Diab, Glenbard West clinch state title
The birthday girl has done it all in high school gymnastics.
Celebrating her 17th birthday, Glenbard West junior Maddie Diab led the Hilltoppers to the first girls gymnastics state team title in school history.
Diab, who won her second all-around title on Friday, also captured the floor exercise with a 9.725 on Saturday. She took second place on vault with a 9.625 and bars with a 9.55.
Her title in floor was particularly notable because she had already won bars, beam and vault in previous years. She's now won all four events, two all-around titles and a team championship. She's accomplished so much that you might have to break out the pommel horse or still rings from the upcoming boys season to give her a bigger challenge.
"It was a really special day for Maddie to win floor and complete her slam of titles," Hilltoppers coach Carlos Fuentes said. "And she got to share the podium with her sister (Anna Diab) and Taylor (Ramirez)."
Leading three-time defending state champion Prairie Ridge co-op by 0.8 after Friday, the Hilltoppers weren't celebrating yet but felt confident that they had done enough.
Prairie Ridge proceeded to boost its final score to 149.1, but that still wouldn't have been enough to catch Glenbard West's 149.55 after Friday. Plus, the Hilltoppers had a fantastic effort on Saturday that helped them reach 150.05 points.
"It's a special number to get at the state meet," Fuentes said. "There are so many significant numbers for us like the three-peat to just get here a third year in a row and then to go out and go 7-for-7 as medalists in the finals."
Anna Diab took home medals on bars and floor, placing fourth in each event with a 9.5 and 9.55, respectively. Ramirez was third on floor with a 9.575 and fifth on beam with a 9.275. Most impressively. the team converted all seven of its chances into medals and on four of them they increased their team score, becoming the 13th team in the past 20 years to surpass 150 to win a title.
"When I took over the program in 2000 we had never won a conference title, regional or sectional and never qualified for the state meet," Fuentes said. "We've achieved a lot over the last 18 years and we really were just inching our way to this moment."
Assistant coach Nicole Pagor (2012) has seen both sides with the Hilltoppers, who made their seventh state appearance since 2005.
"It's absolutely amazing because they put in so much hard work and dedication and have done the numbers," she said. "They just wanted this. They had the want and went out and got it."
The Hilltoppers may have stolen the show, but they weren't the only ones to shine from DuPage County.
Wheaton North freshman Jamie LaBue became the first gymnast in Wheaton co-op history to win an event. She followed Neuqua Valley freshman Jane Riehs on beam. The two, who coincidentally are also good friends, finished 1-2 with a 9.525 and 9.475.
"I could see her calm under the pressure and she looked so confident," LaBue said. "That was really good to see so I stayed calm and I knew if I stuck it solid I would be pretty good, but it would be tough with the competition."
LaBue also medaled on vault, taking fourth place with a 9.575.
Downers Grove South's Abby Carlson was the area's final medalist, placing second on floor.
Glenbard East freshman Kali Kartheiser took eighth on bars and Downers Grove North's Brooke Stocki was sixth on beam and 10th on bars.