Prospect edges out BG

For the last four years, the Mid-Suburban East gymnastics championship has belonged to one team and one team only: Prospect.

On Tuesday, the Knights had to defend their title against their top two contenders, Buffalo Grove and Hersey, at Prospect.

Behind another stellar performance by junior Emily Rossdeutcher, Prospect won the meet with 137.3 points. Buffalo Grove scored 136.15, just shy of its season-high of 137.05 which it scored Saturday while winning the Addison Trail invitational.

Hersey, a team that was mired in the high teens or low 20s last year, finished with 130.4 points. The Huskie season-high is 134.95.

Rossdeutcher won floor (9.0) with the only 9 in that event.

"I have a new floor routine as of this year. I just got a whole new choreography and the music is different," said Rossdeutcher.

Rossdeutcher realized the importance of this meet and how much both Buffalo Grove and Hersey have improved.

"This meet was huge -- the top three contenders for conference," she said. "The first thing is winning the conference title and that was on the line. At the same time we knew we had to be ready to perform our routines and we'd be all right."

Buffalo Grove's Linda Dunne had a spectacular meet winning vault (9.3), bars (9.5) a new personal record, beam (9.5) and the all-around (36.8).

"I have a pirouette on high bar now. I just added that an I'm working routines," said Dunne, whose previous high on bar was 9.45 on bar set last year.

Not winning the East did not sit well with Dunne. "We wanted it bad and we've been working hard. It's a little disappointing. I'd like to make it down state again."

"We had a lot of misses tonight and Prospect had a good meet so you have to give them credit," said Stephanie Schrader. "We had 2 falls on bars, 6 falls on beam and 2 on floor."

Hersey had its share of problems.

"We bombed beam," said Hersey coach Mason Vernon. "Beam we just fell off one two many times. Overall, I was pleased with the girls. We have to be more consistent. Doing routines will help us be more consistent."