Scouting DuPage County girls gymnastics
By Chris Walker
Daily Herald Correspondent
Top teams: Glenbard North, Glenbard West, Naperville Central, Neuqua Valley, Waubonsie Valley/Metea Valley co-op, Wheaton Warrenville South co-op.
Top returning individuals: Sarah Bradley (Wheaton Warrenville South co-op, Sr., all-around), Nina Brandenburg (Waubonsie Valley/Metea Valley co-op, Jr., all-around), Melissa Colao (Glenbard North, Sr., all-around), Sara Cushing (Neuqua Valley, Jr., all-around), Emily Cook (Wheaton Warrenville South co-op, Sr., all-around), Sarah Deicke (Wheaton Warrenville South co-op, Sr., all-around), Karli Gaines (Glenbard North, Sr., all-around), Shauna Gialluisi (Glenbard West, Sr., all-around), Jessica Griffin (Glenbard East, Sr., all-around), Missy Guzman (Glenbard West, Sr., all-around), Jessica Hawken (Hinsdale South, So., all-around), Vanessa Henry (Naperville Central, So., bars, beam, floor, vault), Jessica Lewis (Lake Park, Jr., all-around), Jessica Malon (Waubonsie/Metea Valley co-op, Jr., all-around), Erin Morgan (Hinsdale Central, Jr., all-around), Nicole Pagor (Glenbard West, Sr., all-around), Amanda Quinn (Glenbard North, Sr., all-around), Taylor Patton (Fenton, So., all-around), Erin Pope (Naperville North, Sr., beam, floor, vault), Mary Kate Sippel (Glenbard South, all-around), Maddie Strick (Waubonsie/Metea Valley co-op, Sr., all-around), Riley Wypiszenski (Neuqua Valley, Sr., all-around).
Top meets: Big Purple Invite at Downers Grove North, Dec. 3, Al Galatte Invite at Rolling Meadows, Dec. 3; The Michael Meyer Candy Cane Invite at Hersey, Dec. 10; Illinois Best Invite at Wheaton Warrenville South co-op, Dec. 17; Panther Invite at Oswego, Dec. 27; Naperville North Invite, Jan. 7; Fremd Invite, Jan. 14; Neuqua Valley Invite, Jan 14; York Invite, Jan. 21; DVC championship, Jan. 27; UEC championship, Jan. 28; WSC Silver championship, Jan. 28.
Outlook: There’s no denying that Glenbard West took a substantial blow when Megan Brennan, Shannon Dietz and Becky Mladucky graduated last spring. But the Hilltoppers have plenty of experienced talent returning, along with rising contributions from junior Abbie Garchitorena and sophomore Maggie Phillips, as up-and-coming freshman Mackenzie O’Keefe, an all-arounder whose biggest score should come on bars. The Hilltoppers are projected to once again be one of the top teams in the area.
“Obviously, we lost some great athletes, but we always have great athletes coming up the pipeline and some of these new kids are stepping up,” Glenbard West coach Carlos Fuentes said. The senior trio of all-arounders Missy Guzman, Nicole Pagor and Shauna Gialluisi should provide great leadership and scoring for a program that has advanced to the state finals in consecutive seasons.
Glenbard North should be strong once again with seniors Amanda Quinn, Karli Gaines and Melissa Colao returning to lead the Panthers. The team lost standout Christina Rini to graduation but will welcome the return of junior Mariah Matesi, who didn’t compete last year but made an impact as a freshman and has now added difficulty. “We have talent but definitely lack in depth,” Glenbard North coach Lindsay Schultz said. “Bars will continue to be a weak event for us due to our lack of depth.”
Waubonsie Valley/Metea Valley co-op will see if it can duplicate last year’s success, which saw the team win the first regional title in program history. The team lost senior captain Laura Burns to graduation, and one of the top newcomers in the state last year, Jordyn Penny, has opted to return to club competition. The best news for Waubonsie Valley/Metea Valley is that senior all-arounder Maddie Strick and juniors Nina Brandenburg and Jess Malon return. Strick and Brandenburg were state qualifiers on bars and floor respectively last February.
Wheaton Warrenville South co-op is another team coming off a historic season as it won its first regional title in program history last winter. The team lost a couple of gymnasts to graduation, but with Sarah Deicke, Emily Cook and Sarah Bradley returning, things are looking good once again. “It’s been a good atmosphere so far,” Wheaton Warrenville South co-op coach Maureen Latimer said. “We’re very, very hopeful.” The team also returns Danielle Johnson, although she will open the season injured, as well as newcomer Audrey Channon, a sophomore club gymnast who is expected to compete as an all-arounder.
Naperville Central is still a very young team, but the Redhawks have a great group of sophomores who saw a lot of action last year and continue to develop. Grace Ellis, Logan Ellis, Vanessa Henry, Brittany Mitchell and Claire Savard make up that sophomore class that returns, along with junior Jamie Kay. “We are a young and eager squad willing to do what it takes to get to state,” Naperville Central coach Glen Reimers said. All the gymnasts could see action as multiple-event specialists, since the team also welcomes junior Jessica Cruse along with talented freshmen Danielle Breeden and Lea Savard. Altogether, the Redhawks only lost two gymnasts from a team which hit a 136.4 last winter.
Naperville North will look for senior leadership from Erin Pope and big scores from freshman Michaela Robert. “(Michaela) will definitely enter the field and make an impact on the team and the area,” Naperville North coach Chris Stanicek said. “We will be better than last year, but it will take a great deal of effort and work on part of the gymnasts.” Senior Kara Kolany, junior Carleigh Turner, sophomore Allie Pecorin and freshman Tegan Schafer are expected to figure prominently this winter for a close-knit group that’s hoping for an exciting season.
Jo Ann Pschigoda takes over the coaching duties at Neuqua Valley. Pschigoda will have a young but talented group to work with as Riley Wypiszenski and Paige Martin are the lone seniors. Wypiszenski has been a fixture with the program for three years. “As we go into the season it’s going to be interesting to see what they are able to do,” Pschigoda said. Sophomores Shaniah Lim and Allie Winek saw plenty of action a year ago, while freshmen Emily Jacobs and Isis Ruff could both ultimately be all-arounders for the Wildcats. The Wildcats welcomed as many as eight freshmen into the program this winter.
Glenbard East continues its development as a program and returns several gymnasts who made solid contributions last winter. “Our goals for this year are to score in the 130s and learn new skills as the season progresses so that they can improve their individual scores,” Glenbard East coach Jessica Bugajsky said. Senior Jessica Griffin is the top returnee for the Rams, but Jamie Gradishar, Karen Sebby and Elizabeth Flint all return while a trio of freshman, led by Emma Slinkman, could be counted on to make contributions immediately.
Seniors Mary Kate Sippel — who established a school-record on floor last winter — and Lacey Van Denend give Glenbard South two strong all-arounders, but how they find consistent scorers around them will be crucial to the Raiders’ success. Look for freshman Kate Rumel to step in right away as a key newcomer. “We’re looking forward to see what they can do,” Glenbard South coach Lee Wood said. “We have a smaller team again, but we hope to get the best out of a smaller number. They’re learning new tricks quickly.” Sippel established a school record on floor last winter for the Raiders.
Graduation and an injury have changed the look of Hinsdale Central this winter. At least three key gymnasts graduated, including Erin Usher, while Kristen Grilli, one of the top gymnasts in the state, will miss her senior season due to an injury. The Red Devils will need some of their younger talent to step up into more prominent roles this year.
Sophomore Taylor Patton, a state qualifier on floor last winter, returns for a Fenton squad that hopes to score in the high 120s. “As of now we have five competitors for the varsity team, with six competitors for the junior varsity team,” Fenton coach Paula Parat said. Senior Sarah Polvi, juniors Jessica Felco and Haley Sabala and sophomore Nikki Kopp round out the squad. Sabala is still slowly working her way back from an injury last season.
Lake Park will compete for the second straight year without any seniors. Juniors Jessica Lewis and Kayla Goodwin return to lead the Lancers. Lake Park’s roster features 10 gymnasts, and all but one of them competed at Bloomingdale Park District or Itasca Park District prior to high school.
Hinsdale South will look to take another step forward. Last season the Hornets learned on the spot with three freshmen all-arounders. Sophomore Jessica Hawken is back to lead the team, which will welcome the addition of freshman Lauren Haney. “The Hornets are looking to keep moving upward,” Hinsdale South coach Jennifer Fichter said. “At the present they are battling a few injuries. By the time the holiday break is over, we should have a stronger varsity lineup.”
Downers Grove North is another very young team so coach Linda Reynolds will focus on a building year. On the other side of town, Downers Grove South will look to fill the void left by graduates Sam Shimkus, Brittany Rohl and Elise Wendt. Alexxa Rassano and Lauren Wendt will now look to lead the Mustangs.
Lastly, in addition to Pschigoda taking over at Neuqua Valley, Willowbrook has a new coach in Annette Nocek while Steve Geuss takes over at York.