Summit High School's gymnastics team scored 98.000 points and finished fourth out of six teams at the Cougar Invitational on Thursday, Oct. 1, at Cranford High School.

The Hilltoppers now turn to a Monday, Oct. 5, dual meet against No. 2-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas in Edison. That matchup is one of the last tests before the Union County Championship.

No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas won its fourth straight Cougar Invitational title with a team score of 109.350, led by Alexa Cerchio's all-around win of 37.825, as first reported by ONNJ. No. 5 Scotch Plains-Fanwood placed second at 106.875, and Westfield was third at 104.950.

Summit's Mili Muro posted one of the Hilltoppers' top individual results, tying for fifth on beam with a 9.25, according to NJ.com.

Union Catholic (94.425) and host Cranford (93.000) rounded out the field.

The invitational served as a preview of the county championship. Five of the six competing teams are Union County programs that will meet again at Scotch Plains-Fanwood.

In the 2024 season, the Hilltoppers finished second at the Union County Tournament, which Summit Athletics called the highest placement in school history. Charlotte Lemkau won the county floor title that year, and Caraline Delikaris became Summit's first county champion on bars. Lemkau went on to win the North I Sectional Championship on floor with a school-record 9.65 and became the first Summit gymnast to compete in the all-around at the State Final, placing seventh on beam with a 9.3.

Earlier this season, Scotch Plains-Fanwood defeated Summit 106.175-101.35 in a dual meet, according to NJ.com's gymnastics rankings. Monday's meet against STA will test the Hilltoppers against the state's second-ranked team ahead of the county championship.

The Union County Championship is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 16, at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School.