Knowing they were the only two comprising the Barnegat High School gymnastics team this fall, it could have been very easy for seniors Christina Golaszewski and Gabrielle DeLillo to bail out and not even bother competing.

“Not these two,” said Jennifer DeLeeuw, the first-year coach who inherited a depleted program following several losing seasons. “They’re great. They have a great work ethic, lots of leadership skills, and they really motivate each other.