Girls gymnastics: State meet scouting, Northwest
Girls gymnastics / State meet scouting
When: Session I at 2 p.m. Friday (all-around final, individual event preliminaries, team competition). Session II at 2 p.m. Saturday (championship finals in individual events, team trophy presentation).
Where: Palatine High School
Automatic team qualifiers: DeKalb co-op (148.575), Prairie Ridge co-op (147.85), Glenbrook South (145.45), Lincoln-Way East (144.075).
At-large team qualifiers: Glenbard West (145.725), New Trier (145.275), Carmel (144.80), Conant (144.10), Lake Park (144.10).
Team talk: Prairie Ridge co-op and DeKalb co-op finished 1-2 in state last year and the Wolves and Barbs are looking to renew their battle at this year's state meet. Prairie Ridge has earned five consecutive state trophies, including back-to-back state titles. Senior Nikki Baars anchors the attack for Prairie Ridge. The Cary-Grove senior is the defending state bars champion and enters the state meet with the third-best mark in the all-around. DeKalb earned its first state trophy last season with its second-place finish. This year the Barbs have their sights set on a state title. Senior Aleah Leman tied Glenbard West sophomore Maddie Diab, the defending state all-around champion, for the top all-around mark (38.675) at sectionals. Leman is the defending floor champion and will lead the Barbs. Glenbrook South, Glenbard West, New Trier, and Carmel also have trophy aspirations. Conant is making its first state appearance since 2007 and the Cougars have offered a consistent attack all season. One notable team absence at this year state meet will be Fremd; the Vikings had qualified to the state meet 24 consecutive years, earning 18 team trophies and 9 state titles in an incredible run.
Individually Baars, Leman, and Diab will be fun to watch. Diab had an incredible state series last season, winning state titles in the all-around, vault, and beam. Carmel senior Samantha Lococo and Glenbrook South senior Hannah Hartley are also peaking at the right time. Glenbard North senior Erin Bregman has had a solid year and will be looking to make her mark.
Local focusMel Meyrick (sr.), Bailey Bloom (jr.), Conant: Both Meyrick and Bloom return to the state meet after qualifying individually last season. Meyrick earned her first state medal last season, tying for fifth place on the beam. This year Meyrick advances on the vault, floor, and all-around. Meyrick won the vault and floor title at the Mid-Suburban League meet, helping power the Cougars to the MSL title. Bloom just missed qualifying for Saturday finals last year, finishing 11th on the beam in preliminaries. The Cougars junior has been consistent on the beam all season and will get another shot at finals this weekend.
Abby Moran (jr.), Melanie Ng (jr.) Fremd: Moran and Ng have anchored the Vikings' attack as Fremd was second in the MSL and earned a regional title. Moran advanced to the state meet on beam and floor. She had a solid floor performance in taking third place at sectionals and is looking to keep the momentum going this weekend. Melanie Ng connected on her bar routine at sectionals to earn her spot at the state meet.
Maggie Barton (sr.), Alli Heidrich (sr.), Mackenzie Kamysz (jr.), Hersey: The Huskies had a nice run this season, including a second consecutive MSL East Division title, with Barton, Heidrich, and Kamysz leading the way. Barton emerged in a big way this season and it showed at sectionals, where the senior advanced in the all-around and vault. Heidrich has been an important part of a veteran attack, and the senior earned her first state trip on beam. Kamysz didn't have her best overall performance at sectionals, but the junior made up for it with an exceptionally strong second-place beam performance. Kamysz enters the state meet with fourth-best mark on beam from the sectional meets and will be in contention for a state medal.
Abby Amato (jr.), Kara Ure (sr.), Palatine: All the pieces came together for Amato at the Fremd sectional, and she advances to her first state meet on bars, beam, floor, and all-around. Amato started on beam at sectionals and it definitely set the tone for a big all-around performance (36.525). Ure has been one of the better floor performers for the Pirates all season, and she didn't disappoint at sectional by earning a berth to her first state meet.
Victoria Zervos (sr.), Nicole Kane (fr.), Rolling Meadows: Zervos had injuries end her two previous seasons. But there was no denying the Mustangs senior this year. After winning the MSL all-around title in January, she continued her momentum by advancing to the state meet on vault and floor. Kane has been a revelation for the Mustangs this season. The freshman won the MSL bar title and then came back to hit an impressive score in taking second at bars (9.45) at sectionals. She tied for the seventh-best sectional mark and will be in contention for a state medal this weekend.
Ashley Diaz (fr.), Lauren Tenbrunsel (fr.) Barrington: After qualifying for three consecutive state meets as a team, Barrington was a team in transition. But Diaz and Tenbrunsel look to be a big part of the next wave that could lift the Fillies back to state prominence. Diaz has opened some eyes this season with her bar performance. It was no different at sectionals where she took fourth place. Tenbrunsel finished 8th on the floor, securing an at-large bid to the state meet.
- Michael Eaken