Wheaton takes state title; Diab top all-arounder
Before the season there was plenty of doubt regarding Wheaton co-op’s chances to advance to state and compete for a state title.
On Friday at Lincoln-Way East in Frankfort, there was no doubt that Wheaton co-op is the best team in the state.
Eclipsing the 160-mark for the first time this spring, Wheaton co-op won the IHSA boys gymnastics team championship convincingly with 160.8 points. Last year’s runner-up, Lincoln-Way co-op, was second with a 157.45, Downers Grove North was third with a 155.35 and Glenbard West took fourth with a 152.6.
“Before the year I looked at our captains, Chris (Jordan) and Zach (Neal), and asked if they thought we’d get back here and they said, ‘No,’” Wheaton co-op coach Greg Gebhardt said. “It’s a testament to their work. They’ve worked incredibly hard.”
Wheaton isn’t just extremely talented and hardworking, but it’s also very deep. While sophomore Ethan Sansone led the team by placing fourth in the all-around with a 53.65, he also only had the team’s highest score in one event.
Sansone had a 9.2 on high bar to lead the team, but it was Danny Heller who accomplished it on pommel horse with a 9.15, while senior Mark Ciesielski produced big scores on vault with a 9.5 and floor with a 9.6 and Neal did the same with a 9.05 on still rings and 9.55 on parallel bars.
“Everyone wants a state title, but the guys here on this team really wanted it and put the work and time in for it,” Neal said. “Max (Jurkowski) got us started off on parallel bars and we kept going up from there.”
Conner Ritchie added a 9.15 on vault, Jurkowski had an 8.7 on parallel bars, Jordan posted an 8.4 on still rings and Nick Ronaldson delivered a 7.5 on pommel horse for the state champions.
“The big thing was how they finished today, having the meet they wanted to have,” Gebhardt said. “They’re a bunch of guys that want to do it for each other and that makes them easy to coach.”
Glenbard West freshman Alex Diab continued his incredible debut season by knocking off the defending all-around champion, Lincoln-Way co-op’s Ajani Cargle, 56.7 to 56.35.
Naperville North’s Billy Suta was fifth in the all-around with a 53.1 and followed by Hinsdale Central’s Tyler Leahy and Downers Grove North’s Luke Wychocki, who tied for sixth with a 52.35.
“I didn’t have my best meet, but my goal was to finish in the top five and I got fifth,” Suta said. “I still get to come back tomorrow and hopefully can make it to finals.”
Neuqua Valley’s Andrew Fairbanks was 18th with a 49.55, Glenbard North freshman T.J. Kennedy was 21st with a 48.25 and Lake Park’s Sam Flory tied for 22nd with a 48.2.
“It was a fun meet,” Kennedy said. “I was nervous early but realized I’m here with my friends and this is just for fun this year.”
Flory couldn’t have done much better, scoring a 9 or better in three events.
“I went 6-for-6, which is awesome,” he said. “It was a great experience and just amazing.”