Three on St. Charles drill team in top 3
The St. Charles East Varsity Drill Team culminated its competition season with three top-three finishes at the Team Dance Illinois State Tournament earlier this month in Peoria.
It marked the second consecutive season the team came home with three top-three showings and the first time it returned with three state trophies.
Performing at Carver Arena, the Saints saved their best for last, placing second in the eight-team AAA division Lyrical category with their dramatic interpretation of Bette Midler's "The Rose."
Led by senior captains Jill Martens, Kelsey Martin and Andrea Pavela, and senior co-captains Jill Senechalle and Katie Wolf, St. Charles East added third-place finishes in both the Open Dance and Kick categories.
Performing to "Ain't Nothin' Wrong With That" by Robert Randolph and the Family Band, the Saints recorded a third-place finish in the competitive, 14-team Open Dance category.
Midway through the day, the team performed to a new version of "Viva Las Vegas" by Royal Crown Revue, and placed third in the 13-team Kick category.
Other St. Charles East team members included seniors Hanna Byington, Sarah French, Rachel Frohlichstein, Dana Janisch, Bailey Sone; juniors Katrina Badowski, Kristin Heydorn, Heather Jurkovic, Paige Mattson, Daisy Mojica, Kylie Pattyn; sophomores Brittany Brueske, Ellen Byington, Taylor Joyce; and freshmen Alexis Aguilar, Anna Cook and Jaclyn Hickey.
St. Charles East was guided by first-year head coaches Kelly Sharbaugh and Adrienne West, who were teammates on the Saints' varsity drill team six years ago.
More than 1,000 dancers representing 56 teams and 136 routines participated in the second annual Team Dance Illinois State Championships.