Carmel’s Feely’s looking forward
Carmel Catholic’s Lauren Feely is looking forward to next week’s state gymnastics meet at Palatine, but it won’t be the same this year.
Feely chalked up the all-around championship with a 38.175 Thursday night in the Stevenson sectional.
She also flew to top honors on vault (9.85) and floor exercise (9.65), while placing third on uneven parallel bars (9.5) and fourth on beam (9.175).
“I had some good events, but I need to be working on the small things,” Feely said. “I want to go back in the gym and work hard for state.
“I’m OK winning the sectional all-around, but the team comes first. I just have to bounce back strong.”
Carmel’s Sarah Cohen-Smith was second on vault (9.75), but the three-time defending state champion Corsairs will miss competing at state after a nine-year run. The Corsairs finished third in the sectional with 142.425, missing an at-large spot.
New Trier won the sectional with 144.4, and runner-up Lake Forest earned a state berth with 142.45.
“I’m disappointed. There were things that we could have improved on,” Carmel Catholic coach Nicole Gluzinski said. “The girls didn’t go out and have their best meet. We still have girls that can do something at state. Unfortunately, it comes down to one meet. It will be different going to state.”
Stevenson’s Alyssa Weisberg won beam with a 9.5, and the Patriots took fourth with a 141.25.
“I just had a different feeling on the beam,” Weisberg said. “I took the negative energy and made it positive.”
Alli Tran of Vernon Hills settled for fourth in the all-around with a 37.25. She ended up in the second spot on bars (9.525) behind New Trier’s Kerry Scafidi (9.625). Tran also tied for third on vault with Glenbrook North’s Carli Betman and Lake Forest’s Kylie Carlson (9.55) and picked up fifth on floor (9.325).
“I love the energy in sectionals,” Tran said. “It was a fun meet and I hit most of my events. I thought I had my best score on my vault (Yurchenko pike).”
Tran’s teammate Hannah McGreevy picked up the fifth spot in the all-around (37.2) to automatically qualify for state. She placed second on floor (9.525) and tied for fourth on bars with Carlson (9.425).
“I landed my double back a little short and it was my last pass,” McGreevy said. “I thought the routine was pretty good. I was trying to be super energetic because it’s always my best event.”
Warren’s Becky Stochl chalked up third on beam with a 9.2 and will be making a trip back to state again. She competed vault at state last year.
“I wasn’t expecting to place third (on beam), at all,” Stochl said. “Beam is my favorite event to do. That’s the best thing that I would’ve wished for making it to state.”