Fremd perseveres at Palatine

Fremd was bit off on Wednesday, but the Vikings, behind seniors Christine Radochonski and Sydney Plichta, were able to shake it off.

Sure, the Vikings have earned 21 state trophies, including back-to-back third-place finishes the last two seasons. But on Wednesday they were missing two key members, including senior Emily Neal, and were not firing on all cylinders.

Enter Radochonski and Plichta, who took control in leading the visiting Vikings to 142.95-135.60 Mid-Suburban West victory over rival Palatine.

Radochonski recovered from an opening-series fall on the bars to take first in the all-around (36.25), floor (9.15), and vault (9.4), adding a third-place finish on beam (9.15) to help steady the Vikings' attack.

Plichta also did her part in calming the waters by taking first on the bars (9.05) and beam (9.4).

"Definitely shaky today," said Plichta of the Vikings' performance. "We still have a lot more to work on each event, there is no doubt about that. But I think we finished well."

After a slow start on the bars, the Vikings picked it up on the vault, sweeping the top three spots. Junior Gab Lytle showed off a Yurchenko Tsuk and sophomore Kailyn Bryk also had clean series, with the two Vikings tying for second (9.1)

Junior Mariah Gura (9.05) and junior Carly DeFillipo (9.0) went 2-3 on the floor, with DeFillipo adding a second-place finish in the all-around (35.05) in helping the Viking erase some of their falls, including four on beam.

Fremd seems to be a constant each year in the state trophy conversation, and this year is no different for a Vikings team that will be in the hunt for not only a state trophy but possible state championship.

Now the Vikings need to start polishing off the rough edges.

"Especially after a shaky meet, the best you can do is shake it off and keep going," said Radochonski. "Our main goal is to place at state and do better and we're working hard to get there."

Palatine also has reason to be optimistic after notching a second consecutive score above 135.

Senior Claudia Przystal powered the Pirates' attack on senior night, taking second on the beam (9.35), third on the bars (8.6), and third in the all-around (34.6)

"I"m feeling more confident, especially with the team behind me," said Przystal, a state qualifier on beam as a sophomore. "I feel we have more potential this year and it seems to be a good vibe."

Sophomore Kara Ure added to that vibe by securing a second-place finish on the bars (8.8) and a fourth-place finish on the floor (8.9). Ure performed double duty on Wednesday, participating in the Holiday band concert between her bar and floor routines.

Senior Andrea Ori and up-and-coming freshman Christina DiGioia also contributed to the Pirates' improved squad.

"The potential is definitely there," said Palatine coach Terry Theobald "It's a new team and we're just getting going."