Conant starts fast, earns at-large berth

Conant got off to a fast start at the Niles North regional.

Then the Cougars held on despite a shaky finish to secure second place (130.80) and advance with an at-large sectional berth.

Elk Grove freshman Amelia Rafferty took second in the all-around (35.925).

But there was no stopping senior Citlali Cuevas and host Niles North, which pulled away in the final two events to win its first regional title with a school-record 137.20 in Skokie on Saturday.

Elk Grove (122.325) took third, followed by Glenbrook North (122.225).

Niles North will host a sectional Thursday at 6:30 p.m. that will include automatic qualifiers Schaumburg, Prospect and New Trier, plus at-large qualifiers Maine South and Conant.

Cuevas helped Niles North to its first outright Central Suburban North title on Jan. 28th, and the senior had no letdown Saturday.

Cuevas took first in the all-around (37.525), used a yurchenko layout to win the vault (9.65), added a pair of firsts on floor (9.5) and beam (9.5) and was second on bars (8.875).

“I feel like my head is in it to win it this year,” said Cuevas, a two-time state qualifier on vault and beam. “I’ve kept fighting and it’s finally paying off.”

Other Niles North automatic qualifiers included senior Deborah Steinberg (all-around, vault, beam), sophomore Jessica Neuhaus (floor) and junior Madeline Neuhaus (floor, beam).

Conant trailed Niles North by .175 entering the final two events, but a spotty performance on floor and beam derailed the Cougars’ title hopes.

Freshman Brie Bibel helped Conant get off to a fast start by taking first on bars (9.125) and used a pike-tsukahara to take second on vault (9.325).

“I came in with a really good attitude and did really well on the vault,” said Bibel, who was third in the all-around (35.375) and tied for fourth on beam (8.6) despite a fall. “We had a few falls, but it is better to get them out of the way now rather than sectionals.”

Conant sophomore Sarah Starzynski took fourth in the all-around (34.0), tied for third on bars (8.575) and was fourth on floor (8.5). Freshman Meicie Bennett tied for fourth on vault (8.95).

“This was a really big step for our team,” said Starzynski, whose team features a lineup of three freshmen and two sophomores. “We’ve been working hard all season and for us to be moving on to the sectionals is a big thing.”

Rafferty took second on floor (9.45) and beam (8.75) and added a pair of third-place finishes on vault (9.15) and bars (8.575).

“I just wanted to stay on in every event,” Rafferty said,

“She’s been consistent all season and she’s just feeling a lot more confident,” said Elk Grove coach Heather DeCook. “She’s a hard worker and that’s what makes the difference.”

Grens senior Emily Hennessy took fifth on bars (8.425).