Downers Grove co-op advances to state
Downers Grove co-op may not have any superstars, but it had a bus packed with happy gymnasts on Tuesday night.
Enjoying their best meet of the season by plenty, Downers Grove co-op put on a gymnastics show, winning the Hinsdale Central sectional convincingly with 144.075 points. That was comfortably ahead of Lincoln-Way co-op's 141.975 and District 230 co-op's 141.25.
"We don't have any superstars, but they're all good and all pushing each other to be better, and as a coach that's my ultimate goal," Downers Grove co-op coach Kristyn Campos said. "Superstars are nice and I have had them, but it's better when they're all excited on the bus."
They will certainly be excited when they hop on the bus and trek up to Palatine on Feb. 21-22 for the IHSA gymnastics finals. Downers Grove co-op, which became a co-op this season, last got to state as Downers Grove South in 2016. Downers Grove North hasn't qualified since 1991.
Lincoln-Way co-op likely would've given the winners a bigger challenge but were short-handed because senior all-arounder Allie Reis got injured last Friday. Lincoln-Way had a 144.65 in the regional and saw its score drop 2.675 points while Downers Grove co-op's went up 2.125 points.
"It would've been neck and neck," Campos said. "Our joke (with Lincoln-Way co-op coach Kory Thompson) was always we're going to come in and try to tie."
Junior All-arounders Melina Pipilas and Mia Bowers and freshman Kathryn Snouffer led the winners. Pipilas finished fourth in the all-around and third on beam, Bowers was fourth on bars, floor and vault, Snouffer won floor and sophomore Katrina Carlson placed fifth on bars.
"It was all about coming in clean," Campos said. "Our mentality was let people watch us, don't watch other people. Let's not turn into spectators. We have a job to do and we knew it would be tough. We just had to be clean and patient and they were all of the above."
If Snouffer had any butterflies to contend with, she squashed them.
"She's been rocking and rolling on floor all year," Campos said. "I mean, as a freshman to step on this stage in her first event, and she did a new tumbling pass tonight and still hit her routine."
Snouffer's floor routine screams fun.
"She has fun out there," Campos said. "She wants to show off her routine. She likes to dance and literally enjoys the entire minute and 30 that she's on that floor."
Since she had never competed in a sectional before, the waters were uncharted for Snouffer, but she performed like a seasoned veteran.
"This is kind of surreal so I have nothing to compare this to," she said. "I'm not sure what I envisioned. I envisioned something different from club. I got something different from club. I got a new environment to work in and that really helped me."
Like how the guys sitting in the dugout refuse to talk to a pitcher during a no-hitter, Downers Grove co-op knew it was in the midst of a special meet but didn't say it. Instead, the girls finished what they started.
"I think we just had a really good energy today," Bowers said. "We started off super pumped up on the floor and that kind of traveled through. Sometimes you don't want to say it - I don't want to say jinx it - but after bars I was like this is so good. No one is going to have a perfect meet, but I was like, we're killing it on everything so far."
Also qualifying for state are Hinsdale Central senior Caroline Klobach and Neuqua Valley junior Baylee Modaff. Klobach impressed, taking second in the all-around and placing in the top five in three events. Modaff tied for the final automatic qualifier on beam.
A few of Modafff's teammates, sophomores Amelia Wachtel and Susan Jones and freshman Lauren Cordero, got some sectional experience, competing in the all-around.
Several other area gymnasts wrapped up their seasons or will wait to see if they're scores are good enough to snag an at-large berth.
Naperville North sophomore Katie Kristle and freshman Abby Aldrich finished in ninth and 10th place, respectively, on bars while seniors Chloe Tsao, Ellie Lieberman And Gwen Swalwell wrapped their final season as Huskies with final efforts on beam. Naperville Central sophomore Marissa Swanson competed as an all-arounder for the Redhawks.
Waubonsie Valley/Metea Valley co-op had the rare feat of having four all-arounders compete as individuals. Senior Destiny Carter had the top finish with a 33.75.
"We did pretty average compared to how we normally do," she said. "I just wish I would've joined the team sooner."
Carter joined the team last year while fellow senior Thalia Bowen has been a four-year gymnast.
"I could've done better on vault so that's the one I'm waiting for the cutoff for," Bowen said. "Overall it went pretty well. It was one of my better meets."