Nadiu from Melbourne Acrobatic Gymnastics Academy topped the all-around standings with 47.199, but Edwina Cross of Geelong YMCA was right behind her at 47.165 - a gap of just 0.034. Four events, four apparatus scores, and everything came down to 34 thousandths of a point.

Cross had actually held the edge on beam, where her 12.4 was the highest score on the apparatus in the division. But Nadiu's consistency across all four pieces - 11.7 vault, 12.1 bars, 11.833 beam, 11.566 floor - left no room to catch. Kristen Canoy from MLC rounded out the podium in third with 46.366, her 12.2 floor the strongest on that apparatus in the division.

Geelong YMCA had four athletes across the Level 7 field. Alongside Cross (2nd, 47.165), Augustine Vieau placed 10th equal (44.298) on the strength of 11.966 bars, Lexi Bates was 16th (43.465), and Emily Shepherdson 18th equal (43.099).

Geelong YMCA Level 7 squad at CYC Gymsports
Geelong YMCA's Level 7 squad at CYC Gymsports. Photo: Geelong YMCA Gymnastics

Level 8 Division 1

Jets' Sophie Strano took Level 8 Division 1 with 47.332. Her 13.0 on vault was the highest vault score in the division and set the tone from the opening rotation. Strano also placed second on floor (12.133) to add to a complete performance across all four events.

Waverley's Celine Wawolangi finished second overall (47.032) with her best work on beam - a 12.366 that was the third-highest on that apparatus in the division. Tiffany Clarke from MYC was third with 46.465, anchored by the division's highest bars score of 12.533.

Elisha Spiteri of Niddrie posted the highest vault score in the entire competition - 13.166 - but a 9.933 on beam left her fourth with 46.199, a reminder of how much a single apparatus can shift the final standings at this level. Morgan Ferguson (MLC, 7th, 45.599) and Ruby Nguyen (Cheltenham Youth Club, 9th, 44.998) were the other standouts in the top ten, each posting bars scores above 12.6.

Waverley's coaching staff noted that their athletes had shown "resilience and determination, with new ungraded skills competed well under pressure" - a nod to the risk some gymnasts took in putting new difficulty out at a trial.

Waverley athletes at CYC Gymsports
Waverley athletes at the CYC Gymsports venue. Photo: Waverley Gymnastics Centre

Level 8 Unders - Border Challenge

Emma Hale from MLC produced the standout individual performance of the entire competition on the uneven bars - a 13.033 that would have topped the bars standings in any division on the day. Her all-around of 47.265 was a comfortable win in the Level 8 Unders field, with vault (12.233) providing her second-best apparatus score.

Geelong YMCA's Ivy Alford was second with 46.832 - her own bars score of 12.733 making this the highest-quality bars event of the competition. MAG Academy's Isla Bellamy rounded out the Border Challenge Unders podium in third with 45.231.

Geelong YMCA described their squad's performances as showing "fantastic resilience, determination and composure" across the weekend, with team selections still to be announced.

Geelong YMCA athlete on the second-place podium
A Geelong YMCA athlete on the podium at CYC Gymsports. Photo: Geelong YMCA Gymnastics

Level 8 Division 2

Division 2 ran across two sessions. In Session 3, Niddrie's Piper Cheswick won with 44.265, her 11.7 on floor and 11.233 on beam the standout scores. Kalani Coates of Geelong YMCA placed second (42.799), and Lexi Williams (MLC) third (42.199).

Session 4 saw Audrey Young of BUGS take the honours with 44.232, led by an 11.933 on beam - the strongest beam score across the two Division 2 sessions. Mia Anderson from Cheltenham Youth Club was second (43.765), followed by Chloe Drakopoulos of Pulse (43.032).

Teams

The Level 8 Division 1 team competition went to MLC with a dominant 139.33, ahead of BTYC (135.73) and MYC (135.53). Geelong YMCA placed sixth (124.43) - their team beam aggregate of 34.099 was second only to MLC - but gaps on bars and vault left them off the podium.

Waverley squad at CYC Gymsports
Waverley's squad at CYC Gymsports ahead of competition. Photo: Waverley Gymnastics Centre

Full All-Around Results

Level 7 Division 1 - Top 10

#AthleteClubVTUBBBFXTotal
1Arianna NadiuMAG Academy11.70012.10011.83311.56647.199
2Edwina CrossGeelong YMCA11.56611.53312.40011.66647.165
3Kristen CanoyMLC11.63311.70010.83312.20046.366
4Indigo GrationMAG Academy11.36611.66611.43311.76646.231
5Layla FairweatherChamford11.83311.06610.83311.43345.165
6Mia BellChamford11.0009.70012.56611.86645.132
7Cora TurskiChamford10.96611.16611.36611.46644.964
8Ruby De SensiWaverley11.76610.80010.83311.50044.899
9Rosie VarneyMLC10.80011.70010.90011.40044.800
10=Augustine VieauGeelong YMCA10.56611.96611.00010.76644.298
10=Lottie StuderMAG Academy11.03310.76611.26611.23344.298

Level 8 Division 1 - Top 10

#AthleteClubVTUBBBFXTotal
1Sophie StranoJets13.00011.46610.73312.13347.332
2Celine WawolangiWaverley12.40010.36612.36611.90047.032
3Tiffany ClarkeMYC11.56612.53310.73311.63346.465
4Elisha SpiteriNiddrie13.16611.8009.93311.30046.199
5Chloe HumeWyndham12.80011.33310.76611.00045.899
6Lexi WiseMLC11.36611.80011.46611.16645.798
7Morgan FergusonMLC11.46612.6009.93311.60045.599
8Karina HanievaMYC12.50011.30010.46611.23345.499
9Ruby NguyenCYC11.46612.63311.3669.53344.998
10Skylar PoliquitMAG Academy11.90010.53311.20011.26644.899

Level 8 Unders - Full Results

#AthleteClubVTUBBBFXTotal
1Emma HaleMLC12.23313.03310.93311.06647.265
2Ivy AlfordGeelong YMCA11.20012.73311.43311.46646.832
3Isla BellamyMAG Academy12.23310.76610.86611.36645.231
4Lexi O'BrienMYC10.93311.43310.2339.96642.565
5Ailani SongsaengGeelong YMCA11.1007.50011.36611.13341.099

Level 8 Division 1 Teams

#ClubVTUBBBFXTotal
1MLC35.33237.43332.69933.866139.330
2BTYC36.56634.46630.69933.999135.730
3MYC35.59935.29931.43233.199135.529
4Niddrie36.86631.39931.06632.333131.664
5Melbourne Gymnastics Centre36.23231.86628.56632.432129.096
6Geelong YMCA33.46626.13334.09930.732124.430

See the full season leaderboards

Track every Victorian club and athlete across WAG and MAG - updated throughout the season.

Go to Stick The Landing →