Carmel in command at Galatte Invite
Carmel is coming off back-to-back girls gymnastic state titles, and the Corsairs seem to have picked up where they left off.
Carmel looked smooth in cruising to its third consecutive Al Galatte Invite title hosted by Rolling Meadows at Hersey in Arlington Heights with 71.85 points.
Last year's state runner-up Lake Forest took second with 68.325 points, followed by Stevenson (67.975 points), Schaumburg (66.45 points), and Deerfield (65.85 points).
Carmel took first on the beam (19.10 points) and floor (18.70 points), with a second-place finish on bars (17.95 points).
The Corsairs opened the season on Tuesday night with an impressive 148.85 and continued to look strong on Saturday.
“They don't come in with a chip on their shoulders, or pressure, or something to prove,” said Carmel coach Sarah Doyle of the two-time defending state champions. “They just want to get better individually so they can do better for the team. If they do that, good things will happen.”
Each team was limited to two individuals for each event, and each gymnast was limited to one event.
Carmel made the most of its opportunities.
Senior Kristin Mirski (9.45) and senior Anna Brandmeier (9.25) placd 2-3 on floor to get things rolling for the Corsairs.
Mirski won a state title on the floor and finished third in state on the vault last season.
“You never know what to expect and we were hoping nothing would change,” said Mirski of Carmel's strong start to the season. “The main thing is we just have to stay clean and stay focused.”
Carmel continued its assault on the beam with junior Lauren Feely (9.7) and junior Sarah Cohen-Smith (9.4) going 1-3.
Feely won a state title on the beam and finished fourth at state in the all-around last season, and used an impressive flip-flop layout step-out, back full dismount in securing the beam title on Saturday.
Smith, who took fifth in state on the vault last season, also hit big on the beam.
“We're just looking to do our stuff,” said Feely. “We're just trying to get better and do the best we can.”
Senior Jen Zeller (9.05) and junior Kari Osowski (8.9) kept the ball rolling for the Corsairs by going 5-6 on bars.
Stevenson is also looking impressive. The Patriots return an experienced squad with five seniors, and it showed on Saturday.
Junior Becca Feltman-Frank (9.3) took second on the vault, senior Ali Castriano added a fourth-place finish on the bars (9.15), junior Riley Trebilco (9.25) secured fourth on the beam and Elizabeth Shank (8.9) added a sixth-place finish on the floor for the Patriots.
“It's obviously early, but I saw a lot of potential,” said Stevenson coach Judy Harwood of the Patriots' performance. “It was a good start and I was very encouraged by what I saw.”
That includes the performance by Castriano, who ended last season with a partial abdominal tear.
Castriano won the state title on the beam as a sophomore and is looking for a bit of redemption this season.
“I'm healthy and I'm looking forward to getting into the meat of the season,” said Castriano. “I am excited — every meet I just want to see what I can do.”
Schaumburg won its first state trophy with a third-place finish last season. The Saxons lost three of their top gymnasts from last season, but junior Erin Barrett returns and is ready to lead the Saxons attack.
Barrett (8.7), despite a fall on her beam dismount, was able to secure sixth place.
“Our goals this season are definitely a lot different,” said Barrett. “Last year we were pretty set with our skills; now we're figuring new skills and what we will be doing.”
Conant is definitely a team on the rise, and sophomore Brie Bibel and junior Sarah Starzynski led a young Cougars attack to sixth place.
Bibel (9.35) nailed her second attempt on vault to take first, with Starzynski (9.3) adding an impressive third place finish on the bars.
“We have such a young team and we just want to keep improving,” said Bibel, who was a state qualifier last season. “I just wanted to go harder on my second vault.”
“I had a bad warm-up,” said Starzynski of her bar routine, “But I just got up there and did what I did. We have a lot of depth this season and we're all adding news, I just think we can go really far this season.”
Prospect is another team that is looking to go far, and sophomore Gianna Scala and senior Lauren Johnson led the Knights to seventh place on Saturday.
Scala had tweaked her knee in practice, but the sophomore showed no rust in a clean bar routine.
“I wasn't even sure I was going to be competing today,” said Scala who was a state qualifier last season. “I'm just so much more comfortable this season and I'm looking to add new skills to improve my scores. We are all coming together.”
Johnson, also a state qualifier, is becoming a force on the beam.
“I just wanted to stay clean and stay on,” said Johnson. “We're getting all the jitters out now and we're looking forward to the end of the season.”
Fremd, Lake Park, and Barrington all tied for eighth place. Fremd was competing with a split squad.
Freshman Jada Jones (9.15) and sophomore Laine Leedstrom (8.65) finished fourth and sixth in leading Barrington to a first-place finish on the vault
Senior Tiffany Persels (8.4) added a 10th-place finish for an up-and-coming Fillies squad on the beam.
“We have so much potential on this team,” added Persels of the Fillies squad. “We're opening strong so I'm really excited to see where it takes us.”
Rachel Wedland (8.4) tied for 10th on the beam to lead Fremd.
Rolling Meadows Olivia Maciejewska (8.7) paced the Mustangs by taking fifth on the vault.
Sarah Polvi led Fenton's effort with an 8.95 on the floor, good for fifth place.