Bre Vacca has been coaching gymnastics for 12 seasons, but this year presented a new challenge as she took over the new Hopkinton High School co-op team that included Medway, Holliston and Millis.

“It was a new group this year, and it was a little bit different,” Vacca said. “I think it went way better than expected, especially only having three athletes returning from last season [on a different team].”

Those three athletes were the only three who had competed in high school gymnastics before this season, but that doesn’t mean she had a team of inexperienced athletes.

“Most of the team had done gymnastics before or had experience from doing club gymnastics, which was helpful because the season is so short,” Vacca said. “It’s only three months, so you kind of just have to get the ball rolling as fast as you can and try to put the pieces together and get them going.”

A trio of Hopkinton athletes qualified for the all-around individual state meet. Maggie Steen and Antara Machiraju were two of the top athletes competing in the vault, the uneven bars, the balance beam and the floor exercise.

Steen, only a freshman, is a regular club gymnast, which allowed her to easily transition into the high school campaign. Machiraju, a sophomore, had not competed in gymnastics in over a year, Vacca said, but her athleticism allowed her to compete at a high level.

“Only 40 athletes from Massachusetts qualify for that state meet,” Vacca noted. “To make it at such a young age is incredible.”

Joining the pair was junior Mia Tinnirello, who also was competing in high school gymnastics for the first time.

In addition to the individual success, Hopkinton also qualified for the sectional meet as a team as one of the top 12 squads in the area. Vacca said that developing culture and teamwork was a huge goal this winter.

“They are from four different towns, so it’s harder because they don’t go to school together,” Vacca said. “Trying to get them closer as a team is super helpful throughout the season. They become like a family, and not just friends from different towns.”

Vacca said she is hoping Hopkinton, which brings back most of its roster next year, can get to the sectionals again and finish even higher next year. She also is hoping to see the same level of improvement over the course of the season that she experienced this winter.

“Their scores at the start of the season were very different from their scores at the end of the season,” Vacca said. “We had a slow start, but the way these athletes ended the season was amazing to see.”