Scouting Cook County boys gymnastics
Top gymnasts: Barrington: Kellen O'Connor (Sr.), Tom Olandese (Sr.); Buffalo Grove: Brian Colton (Sr.), Mark O'Leary (Sr.), Eugene Blackmon (Jr.), Erik Balko (Jr.), Kyle Siebert (Jr.); Conant: Anthony Crivolio (Sr.), Steven Rink (Jr.), Joey Mauk (Fr.); Elk Grove: Nick Alcazar (Jr.), Damion Zukowski (Jr.); Hersey: Drew Schulz (Sr.); Fremd: Brandon Trostud (Sr.), Dave Allison (Sr.), Dave Bruns (Sr.); Hoffman Estates: Gabriel Bricero (Sr.), Brian Kemph (Sr.); Palatine: Mike Abram (Sr.), Damien Przystal (Jr.), Dhruv Patel (Sr.), A, J. Garcia (Sr.); Prospect: Jim Brault Sr.), Pete Monteagudo (Sr.), Adam Pascolini (Sr.), Mike Blanch (Jr.), Mike Senft (Jr.); Rolling Meadows: Marc Herff (Jr.), John Scallon (Sr.); Schaumburg: Jake Mager (Sr.), Alex Lin (Jr.)
A new 2010 MSL champion? Palatine has won the last three Mid-Suburban League crowns under coach Scott Hagel and seven straight MSL West Division titles. Will those streaks continue? "As much as we'd like to make it eight straight, it will be tough," Hagel said. "Hopefully, we'll be competitive but I think the battle upfront will be between Conant and Fremd. Conant is a lot stronger than their first meet of the season showed. They have a lot of strong kids back and by the end of the season they should be a top five team. Fremd is tough, too. I think Fremd and Conant will battle for the top two spots in our conference." Prospect will make its run at an eighth straight East title. The Knights were second to Palatine in the MSL meet last year.
Best of the pack? Conant and Fremd have received some statewide preseason recognition as the top two teams in the area. The Cougars are expected to be led by senior Anthony Crivolio, junior Steve Rink and freshman Joey Mauk. "Our kids have high expectations," said Cougars coach Paul Kim. "They are looking forward to a good season and would like to go back to state as a team (eighth place last year). Our hopes are to finish higher than last year. With our top three guys, we should be very respectful in the state of Illinois." Four seniors are expected to pace the Vikings bid for an MSL crown - Brandon Trostud, Dave Allison, Mike Kowalenko and Dave Bruns. "I think the boys are really geared up," said Vikings coach Tim Hamman, a former Hinsdale Central gymnast who is in his third season at Fremd. "We have a good group of seniors but a nice group of underclassmen, too, who can really make this a true team. It should be an interesting season for the conference race and for Fremd boys gymnastics."
Returning MSL champs: Two gymnasts who won MSL individual championships a year ago return. Fremd senior Brandon Trostud was the parallel bars champ (9.1) while senior John Scallon of Rolling Meadows took top honors on the pommel horse (9.4).
All-around best: The top returning MSL all-around performers from last year's conference meet are Conant's Steve Rink (49.74) and Anthony Crivolio (48.90); Rolling Meadows' Marc Herff (46.90); Fremd's Brandon Trostud (46.70) and Dave Allison (43.75); Schaumburg's Jake Mager (41.00); Buffalo Grove's Eugene Blackmon; and Hoffman Estates' Gabriel Bricero (34.40).
Pommel prince: Meadows' John Scallon will be trying to earn top honors on the pommel horse for the second straight year. He started the event just two years ago and already has some of the best scores in the league. He went from 3s, 4s and 5s as a sophomore to 9s as a junior. He capped off his junior season by tying with Neuqua Valley freshman Jack Boyle for fourth place at the state meet with a 9.1.
The state's returning best: The top returning MSL all-around performers from last year's state meet are Conant senior Anthony Crivolio (50.80) and junior Steve Rink (49.30). The best returning gymnasts the individuals events are Barrington's Kellen O'Connor (9.30) on the floor, Rolling Meadows John Scallon (9.10) on the pommel horse, Hersey's Drew Schulz (9.15) on vault, Fremd's Brandon Trostud (9.00) on the parallel bars and Conant's Anthony Crivolio (8.60) on the high bar.
Rookie endeavors: Rolling Meadows' Mike Costa and Elk Grove's Keith Mukai are new coaches this season. Costa is a former Schaumburg gymnast who went on to become the first University of Illinois-Chicago gymnast to qualify for the nationals four straight times. Costa, who works in the Rolling Meadows physical education department, was a four-time All-American on the pommel horse and is a former coach for the Aerial Gymnastics Club. Mukai is a former two-time state qualifying gymnast at Niles West (Class of 1995) who went on to graduate from Princeton University. He studied English at UCLA and got his master's degree in education from UIC. Mukai was an assistant boys and girls gymnastics coach at Niles West and is in the English department at Elk Grove.
Back on the beat: Paul Kim, who was the Conant coach from 2004-08, returns as the head coach this spring. He now has one of the top teams in the state. A technology coordinator at Conant, Kim was a gymnast for a conference champion Schaumburg gymnastics team. He graduated in 1989 and attended Northern Illinois University.
Proud coach: Schaumburg veteran coach Howard Rubin is quite familiar with two coaches in the MSL. Rolling Meadows' Mike Costa and Conant's Paul Kim were gymnasts for Rubin at Schaumburg. So was Rubin's own assistant coach Erik Bostrom. "It's always nice to see your former gymnasts coaching now," said Rubin, a former gymnast at Evanston High School (class of 1971) and now a U.S. history teacher at Schaumburg, where he is in his 27th season as the boys gymnastics coach. Rubin also coached the Oak Lawn boys gymnastics team for six years, giving him a total of 33 for his career. He plans to retire from teaching after the 2011 school year but would like to stay on as a coach.
Dean of the West: Scott Phillips, who plans to retire from teaching after the 2011 school year, is beginning his 31st season as the Hoffman Estates coach. Phillips, a science teacher who graduated from Elk Grove High School in 1973, also had a stint as the Hoffman girls varsity coach.
The dean: Now in his 36th season directing the Prospect program, Pat Kivland is the dean of MSL coaches. He has also been a boys and girls diving coach and girls golf coach at Prospect. Kivland began coaching the boys gymnastics team at Prospect in 1971. He retired from the physical education department in 2004. His teams were MSL champs in 2004 and '05. Kivland is a former gymnast at Prospect, where he placed second in the all-around at the 1965 state meet. He also set numerous records when he was a gymnast at Indiana University.