Naperville North’s Suta finishes with ‘amazing’ day
Naperville North senior Billy Suta finished off high school gymnastics days in fine fashion at Lincoln-Way East in Frankfort, advancing to Saturday’s IHSA boys gymnastics individual championships in four events and placing second on still rings and high bar with a 9.4 on each event.
“It was amazing,” Suta said. “Overall, I think I did pretty well today. It was a fun time. I have no regrets.”
Perhaps the most shining moment for Suta came on high bar, but his still rings routine was also extremely good.
“High bar felt amazing. It was my best routine of the day,” he said. “I’d been struggling with rings lately and just hit a solid set.”
Suta also took seventh on pommel horse with an 8.9 and had a couple mishaps on parallel bars, slipping to ninth with a 7.8.
Downers Grove North junior John Schubert was the only other area gymnast to qualify for the finals in four events. Schubert’s top effort came on floor where he tied for third place with a 9.45.
It’s not uncommon for Glenbard North freshman TJ Kennedy to be mistaken for older brother, Ryan, who graduated in 2011.
TJ outdid Ryan during Saturday’s individual championships by tying for third place with a 9.45. Coincidentally, Ryan took seventh last year with a 9.45.
“I get called him a lot but I’ve gotten used to it after the 300 billionth time,” TJ Kennedy said. “It was a great experience being here. I had a lot of fun and am looking forward to the next three years.”
Kennedy added a sixth-place effort on vault with a 9.3.
Lake Park junior Mac Allen took fifth on still rings with an 8.9.
“It’s not satisfying enough, but I am happy that I got fifth,” Allen said. “I’m not a club kid, but I got beaten by club kids and I’m at their level now.”
Team state champs Wheaton co-op, was well represented by four gymnasts. Danny Heller was third on high bar with 9.25, Ethan Sansone competed in three events, highlighted by a fourth place effort on pommel horse with a 9.4, Zach Neal took sixth on still rings with an 8.8 and fourth on parallel bars with a 9.15 and Mark Ciesielski placed sixth on floor and high bar.
“It was still a rush after yesterday, which was the most amazing thing,” Ciesielski said. “This was just about going out there one final time and having fun.”
Downers Grove North’s Strah Sopcic was fourth on still rings with an 8.95, while teammate Luke Wychocki was fifth on high bar with an 8.9 and sixth on pommel horse with a 9.05.
Hinsdale Central’s Karar Mahajan was third on pommel horse with a 9.55. Defending vault champion Tyler Leahy failed to advance out of preliminaries for the Red Devils but did compete on parallel bars, taking eighth place with an 8.6. Sam Pielet added a seventh-place effort on vault with 9.15 for Hinsdale Central.
Other area gymnasts of note, included Lake Park’s Sam Flory who was eighth on pommel horse and Neuqua Valley’s Andrew Fairbanks and Glenbard West’s Perry Zumbrook who tied for 10th on vault with an 8.8.
Glenbard West’s Alex Diab did not participate but was in Cincinnati for the USA Gymnastics Men’s Junior Olympics Nationals.