Plichta, Scala lead way for MSL
There were many near misses in the IHSA gymnastics state meet preliminaries Friday night in Palatine.
But Fremd freshman Sydney Plichta and Prospect sophomore Gianna Scala were right on target.
Plichta took sixth place on the beam (9.35) and tied for 10th place on the bars (9.325) to advance to tonight’s finals in both events.
“It’s kind of a nice surprise,” said Fremd coach Tim Hamman of Plichta’s performance. “We knew we had something with her coming in, but we didn’t know exactly what. She’s been cool under pressure.”
Scala also hit it big by tying for seventh on the floor (9.525) to lead the Knights.
“She always goes all out on floor,” said Prospect coach Randy Smith of his sophomore ace. “There is really no other gear for Gianna, but to go hard.”
Senior Kristin Mirski (38.40) and junior Lauren Feely (37.925) went 2-5 in the all-around, helping power two-time defending state champion Carmel to a commanding early lead with 150.925 points.
Senior Ali Castriano took fourth in the all-around (38.05), pacing Stevenson (148.925) to second place, a full 2 points behind Carmel.
Freshman Racheal Underwood took third in the all-around (38.10), aiding the Prairie Ridge Co-op’s drive to third place with 148.05 points.
All three top teams seem to have a solid grip of their position heading into today’s finals for team and individual events. The finals begin at 5:30 p.m at Palatine High School.
Fremd (146.475 points), Lake Forest (144.50), Lyons (144.475), Glenbard Norht (143.45), and New Trier (141.725) rounded out the eight-team field.
Fremd got off to a rocky start on beam, but Plichta was a stabilizing force. Plichta responded with a solid routine after the Vikings recorded three falls on beam.
She capped her night by nailing her bar routine with a blind straddle back and tying for the final advancing spot.
“I always have some nerves, but I try to keep them under control,” said Plichta of her steady performance. “I just try to keep my confidence up, and my team has definitely helped me.”
Fremd has a solid lock on fourth place heading into the team finals, but Prairie Ridge, currently holding third place, seems out of reach with a 1.576 points advantage.
The Vikings made a valiant comeback after its beam (35.55), with junior Shannon Lemajuer hitting on the floor (9.225) and vault (9.5750), and senior Stepahnie Uhrich (9.225) and junior Stephanie Gallo (9.2) taking 13th and 14th place on the bars to help lead the charge.
“After beam we needed to get our energy back,” said Uhrich of the Vikngs drive. “We definitely came back with a little bit of fire.”
Scala also had to make a bit of a comeback for Prospect. The sophomore had a fall on her opening beam routine, but came back to hit her floor routine, advancing to the finals for the first time.
“Having a fall on beam was definitely a bummer, but I couldn’t let if affect me,” said Scala who also had an impressive vault (9.5). “After I hit my first pass on the floor I could feel the momentum building and I just took it from there. I’m so happy to make it to finals — this is what I’ve been working for.”
Prairie Ridge Co-op made quite an impression in the preliminaries, especially Cary-Grove’s freshman duo of Underwood and Riley Mahoney.
Underwood advanced in all four events, taking third on the beam (9.45), adding a pair of seventh-place finishes on the bars (9.425) and floor (9.525), and taking sixth on the vault (9.7).
“It feels great, I’ve worked really hard to get up there,” said Underwood of her impressive performance. “I just try to focus on my routines and look to hit. It went by so fast I just tried to stay focused.”
Mahoney advanced for the Wolves by taking a solid third place on the vault (9.75), using a Yurchenko layout.
“This was the year to make something happen, and I think we all did a really good job,” said Mahoney of the Wolves attack. “Our vault is our strongest event and we all hit.”
The highest finish Prairie Ridge Co-op had before was a fourth place finish in the 2010, the Wolves are in solid position heading into Saturday to earn their first state trophy.
Senior Jordyn Madden hit a 9.325 on vault and junior sister Abby Madden missed qualifying for Saturday’s finals for St. Edward, but neither had regrets.
Abby hit a 9.5 on her vault, and also added a 9.225 on bars and a 9.1.
“It was fun, but there was so much competition,” said Abby of state test. “I’m going to miss competing with my sister next year, so this was a special night.”
Jacobs freshman Allison Riedel definitely has reason to be optimistic as she just missed qualifying on floor (9.475) in 11th place. She also hit a 9.475 on the vault.
“It is definitely something to build on,” said Riedel of her first state appearance. “Just being able to make it as a freshman is special. Not everyone can say that.”