Baars, Prairie Ridge pull off the 3-peat; Ginsberg finishes strong
Senior Nikki Baars and Prairie Ridge co-op had a pretty special weekend at the state girls gymnastics meet.
Baars helped put a stamp on Prairie Ridge's third consecutive state title by delivering five state medals powering the Wolves to the victory with 148.80 points at Palatine High School.
DeKalb was runner-up for the second consecutive year finishing with 146.95 points, with Glenbrook South (146.675) taking third place.
The Wolves started in a hole with a shaky beam performance on Friday, but came storming back in the final three events to run away with the state title.
"This one I'll remember for a long time," said Prairie Ridge coach Lee Battaglia of his team that has earned six consecutive state trophies. "They face a bit of adversity on beam, but this team was huge in the last three events and that's what makes it special."
Baars was also pretty special. The Cary-Grove senior captured the all-around title on Friday and continued her assault on Saturday by tying for second on floor (9.55), taking third on beam (9.35), tying for third on bars (9.5), and taking fifth on vault (9.65) to cap a big state final performance.
"It really does feel amazing, but it also kind of feels like a dream" said Baars, who ended her career with nine state medals. "Probably won't hit me for awhile. I definitely wanted to leave a footprint and make my coach proud."
Sophomore Maddy Kim and sophomore Kira Karlblom also came up big for the Wolves.
Kim earned her first state medal tying for fifth on the bars and Karlblom notched her first state medal by tying for fourth place on the floor (9.525).
"It's really exciting," said Kim, who was clean on her bar connections. "There was so many great competitors, I'm really happy with how it turned out."
"It's a huge accomplishment," added Karlblom of the Wolves' title. "We were challenged, but we kept our good attitude and hoped for the best."
Baars has been part of each of the state titles and couldn't separate the three.
"Each one is special," added Baars, "but knowing I was a senior and it was my last time, I wanted to go out like I came in."
Geneva senior Claire Ginsberg also went out like she came in.
Ginsberg earned four state medals as a freshman, including a state title in the all-around. She then contributed to the Vikings' second place finish at state her sophomore year by adding two state medals.
After tasting such a high, Ginsberg also felt the sting of the low by missing last year's state meet due to a shoulder injury.
But the Viking senior finished like she started by taking fourth on the vault (9.70) and tying for second on the floor (9.55). She also tied for third in the all-around in capping a remarkable career.
"It's just more icing on the cake," said Ginsberg. "It was an emotional weekend. Gymnastics have been a big part of my life for so long and the last four years have been amazing. I just wanted to finish off my last meet strong."
She did just that and more by ending her career with nine state medals.
"She had an amazing run," said Geneva coach Kim Hostman of her senior who holds the top mark for Geneva in all four events and all-around. "It took a lot to get back here in a short time after her shoulder injury, but she is just a strong competitor and she's the whole package. I couldn't have asked for a better ending."
DeKalb senior Aleah Leman took first on the vault (9.85) and also tied Glenbard West sophomore Maddie Diab for first on the bars (9.525).
Maine South sophomore Caleigh Pistorius and New Trier freshman Maeve Murdock tied for first on the beam (9.425), with Carmel senior Samantha Lococo taking first on the floor (9.60).