Girls gymnastics: Another regional crown for Carmel

This year's edition of the Carmel Catholic's girls gymnastic team is reminiscent of the highly successful groups the program has produced with regularity.

With perhaps once exception: this is a very young team.

Any lack of experience is being more than offset by the Corsairs' energy and sheer talent, as was evident in Monday's regional meet at Wheeling.

Carmel landed yet another regional title, scoring 144.75 to make it a staggering 16 straight regional crowns for the program.

Next were Glenbrook North (141.55), Niles West (130.75) and Wheeling (128.3).

The victory mean the Corsairs are an automatic qualifier to next Tuesday's Niles North sectional.

"There's a lot of good stuff to come out of this meet," Carmel coach Sarah Mikrut Doyle said. "There are things that we've improved on with each of them, with a new skill or a new addition to their routine. They've worked super hard on them. We should rock it out next Tuesday. We're excited about what we're doing and we need to build our confidence over the week - and then let's have fun for next week."

One thing the Corsairs have on their side is how united they've been all season.

"This team is so team-oriented.," Mikrut Doyle said. "The first and foremost goal is to be there, as a team. They can have those individual goals that they set for themselves, too. I would rather build each meet."

Carmel's Izzy Kropiwiec was the top all-arounder with a 36.425. Teammates Kyla Rapplean placed second (35.925), and Lyndsey Basara fourth (35.575).

Kropiwiec was first on the floor expercise with an impressive 9.55 routine. She also tied for first on the vault with Kelly Gustafson (9.3) and took second place on the uneven bars (9.4).

"I've been really focusing on the adrenaline at times," Kropiwiec said. "When I go for my passes, I make sure I focus on everything I do like in practice, and translate it to my routines.

" This was probably one of my best routines I've done all year. It showed all the hard work in practice, as a team, that we do."

Gustafson earned top honors on balance beam with an 8.95 and finished second on the floor (9.325). Rapplean delivered the top bars routine (9.525) and placed fifth on the floor (9.05).

"I just think I had to come in with confidence," Rapplean said. "Having my teammates cheer for me motivated me to do well. I have been struggling on the bars in practice. It really got me going."

Basara landed third on vault (9.25) and fourth on the bars (8.9), while Audrey Legarreta placed fourth on beam (8.65).

Wheeling's Jessica Stavros qualified for the sectional on beam with a runner-up spot (8.85). She has earned sectional spots the last couple of seasons and is looking for a first state appearance.

The junior missed the state meet last year by .05 on the floor exercise. As a freshman, she had the misfortune of getting the flu on the day of the sectional meet.

"For the last two years, I've qualified for everything except for beam," Stavros said. "So that's insanely shocking, but I've never placed in it at regionals. It's all I've been training for over the last week. It's good to know that it finally paid off.

"I was just focusing. I normally have it dead silent when I'm on beam because it gets in my head quickly. But I fought it all the way through."

Three more regionals feeding into the Niles North sectional have yet to take place. They are at New Trier on Tuesday, at Deerfield on Wednesday and at Glenbrook South on Thursday.