No letdown for Stevenson
With the Independent Conference boys gymnastics meet just around the corner, visiting Stevenson wanted to have a good tune-up Thursday night at Mundelein.
And the Patriots did just that as they scored their second-highest point total of the season with 152.1 points to topple the short-handed Mustangs with a 111.5 in dual meet action.
Despite senior all-arounder Bryan Pusateri being limited to two events due to an lingering ankle injury, Stevenson (5-0, 2-0) still had a great meet behind junior all-arounder Lukasz Adamczyk's first-place 8.88 average.
Sophomore Mike Wilner continues to impress for the Patriots with a second-place 8.42 average while sophomore Scott Marthinsen once again led Mundelein (1-4) with a 7.75 average.
"They did well, and we're trying to get every tenth out of the routines that we can," said Stevenson coach Mike Farina, whose team hit 27.2 points on floor exercise. "It looks like Bryan (Pusateri) will be limited to two events at least for now, but the team is doing very well."
Adamczyk was the individual champion on pommel horse (9.5), high bar (9.4), and parallel bars (9.1). Wilner took home first place on still rings with a 9.0 while Adamczyk and teammate Bryan Epstein (9.3) tied for first place on floor.
Marthinsen was the vaulting champ with a 9.4 to outdistance Wilner with a 9.3. Mundelein junior Mike Agosto (8.9) and Stevenson's Dakota Heuer tied for third on vault.
Agosto hopes to make a return trip to state on vault this spring, but he is recovering from a back injury he suffered in a trampoline accident earlier this season.
"I'm not 100 percent right now because I damaged a ligament in my lower back, and since my injury I have not been able to compete on floor exercise," Agosto said. "I'm pretty happy with my vault, and I will be back to competing in five events next week."
Stevenson sophomore Scott Siegel gave the Patriots' varsity squad a scoring boost Thursday by tying for second place on parallel bars with Marthinsen (8.3).
Mundelein freshman Tim Beranek was the runner-up on pommel horse with a 7.2 while Pusateri (8.5) placed second on rings without a difficult dismount on his routine due to the injury. Wilner added a second-place 9.0 on high bar while Marthinsen (8.7) placed third on floor.
"We've got a flu bug going around so we have some important guys out of the lineup tonight," said Mundlein coach Jesse Piland, whose team will compete in the conference meet next Wednesday at Lake Park. "All around I think the guys struggled tonight, but they're fighting hard and they did all right."