Fremd maintains momentum, clinches West

Fremd girl's gymnastic teams continues to move forward. After securing a eye-popping 150.10 on Saturday the Viking came back to secure the Mid-Suburban West title on Tuesday.

Senior Tori Sarantakis won three events which included a 9.8 on the vault to lead Fremd to MSL triangular victory with 145.5 points at Conant.

Schaumburg took second with 137.1 points, followed by host Conant ( 133.7 points).

Fremd concluded its regular season with a flourish and now has it eyes set on the post season.

"We were still a bit emotionally drained from Saturday," said Fremd coach Jim Guest of the Viking mark. "But all in all, mission accomplished. We had a lot of people involved it was a team effort."

Sarantakis nailed a yurchenko layout on her first attempt in securing a career best on the vault.

The senior also took first with a 9.7 on the beam and tied Schaumburg sophomore Brooke Shimon for first with a 9.4 on the floor.

"It was weird - I actually tripped running into it. I wasn't sure what was going to happen," said Sarantakis of her vault. "We're definitely getting there as a team. I think we're ready. We're showing our depth."

The Vikings showed that depth as Alyssia VanDuch (9.25) and Nicole Theil (9.0) went 2-3 on the vault.

Caitlin Golota (9.45) and Meagan Wochinski (9.4) went 1-2 on the bars and senior Sarah Torp (9.45) took second on the beam.

Now the two-time defending state champion is eyeing a deep run in the state tournament.

"It will be exciting," said Torp, "but there is a lot of tough competition."

Schaumburg looked pretty tough on the floor on Tuesday with Shimon (9.5) tying for first and freshman Ashley Miller (9.3) adding a solid performance.

Shimon and Miller also tied Conant's Kelly Hendricks for the all-around title with all three scoring 35.55.

"I feel like we're coming together as a team," said Miller who also tied for third on the vault (9.0). "We're working hard in practice and we're being more consistent on our routines."

Sophomore Caitlin Barrett (9.3) added a third place for the Saxons on the beam.

Senior Kelly Hendricks took third on the floor (9.4) to lead Conant.

Battle for the East: Last week's battle for the East Division title was postponed due to weather. Prospect and Rolling Meadows will instead hook up at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Rolling Meadows. Barrington will also be at the triangular.

Senior Jen Anderson is coming in with a full head of steam for the Mustangs after winning the all-around at the Prospect Invite on Saturday with a 37.10.

"She's pouring it on," said Rolling Meadows coach Mike Costa of his senior star. "There are a lot of good things on the horizon for her, and we're still adding things."

Anderson was a state qualifier on bars as a junior and qualified on the beam as a sophomore. She missed qualifying for the all around last season by .025, so the senior has a bit of unfinished business this year.

"It's my senior year and I'm going to do good," added Anderson. "We've been focusing on consistency, because you have to hit when it matters."

Saxons growing up quickly: Schaumburg features three sophomores and one freshman on its varsity lineup, and the young Saxons are proving to be quick learners.

Sophomore's Brooke Shimon and Caitlin Barrett have combined with freshman Ashley Miller leading the Saxons.

Schaumburg has already hit a 141.25 earlier this season and the Saxons' confidence continues to grow.

"We have really good team chemistry this year," said Shimon. "We're a strong team and we're starting to click."

"I think we learned a lot from our mistakes last year," added Barrett. "After hitting the 141.25 it boosted our confidence a lot. We know we can do it."

Coach Jami Stilling also has seen the team grow in confidence and believes the Saxons are ready to take the next step.

"Even when they do miss something or are not at 100 percent, they still are scoring," added Stilling. "They are starting to build confidence and realize they can compete with other teams."