Prospect reverses course, wins own invite
Prospect's girls gymnastic team placed third in a Mid-Suburban League East triangular meet on Thursday night, finishing behind both Rolling Meadows and Buffalo Grove.
The Knights got another shot at both the Mustangs and Bison on Saturday at the Prospect Gymnastic Invite, and they managed to flip the script.
Junior Rosie Barros took first in the all-around (35.22) in powering Prospect to a first-place finish as the Knights hit a season-high score of 135.045 in the five-team field.
Buffalo Grove also hit a season high with 134.05 in taking second. The Bison were followed by Rolling Meadows (133.825), Schaumburg (127.25), and Elk Grove (121.80).
"Today was just our day," said Prospect coach Bridget Erickson, whose team used a solid beam performance (30.05) in its effort. "We were solid on beam - they just stuck."
Schaumburg junior Mikayla Vogt was also sharp. The Saxons junior came back from an early season ankle injury in securing first place on the vault (9.15), beam (9.6), and floor (9.45) as Schaumburg reached a season-high score.
"Whether she is on the floor or not, she is the team leader," said Schaumburg coach Elizabeth Prostka. "It was great having her anchor three events."
Vogt was a state qualifier on beam her freshman year before a wrist injury derailed her state drive last season. But the Saxons junior is back in top form.
"I'm feeling really confident," said Vogt. "We've been working hard in the gym and I think it's showing up."
Barros combined with freshman Jill Schmidt in giving Prospect a nice 1-2 punch, with the beam proving to be the key to the invite. Barros (9.3) and Schmidt (9.25) went 2-3 on beam with junior Abby Gonzalez (9.2) adding a fourth-place finish.
"You just have to get up there and own it, and I think we did that," said Barros who also placed third on bars (8.52) and fifth on floor (8.85). "We have been perfecting and polishing our skills and we entered this meet with a lot of confidence."
"She was looking forward to this meet," said Erickson of Barros' performance. "She hit all her events … it was just her day."
Schmidt also had a pretty special day. The Knights freshman had a third-place finish on floor (8.95) and a fourth-place finish on bars (8.45).
"We are super excited about tonight," said Schmidt, who has anchored the Knights' attack. "We started off kind of shaky on vault, but toward the end we rocked it."
Buffalo Grove seems to be getting healthy at the right time and it showed on Saturday with a season-best performance.
Senior Teresa Riles keyed the Bison by taking third in the all-around (34.75), adding a second-place finish on vault (8.85) and fifth-place finishes on bars (8.2) and beam (9.1).
"This year I'm feeling more confident," said Riles. "Having people healthy has made a big difference and now we just want to keep climbing."
Freshman Dagmara Sobolak took sixth in the all-around (33.775) and added a fourth-place finish on floor (8.9) and a fifth-place finish on vault (8.525), with junior Hannah Lim (8.55) adding a fourth-place finish on vault for the Bison.
Rolling Meadows had gone for a season-best 137.95 on Thursday night, and the Mustangs seemed to be headed for another big night on Saturday. But a beam that included five falls halted the Mustangs' progress.
Rolling Meadows senior Victoria Zervos was coming off a foot injury but had solid night in taking second in the all-around (34.925). She was also second on bars (8.6) and floor (9.0) and placed third on the vault (8.7).
"I'm definitely gaining confidence, and at the end of the day it's the little things," said Zervos, whose team had a big night on the bars. "If we didn't have five falls on beam, it would have been a different story. But we're going in the right direction."
Freshman Nicole Kane took first on the bars (9.35) for Meadows.
"My teammates have been a big help," said Kane of her first-year success, which included a fifth-place finish in the all-around (34.275).
Elk Grove sophomore Anna Sprenger gave the Grenadiers a lift by taking sixth on the bars (8.15).