Mundelein edges Downers Grove co-op at Addison Trail Invite

Mundelein was in the holiday spirit during Saturday's Winter Tumbleland Invite at Addison Trail, gifting itself and coach Jessie Piland a championship plaque.

The Mustangs edged runner-up Downers Grove co-op 140.6 to 139.225 to finish first among the eight-team field.

They weren't the only ones having a blast. Many of the gymnasts blew off steam after final exams while capturing the spirit of the season on Saturday. Addison Trail decked its facilities, transforming into a winter wonderland with lots of lights and Christmas décor.

"I think it was a lot of fun to have everyone here and to be able to wear fun Christmas socks and see all the lights and decorations," Mundelein's Emma Hallin said. "We all had fun and I was really pleased with my floor and vault. I felt very strong on those two events."

Hallin tied Buffalo Grove sophomore Leah Oyen for the all-around title with a 35.6.

Oyen also won bars and floor, helping Buffalo Grove take third place with a 134.175.

"I had been here last year so I knew what to expect," Oyen said. "This was a lot of fun for the whole team. I was excited. I had a better routine on floor than bars. My bars was a little rocky but it was still better than usual."

Senior Dagmara Sobolak placed second on bars and had a 33.85 in the all-around for the Bison.

Mundelein sophomore Emily Weiss won vault and took third in the all-around and senior Amanda Muench snagged top honors on beam, giving the Mustangs just enough to slip past Downers Grove co-op.

"We're pretty pleased with where we're at right now," Piland said. "But we still have work to do."

Downers Grove co-op juniors Mia Bowers and Melina Pipilas nearly matched each other at 34.725 and 34.65 respectively in the all-around to finish fourth and fifth overall and pace their squad.

"I think we can still improve, but we're getting better every time, which is exciting to see," Bowers said while donning a green elf hat. "I landed all my passes on floor, which was good. We just want to keep rolling while knowing we can still get better."

Bowers also took third on vault, fourth on bars and fifth on floor for the co-op while freshman Kate Shauffer added a pair of third-place efforts on beam and floor. Pipilas was second on beam and freshman Emily Smetana was fifth on bars.

"I am really proud of the freshmen and the entire team," Downers Grove co-op coach Kristyn Campos said. "They are gaining confidence and getting better each meet."

Downers Grove had its highest score among the events on floor while strutting its stuff to holiday tuneage. When Campos competed in high school at Willowbrook, her coach changed their music to holiday songs, so she's continued the tradition. Bowers used "Wizards in Winter" and Shauffers opted for "Nutrocker."

"I loved it as a gymnast and have been doing it the past 13 years I've been head coach," Campos said. "I love to see them smile and perform and it really adds a new level of excitement."

The judges appeared to enjoy it as well.

Addison Trail took fourth with a 126.25. Junior Francesco Scarbaggio was the Blazers' top scorer on vault, bars and floor, while and sophomore Delaney Gregory had their best beam score, taking sixth overall. She followed Scarbaggio's scores on vault and bars.

"I honestly think I could've done better, but I still placed," Scarbaggio said. "It was definitely not my full potential. I have a lot of skills that I didn't perform as well. The meet is a good wake-up call since it's almost midseason and we got fourth place and went up four points from our last meet so I was happy with how my team did."

Gregory was especially pleased with her beam routine.

"I was really happy with my beam and just love how my teammates are always keeping their heads up," she said. "They always smile and cheer for each other really loud. And we beat Willowbrook so I'm really happy."

Prior to high school, Scarbaggio and Gregory couldn't imagine that high school gymnastics would include a holiday-themed invite hugely populated with happy, smiling faces. Now they can't get enough of it.

"Everyone is so laid back and even if you fall it's not the biggest deal in the world," Gregory said. "Coming from club, I thought it would be so serious. This is way more fun."

Willowbrook was fifth with a 124.325 behind sophomore Tess Placek, who took fifth on vault and had a 32.6 in the all-around.

"This is a great meet to be a part of and they added Leyden so we got to see one of our conference teams," Warriors coach Deanna Zuchowski said. "We added and tried at least three new tricks on every event today and everyone did well. I was really impressed with how everyone stepped up."

Fenton scored a 104.1 with senior Emily Trzmielewski leading its five all-around competitors with a 29.5.