'A magical performance' by Glenbard West's Diab
Maddie Diab turns 18 years old Sunday, but she's already been celebrating.
The Glenbard West senior started enjoying her special day a little bit earlier this year, winning her third all-around state title Friday and leading the Hilltoppers to a second straight IHSA girls gymnastics title while winning three individual events Saturday.
"It's an amazing way to finish my high school career," she said. "It was exciting and definitely emotional because it's been such a big part of my life the past few years. I just wanted to end it with a bang."
Did she ever.
She won vault with a 9.8, beam with a 9.65, bars with a 9.55 and took second on floor with a 9.65.
"What a magical performance for Maddie in her last meet as a Hilltopper," Glenbard West coach Carlos Fuentes said. "For her to come out and perform so well this whole meet was really the icing on the cake."
So how will she celebrate her birthday?
"I'm probably just going to go home and rest," she said. "It's been a long weekend already."
DeKalb/Sycamore co-op's Madison Hickey edged her on floor with a 9.7, which kept Diab from sweeping all four events as well as the all-around, which is probably the rarest of accomplishments in state girls gymnastics.
So Diab did fall short of joining the most elusive company - Lyons' Janne Klepek (1984), Naperville North's Michelle Huston (1994), Conant's Allison Buckley (2006) and Fremd's Mary Burke (2008) - of winning the all-around and all four events in the same year. But, like Buckley and Burke, she also helped her team win a state title.
Diab, who will compete at Iowa State next year, will finish high school as one of the most prolific high school gymnasts ever. No one has more all-around titles than she has, winning 10 state titles overall, including two on beam, bars and vault and one on floor.
She also leaves Glenbard West with four second-place finishes in individual events and was third in the all-around during the one year she didn't win it in 2017.
Diab actually improved on her winning all-around total from Friday, which boosted her team score to 149.025 in the process. Her all-around total on Saturday was a 38.65.
"She's definitely on that Mount Rushmore of top girls gymnasts in the state of Illinois, and this is a really great state for gymnastics," Fuentes said. "And she's been team-first from Day 1, and I think that is what has helped her to be so successful. She's such a team player and it's helped catapult her."
Maia Lee also medaled for the Hilltoppers, taking fourth on bars with a 9.4 while fellow senior Taylor Ramirez took sixth on beam with a 9.175.
The Hilltoppers set the tone at the very start Friday afternoon on beam and never slowed down.
"We wanted to throw down a number on the balance beam so big that everyone would have to chase us for the rest of the day," Fuentes said. "And in true Glenbard West fashion, we hit 5 for 5, scored a 37.2 and never looked back."
Downers Grove South senior Abby Carlson took third on bars with a 9.45.
"It's still surreal," she said. "I'm wearing the medal, but I still can't process what just happened, but I'm super excited. I really worked hard this summer on bars to upgrade that dismount so to kind of nail it was the perfect way to end my IHSA career with a stick."
Glenbard East finished in seventh place with 144 points in its first state appearance. Sophomore Kali Kartheiser tied for fifth on bars with a 9.375 and was ninth on floor with a 9.425.
If the nickname "Popcorn" ever sticks with Kartheiser, the origin will be traced to Palatine. More than halfway into her floor routine, the school had to be vacated when fire alarms went off because of burned popcorn.
Kartheiser finished her routine where she left off, which was anything but routine. She received a huge ovation when she returned, nailing her performance and easily outscoring her 9.225 from prelims.
"All I was thinking is, 'Let me finish this routine,'" she said. "I didn't want to have to start over and I wasn't sure if I was supposed to get off or not. I heard and saw the lights, but the judges kept scoring, so I didn't know what was going on, and then my coach (Jessica Bugajsky) told me to get off, so I did."
The area's final gymnast was Wheaton co-op senior Macy Smykal who raised her score from 9.275 to 9.375 in her final floor routine as a Fliger.