Kayla DiCello, a 2022 graduate of Northwest High School in Germantown and Boyds resident, took the Winter Cup women’s all-around title on Saturday, posting a 56.850, ahead of Skye Blakely (54.650) and Hezly Rivera (54.000).
Last April, DiCello announced she would be taking a gap year from the University of Florida to return to her club gym, Hill’s Gymnastics in Gaithersburg to pursue her goal of the 2024 Olympics. Many believe the strategy has paid off, as DiCello has since been named to the U.S. national team after an eighth place finish at nationals, served as the alternate for the 2023 world team, and won gold with the team and in the all-around at the Pan American Games.
“I feel a lot better than I did back in 2021,” DiCello said of the last Olympic year. “Just with all the experience, it’s been very helpful and it helps my confidence and really just trusting myself and trusting the skills that I’m showing.”
“I think this meet was really good for me and my confidence,” DiCello said (Olympics.com). “Going into this meet, I was really just focused on hitting my routines, trying out my new skills I’ve been working on, and gaining some confidence with that. I feel like I did a pretty good job with that.”