Geneva edges Wheaton co-op at Illinois Best
It's taken longer than expected, but the defending state all-around champion finally competed again as an all-arounder.
Geneva sophomore Claire Ginsberg won the IHSA title in February earlier this year, but a knee injury and illness limited her to a two-event specialist in the team's five previous meets.
Ginsberg certainly didn't look like someone who has been out of commission for very long as she was the best during Saturday's Illinois Best Invitational at Wheaton Warrenville South, winning the all-around title with a 37.225 and helping Geneva edge Wheaton co-op, 72.25-71.725 for the team championship.
It was Geneva's third consecutive Illinois Best title.
"It was fun to be back out there and to be part of a three-peat," Ginsberg said. "For my first time doing it for the season, I was able to pretty much go out there and hit. My knee is a bit sore still, but it's feeling better, and I was really happy with my floor."
Ginsberg had the meet's top score on beam, bars and floor.
The format for this invite is unusual. Each team designates one all-arounder to compete and a single additional gymnast in each event. All eight scores are tabulated for the team's score, meaning everything counts.
"We came in wanting to win it for the third time in a row and they did everything we expected," Geneva coach Kim Hostman said. "We had some mistakes on beam, but they rocked the other three events, and we watered down Claire's events since it was her first time back and she was still in the 37s."
In addition to Ginsberg's performance, the Vikings were blessed by three fantastic single-event efforts. Megan Beitzel had a 9.3 on vault and Holly Friedel added an 8.575 on bars. Their scorers were the best on each respective event among those who didn't compete in the all-around. Kelly Frank added a 9.15 on floor.
Wheaton co-op showed off its depth too but just fell short of the Vikings.
Julie Galo had a 9.175 on vault, Brianna Mulhearn scored an 8.325 on bars, Julia Locanto added an 8.25 on beam and Katie McDonald's 9.275 on floor was the third-best score on the event. The team's all-arounder, Petrino Chino, placed second with a 36.7 and won vault, earning a 9.45 via her Yurchenko pike.
"I've been doing that vault for three years so I'm very confident with it," Chino said. "It's one of my stronger events so I just try to do what I do in practice and I stuck it like usual."
Megan McDonald helped Batavia take home a third-place plaque. The Bulldogs finished with a 67.225, and McGee was fourth in the all-around with a 34.1.
She fell during her floor routine, but it was also highlighted by her round off flip floor double back.
"I've been working on it for a couple years, but that was the first time I did it in a routine," she said. "I had so many nerves going into it, because it's a huge skill for me. I'll just go back into the gym and work harder trying to perfect it."
Courtney Glassman added a 9.175 on vault and Lauren Stangl had an 8.175 on bars for the Bulldogs.
Waubonsie Valley/Metea Valley co-op was fourth with a 66.825. Newcomer Claire Samojedny took third in the all-around with a 34.125.
"I was very proud of my team and of myself," she said. "We tried to stay confident and stick our routines, and I feel we did that for most of the meet."
Samojedny's teammate, Jessica Houghton, scored an 8.275 on beam, the fourth-highest total of the afternoon.
Glenbard East's Veronika Stey took fifth in the all-around with a 34.025. The Rams placed seventh with s 63.575.