For a fifth-year program, the Auburn Mountainview gymnastics squad has experienced a lot of success.

With a third-place trophy from last year’s state 3A meet and second-place hardware from the 4A meet two years ago sitting comfortably in the school’s display case, there is only one direction for the Lions to grow.

“Wouldn’t a trend be nice?” coach Jayme Hostetter said.

“We want to finally get the championship,” said team co-captain Natalie Hostetter, the coach’s daughter. “We’ve got third. We’ve got second. We want first.”

According to the Hostetters and senior Alexi Morton, this year’s squad definitely has the potential to grab first at this year’s tourney.

“We look pretty good, we’re a little injured at this point,” Jayme Hostetter said. “‘Lexi is working her way back in after a year off, but she’s a phenomenal athlete, so she’s picking it up pretty quick.”

As a sophomore, Morton finished second in the all-around category with a 36.675 score.

As a junior, however, Morton tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on the volleyball court, forcing her to miss the entire gymnastics season.

“I hurt myself not being disciplined on a move, so we did a lot of training on how to do that right this year,” Morton said. “And I did a lot of training in the offseason to get back. It feels good to be back. It’s not so fun sitting and watching meets. I like to be able to contribute to the team.”

Although Morton might be back to speed, the injury bug has bitten again this season, with Natalie Hostetter out until early January with a leg injury.

Coupled with the loss of Ashley Perkovich and Kendra Alexson, this year’s squad will have a couple of big holes to fill.

“Ashley is a huge hit,” Jayme Hostetter said. “But Kendra was our depth. She was in there at that 3, 4 and 5 spot. And that was huge. There are a lot of teams that have one club gymnast, but what do they have after that?”

“We lost Ashley Perkovich, but ‘Lexi replaces her,” Natalie Hostetter said.

“We have more potential this year,” Morton said.

“I think we have more depth,” Natalie Hostetter added. “We don’t just have four gymnasts, we have so many who will help us out. But we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Jayme Hostetter agreed.

“Our strength is depth,” she said. “Bars are obviously the hardest event. You either have a club gymnast who can do an optional routine, or you don’t. It’s kind of a big gap between skills there. But we’re really solid on beam and floor. So I look forward to our depth carrying us through when it comes time for district and state.”

“This group is a little younger than previous years,” Jayme Hostetter added. “Some of the girls, like Sarah (Fiskdahl), are just sophomores. And then I’ve got a couple of freshmen. It’s spread out, but I think they’re young and inexperienced at competition.”

On past teams, Jayme Hostetter said, the Lions had the luxury of having kids with club competition experience.

“This year I think we’re a little more green,” she said. “But that’s great, that’s coachable. And I have some kids with great potential. It’s going to be hard to choose which six I put up at the SPSL tournament. We’re going to have to have some competition to pick those spots.”

Last season, at the state meet, it was the beam that did the team in, with several of the team’s members taking a spill during competition.

This season, it looks to be a strength for the team.

“We’ve just got to be consistent,” Jayme Hostetter said. “We’ve got to get up there and do no- fall beam routines and do what we can do and do it right.”

“We’re better on beam this year,” Natalie Hostetter said. “Every person that we put up has a 10.0 start value.”

With the postseason still more than a month away – beginning Feb. 6 with the sub-district meet – the Lions will have several combination 3A/4A meets to hone their skills for the playoffs.

“Our biggest competition is at districts or the state meet,” Natalie Hostetter said. “Most of our meets are non-league, with 4A teams, so it’s kind of practice for us. It’s a real meet for them, but it’s practice for us. It helps us because there are a lot of strong 4A teams.”

And although the team may have lofty goals, such as a 3A state title, it continues to remain grounded and focused on the present, according to Morton.

“We’re just taking it one thing at a time to get there.”