Scouting DuPage County girls gymnastics
Top teams: Downers Grove South, Glenbard West, Hinsdale Central, Lake Park, Waubonsie Valley/Metea Valley co-op, Wheaton Warrenville co-op.
Top individuals: Erin Bregman (Glenbard North, sr., all-arounder), Abby Carlson (Downers Grove South, so., all-arounder), Kayla Carlson (Downers Grove South, sr., all-arounder), Nicolet Christensen (Downers Grove North, sr., all-arounder), Andrea Davenport (Downers Grove South, so., all-arounder), Maddie Diab (Glenbard West., so., all-arounder), Marissa DiBenedetto (Lake Park sr., vault, beam, floor), Delaney Guy (Glenbard North, jr., all-arounder), Jill Horvatin (Wheaton co-op, so., all-arounder), Laura Hughes (Wheaton co-op, sr., all-arounder), Lily Jones (Hinsdale Central, jr., all-arounder), Amanda Leon (Hinsdale Central, jr., all-arounder), Colleen Moauro (Neuqua Valley, sr., all-arounder), Alison Oakes (Glenbard West, sr., vault, beam, floor), Kennedy O'Neill (Addison Trail, sr., all-arounder), Daniella Pellegrino (Lake Park, sr., beam, floor), Claire Samojedny (Waubonsie Valley/Metea Valley co-op, sr., all-arounder), Veronica Srey (Glenbard East, sr., all-around), , Kelly Zehnder (Lake Park, jr., all-arounder).
Top meets: Big Purple Invite at Downers Grove North, Dec. 3; Al Galatte Invite at Rolling Meadows, Dec. 3; Candy Cane Invite at Hersey, Dec. 10; Illinois Best Invite at Wheaton Warrenville co-op, Dec. 17; Panther Invite at Oswego, Dec. 20; Naperville North Invite, Jan. 7; Neuqua Valley Invite, Jan. 14, York Invite, Jan. 21; DuPage Valley Conference championship at Wheaton Warrenville South, Jan. 27; West Suburban Silver championship at Glenbard West, Jan. 28.
Outlook: Addison Trail fell just short of hitting a 130 last year, but the Blazers should be able to reach that number because most of its gymnasts return this winter. Leading the way is senior Kennedy O'Neill, a three-time state qualifier whose best event is beam. “We have five returning gymnasts that have worked hard in the off-season and are ready to work,” assistant coach Eric Norberg said. “The addition of (freshman) Mikayla O'Donnell will make our already strong team even stronger. The team has a lot of potential and will be stronger at the end of the season.” Seniors Terra Garcia, Jessica Rosal, junior Laura Stamatopoulos and sophomore Madalyn Rumps all return.
Downers Grove North coach Linda Reynolds is a perennial optimist who has reason to be excited. The Trojans welcome back senior all-arounders Nicolet Christensen and Becky Donnelly, sophomore all-arounder Madi Johnson and senior beam specialist Tasha Jung. Sophomore Brooke Stocki and freshmen Clare Webster and Lauren Lucina are all-arounders as well, giving Reynolds plenty of depth. “We have a strong team this year, barring injuries of course,” she said. “Hard to say how we will do in conference until we see how the others teams are scoring.”
Downers Grove South is coming off its first state appearance since 1993. The Mustangs could get there again, but they'll have to do it without Emily Tom, who graduated, and Kayla Carlson, who is injured. Sophomore all-arounders Abby Carlson and Andrea Davenport will likely provide the team with half of its scoring on a nightly basis. With Kayla Carlson sidelined, they'll need to piece things together. Junior specialist Lindsay Tom, senior Ewa Wisnewski, a floor, beam, vault specialist, and senior all-arounder Paige Vondrasek should provide enough depth to overcome the adversity they face.
Fenton hopes to set a school record for scoring. Coach Paula Parat is optimistic that such could happen because Cassidy Feddersen has recovered from a broken foot, Charity Bullis, Kat Krebasch and Nicole Maciulewicz are all returning and she's got some talented newcomers in freshmen Julianna Rose Krebasch, Kat's younger sister, and Emily Trzmielewski. All six gymnasts are capable of competing in all four events, so Parat will have to figure out what to do for the top team score. “We'll see where we go once we have some meets,” Parat said. “I'm hoping to score in the 130s, which would be a personal best at Fenton.”
Glenbard East didn't have any seniors last year, and its entire roster returned from a team that reached a 133.55. “I would like to consistently score in the 130s,” Rams coach Jessica Bugajsky said. “The goal is always to make it as far as possible with as many gymnasts as possible.” Senior Veronica Srey is back to lead the Rams along with juniors Krasimira Ganeva and Breanna Page and sophomores Sierra Olson and Sydney Nasternak. Freshman Kelsey Donovan and Grace Tu will provide some depth and look to battle their way into the lineup.
Glenbard North coach Kristin Nordquist said the Panthers will be rebuilding this year but at the same time could have some individual success from senior Erin Bregman and junior Delaney Guy. Bregman made a splash as a sophomore, opted to not return last year and competed in club but is back this winter. “She is looking better than she did two years ago,” Nordquist said.
Glenbard South has to do quite a bit of rebuilding. The Raiders will do it around sophomore Katie Kibbey and junior Sarah Nardella while they'll look for sophomore Mackenzie Goetz and freshman Katie Weiss, who are both new to the team, to help the team's scoring right away. “We have a young team and are in a rebuilding year,” Raiders coach Lee Wood said. “But, with that being said, I am very optimistic about Glenbard South's future.”
Glenbard West is deep and loaded with talent. Some key contributors from last year's team that took fourth in the state are back, including senior Alison Oakes and sophomore Maddie Diab, who won the all-around championship last year. “This team looks to uphold the high standards set by previous Hilltopper teams,” Glenbard West coach Carlos Fuentes said. “This year's team will feature a lineup where as many as eight or nine gymnastics make the lineup on any given day. This team has depth, talent and experience – all the necessary tools to be competitive among the top teams in the area.” Upperclassmen Cailey Cranny, Kylie Lach, Eileen Billings, Kendall Rewerts and Oakes will contribute as specialists, while Katherine Hoban, Claire McGurk, Nina Samuta and freshman Mikayla Benjamin all can work as all-arounders along with Diab.
Hinsdale Central topped off at 137.225 and didn't lose anyone to graduation. “Having everyone back from last year plus the addition of three more girls, we will be stronger on all four events,” Red Devils coach Kim Estoque said. Those returnees include sophomore Kylie Torsberg and juniors Amanda Leon, Lily Jones and Jessica Sprong. Freshman specialist Jacquelyn Davis will provide score on bars and beam while juniors Sophia Gerard and Dalia Hayes are new to the squad. The Red Devils haven't advanced to state since 2011 but could be in the running this winter.
Hinsdale South has already been bitten by the injury bug with juniors Erin Haney and Kaitlyn Hall sidelined. The Hornets will be young and will look to overcome the injuries with a youthful squad. Sophomore Sam Smith, juniors Kayla O'Donnell and Elizabeth Lowery and senior Kendal Kosiek return under the tutelage of interim coach Jarrod Amolsch.
Lake Park is coming off its first state appearance since 2003. The Lancers left Palatine last February as the fifth-best team. The team will need to fill the void left by Izzy Shaw graduating and Nina Gallichio opting not to return, but senior multi-event specialists Daniella Pellegrino and Marissa DiBenedetto and junior all-arounder Kelly Zehnder return to lead the team. Coach Jake Luketin is hopeful that freshmen Julia Kurek and Julie Naronowicz can step in and contribute too. “For now we will be striving towards a 143,” Luketin said. “We will adjust our goals as necessary.”
Naperville Central knew it would have to adapt after the graduation of Jill Schuberth, but the Redhawks didn't expect to get the season started plagued with injuries. Maddie Surin is still nursing an ankle injury from last year and has developed a shoulder strain. Rose Fritz had a tendon issue in her wrist and hasn't been able to tumble or vault yet. With those two gymnasts sidelined for a bit, the Redhawks will likely struggle out of the gate. “Slow at the start,” Redhawks coach Glen Reimers said. “And hopefully a strong finish.” Haley Haumann and Natalie Stephens return, while the team welcomes Katie Petro.
Naperville North should have an eclectic team of gymnasts with freshmen Becky Jennings, Chloe Tsao and Emma Ryan joining sophomore Leah Malloy, junior Grace Ryan and senior Bella Mandarino. The freshmen will look to step in and contribute while the returnees will see what they can do to improve the team score from a season ago. “The outlook for the season is to build a team of competitive gymnasts who want to succeed,” Huskies coach Chris Stanicek said. “We are working hard to improve and create a solid team for the next couple years. We are young but we have some hardworking and dedicated gymnasts.”
Neuqua Valley coach Darragh McDermott noted how a Wildcat hasn't qualified for state awhile now, but she thinks that'll change this year. “That is our hope,” she said. “We are really excited for this season. The girls are more motivated than ever. They have their sights high for new skills and qualifying for state. I expect to have a few individuals qualify this year.” Seniors Colleen Moauro and Shalinee Abraham and junior Shea O'Leary all return and are expected to provide a lot of the team scoring. Senior all-arounder Mandy Ringlein is new to the squad.
The majority of Waubonsie Valley/Metea Valley co-op's roster returns, including senior Claire Samojedny and juniors Melissa Martin and Jessica Houghton, who are all-arounders. Junior two-event specialist, Emma Holtan is also back, while freshmen Thera and Thalia Bowen are two of 10 new gymnasts that have joined the team. “We are hoping to have depth in our team by having a very strong varsity and JV teams,” coach Phil Gilmer said. “The girls are working really hard so far this season and hopefully we can end the season above 140.”
Wheaton Warrenville co-op has gotten extremely close of qualifying for state in recent years. Perhaps this year is its year? Coach Maureen Kermend knows it's certainly possible. “We have a strong group of returning sophomores that worked together in the off-season along with senior captain Laura Hughes,” Kermend said. “And (freshman) Bridget Kennedy will be a top starter and also add to the lineup in the three other events.” Those sophomores were welcome additions as freshmen so they got a taste of the competition and now will look to be even better. That group includes all-arounders Jill Horvatin and Macy Smykal and specialists, Jackie Kerth and Maggie O'Hara.
Willowbrook welcomes new coach Deanna Zuchowski along with freshmen all-arounders Grace Placek, Karolina Terlikowski and Karli Wilson. The combination of the new talent, guidance from a new coach and the return of 10 gymnasts has the Warriors poised to perhaps be the most improved and surprising team of the winter. Willowbrook had the lowest high score among the 65 teams in the state last year. “I am excited for the possibilities this team has to offer,” Zuchowski said. “With the leadership of the seniors on our team, I believe team camaraderie and drive will push these girls to new levels. We are very excited for the season. From the top down the girls have a lot of determination and perseverance to excel this year, outreaching last year's numbers.”
York remains a young team and one that returns its significant scorers. The team almost hit a 130 last year and should be able to do it this year under first-year coach Anthony Colanta. Gillian Berg is the team's lone senior, while junior Maya Moran was the team's highest scorer in the all-around last year in regionals. Adelaide Hindsley is also back along with fellow juniors Jessica Dryden, Sydney Hill and Olivia Romano. The team welcomes four freshmen all-arounders. “We have a young team this year, and a brand new coaching staff so there will be some kinks to work out early on,” Colanta said. “But I am projecting the team to finish in a comfortable position this season which will springboard us into next year with the team only losing one senior this season.”
— Chris Walker