Cosentino, Conant off to a good start

From the first time she put on a Conant leotard, Cara Cosentino knew Wednesday's meet would come one day.

When Cosentino joined the Cougars as a freshman, she was the youngest gymnast on a state contending team that included Jamie and Allison Buckley and Stephanie and Brittany Lindemann, who would go on to lead their team to the state meet and a state title in 2006.

Now, with all of their top gymnasts having graduated after last season, Cosentino has the leadership role on her team.

"Since my freshman year I knew it was coming. The whole team is different," said Cosentino after her team defeated host Prospect 133.90-131.75 in a Mid-Suburban League crossover.

Cosentino won vault (9.2), bars (9.6), beam (8.85), floor (9.45) and the all-around (37.1), bringing up memories of past glories for Conant. But the rest of her team is young and inexperienced on the varsity level.

"I really wanted to come in and do clean routines," said first-year Conant coach Laurel Rohrback. "We have a lot to work on. We made some mistakes. Some things we did well, other things need work."

Can Cosentino lead her team back to state, or is it individual glory that she's after in her final year of gymnastics?

"This is my last year and I want to finish strong," said Cosentino, who will attend either DePaul or Loyola but will not compete in college. "I want to build something with this team."

Prospect is in the same situation as most of the teams in the MSL. The Knights lost three varsity gymnasts and have a mix of experience they hope is enough for a successful defense of their East division title.

"This was a good first meet," said Prospect coach Kim Harrier. "We did really good. Last year we were up in the 135s, 140s. We hope to be up there again this year."

Leading the Knights was Katie Colmone on vault (9.1) and bars (9.1). Emily Rossdeutcher, one of the returnees from last season, scored a team-high on beam (8.65) and on floor (9.2). She also led her team in the all-around (34.6).

Warren d. Libertyville:ŒMany gymnasts often have butterflies on Opening Night.

Kim Gotlund included.

While the Warren sophomore is a varsity veteran, she battled nerves Wednesday night. Suffice to say, she won the battle.

Gotlund posted top honors on three events and the all-around, as Warren won its season opener over host Libertyville 142.5-130.75.

"I think all of us were a little bit nervous and shaky," Gotlund said. "We just need to get our confidence back for the rest of the year."

The meet marked the debut of Carrie Parker as Blue Devils coach. She took over for J.R. Halek, who coached Warren to a fifth-place finish at state last year.

"I thought we were pretty good even though we had a lot of mistakes," Parker said. "We have tons of things to add and improve on. I still think we're off to a good start. We were looking to break 140."

Gotlund landed a layout Yurchenko on vault, earning a winning score of 9.7. She also placed first on beam (9.4) and bars (9.1), and was second on floor (9.0) behind teammate Kacie Holop (9.05). Gotlund won the all-around (37.2), with Holop finishing second (35.05).

The Blue Devils' Katie Vovolka placed second on beam (9.0), while Chelsea Youngberg tied Holop for third.

Libertyville appears to be a much stronger compared to the last few years.

"I thought we had an outstanding opening meet," Libertyville coach Curt Austin said. "I believe we've got a pretty deep team. There's always some nerves but there was some excitement. It really shows what kind of team we have this year."

Wildcats freshman Leah Herchenbach picked up third in the all-around (35.05), placed second on bars (9.0) and was third on floor (8.65). Libertyville's Megan Stubbs took third on vault (9.15).

"I believe it helps to be nervous," Herchenbach said. "I just kept the thought in my mind that I can do this."

-- Rusty Silber