Geneva earns at-large spot at state

Kim Hostman was making a lot of happy calls late Thursday night.

Forced to sit and wait after scoring a 142.85 in Tuesday’s Glenbard West sectional, the Vikings got some great news once the results of Thursday’s fourth and final sectional at Stevenson were posted.

Runner-up Lake Forest (142.450) was close enough to grab the fourth at-large bid while three-time defending state champion Carmel (142.425) fell short. So, Geneva is going to state for the first time in the program’s 13-year history.

Hostman was thrilled with the news.

“Oh my God,” she said. “All season long we’ve been working to get to state. I’m very excited.”

Hostman said the team spent part of Thursday’s practice reviewing video of its stellar regional performance as well as its up-and-down effort in the sectional all with the hope of getting a chance to compete again.

Now they will.

“I’ve got a bunch of calls to make and the girls will be so excited,” she said. “It’s such a great accomplishment.”

The Tri-Cities will have quite a presence as St. Charles co-op will join the Vikings as two of the state final’s eight teams.