Injuries don't deter Glenbard North
Apparently, 'tis the season to be injured.
Glenbard North's holiday wish list didn't ask for lower body injuries, but the Panthers have plenty of them.
Still, despite being sore and shorthanded, the Panthers defeated St. Charles co-op 136.2-133.55 in a girls gymnastics meet on Wednesday night in Carol Stream.
"This entire first month has been kind of a disaster, injury-wise," Panthers coach Kristin Nordquist said. "It's difficult for me to decide who competes and who rests and we're in the middle of five meets in a matter of 10 days. I just want do what I can to make sure the girls are safe and stay healthy."
Sophomore Erin Bregman has a broken ankle, and senior Anna Slater is sidelined with a sprained knee. Neither competed on Wednesday. Junior Allison Wahrman has shin splints and senior Katie Murphy has minor ankle and elbow injuries, but both managed their pains and helped the Panthers.
Heck, even alumna Christina Rini (2012), who stopped by to see Nordquist and the Panthers, was lumbering around with a single crutch after foot surgery.
"Injuries are a part of the sport and you just have to do what you can to get through them," Wahrman said. "I wish everybody was healthy right now, but we just aren't so we'll just have to fight through them."
St. Charles co-op is accustomed to slow starts to its seasons. The team was competing for just the third time this year and is still without junior Jillian Horlbeck. They counted numerous falls and mistakes.
"We've never been the type of team that comes out with the guns blazing," St. Charles coach Amy Lill said. "So I'm not concerned, and now we have two weeks to go back to the drawing board and fix the things we need to focus on."
Freshman Emma Grace Redmond-Mattucci's performance was one of St. Charles co-op's few positives. Her scores in all four events were in the top three, and she was second in the all-around with a 35.3.
"I just wanted to make sure I was confident in everything I did," she said. "I just want to keep my confidence up and help the team."
Senior Raquel Favia won vault with a 9.3 while junior Dani Buoy tied for first with Murphy on the floor with a 9.35. Freshman Grace Levita was third on floor with an 8.95.
Murphy earned the all-around title by posting a 35.95. In addition to her strong effort on floor, she took first on beam with a 9.35.
"She came in a bit rusty after some injuries from the summer," Nordquist said. "She's really starting to put it together, and all her events look significantly better now."
Leah Roman, arguably the healthiest Glenbard North gymnast right now, took third on beam with an 8.65, while JV call-up Alyssa Laherty made the most of her opportunity and tied for third on floor with an 8.8. Roman finished with a 33.7 in the all-around.