Despite off night, Glenbard North wins regional
The last year that Glenbard North didn't host a girls gymnastics regional was 2006.
That was also the last time the Panthers didn't win one.
Glenbard North wasn't at its sharpest but still took care of business on Wednesday evening in Carol Stream, posting a 143.05 and outdistancing runner-up Waubonsie Valley/Metea Valley co-op (137.675), Oswego co-op (136.5) and Fenton (116.35).
"This definitely wasn't what I wanted to see," Glenbard North coach Lindsay Schultz said. "Now we just have to focus on what we need to do differently next Thursday (at the Glenbard West sectional) and throw it all out there and peak at that meet and hopefully walk away making it (to state)."
Competing in her home gym for the last time, senior Amber Fox won the all-around title with a 36.375. A member of four regional championship teams, Fox also won the floor exercise with a 9.5 and the vault with a 9.575.
Junior Christina Rini somehow managed to take second in the all-around with a 35.7 and win the bars with a 9.4 and beam with a 9.05 for the Panthers. She was wrapped in enough ice after the regional to fill a Super Bowl party cooler.
"The (left) calf happened at DVC on Friday and the (right) ankle on Monday at practice," Rini said. "I wasn't sure if I'd be able to compete. My goal is to make it to state in all-around and bars, so I needed to compete in all events today to get to sectional. I had to water down my vault and hopefully will be stronger at sectional."
Other notable individual qualifiers for the Panthers included freshman Mariah Matesi, who took third on vault and fourth in the floor exercise and all-around, and Karli Gaines, who took third in the floor exercise and tied for fourth on beam.
"We didn't qualify as many individuals as we wanted and hopefully some at-large will fall in their favor," Schultz said. "The girls have worked so hard that it would break my heart if they weren't able to show what they can do at the sectional."
Waubonsie Valley/Metea Valley co-op likely saw its team season come to a close. While the team hasn't been officially eliminated, Geneva already scored a 139.125 on Monday, a couple regionals still remain and only a pair of at-large teams will advance.
"We checked online and I don't think our score is going to be good enough," Waubonsie Valley/Metea Valley co-op coach Ashley Abruscato said. "I think we're out as a team, but we have enough girls going in events so that should be good."
The mood was a bit somber because senior Danielle Christy missed a final chance to compete due to an injury she sustained in Friday's Upstate Eight Conference meet. Still, Emily Kelly, Maddie Strick and Jessica Malon had strong performances and all qualified for sectional competition.
Kelly took second on vault, third in the all-around, fourth on bars and fifth on the floor exercise. Strick placed third on bars and fourth on vault. Malon took third on beam and fifth on bars.
Fenton junior Becky Aiechele went to bed Wednesday night knowing that she already had plans in Glen Ellyn on Feb. 11. Last year Aichele had to wait until all the regionals were completed before she learned that she had advanced on vault. This year she tied for fourth in vault with a 9.1 and punched her ticket.
"Coaches were keeping track of results, but I didn't know I'd made it until the end of the meet," Aiechele said. "My nerves weren't as bad as last year. I had a very good meet today. It feels pretty amazing."