Girls gymnastics: Herion, Downers Grove co-op set school record in taking West Suburban Gold title
Gen Herion and her Downers Grove co-op girls gymnastics teammates enjoyed quite a memorable Senior Night Jan. 16.
Even more incredible was Herion’s final home meet Saturday.
“I kind of tried to let that (remain) in the back of my head because I didn’t want to let that affect my gymnastics,” Herion said. “Now that it’s looking back, I’m happy everything turned out the way it did.”
Herion captured three more individual titles and the Trostangs scored a school-record 147.825 points in winning yet another West Suburban Conference Gold Division Meet and overall title in the meet held at Downers Grove South.
Herion, the defending state balance beam champion, won Saturday with a 9.6, all-around (37.875) with her second highest total ever and vault (9.6).
Hinsdale South senior Anya Patel won floor exercise (9.45) and the uneven parallel bars (9.425).
“It’s very bittersweet but I’m just proud of myself and all of the girls. It was a really good meet,” Herion said. “Seeing that (team) score just proves all of the hard work we put into it. I all knew we had it in us.”
Herion and teammates Caroline Phillip, Edie Condon, Kaelyn Landry and Ally Polansky earned 18 of the 26 all-conference medals for top-five finishers.
Second-place Hinsdale South (139.70) earned seven medals. Willowbrook (126.80), Leyden (125.275), Addison Trail (124.85) and Morton (122.425) were third through sixth.
Ranked No. 1 throughout the season, Downers Grove co-op broke its 147.55 record from Senior Night with one judge per event.
With Saturday’s scores the average of two state-level judges, this was totally legit heading into regionals next week.
“We needed a confidence boost. I’ve been playing with the lineup the entire season,” Downers Grove co-op coach Kristyn Campos said. “Today’s mission was a calm conference. That’s all we need to do, a calm (postseason), and we’ll be OK.”
Over three high school seasons, Herion won 12 out of a possible 15 Gold event titles with two seconds and a third.
Herion was second on floor (9.35) and uneven bars (9.325) Saturday. Herion would have shared Saturday’s floor title if not for going out of bounds on a tumbling pass, a .1 deduction.
“I think most of (the 12 titles) is having the support from my teammates and coaches. There are so many people that got me to this point,” Herion said.
In beam, Herion, Condon (9.425), who was second at state in 2024, Phillip (9.25) and Landry (9.175) swept first through fourth with a team score of 37.45.
“We didn’t haven’t a perfect meet. We had falls on bars, a fall on floor,” Campos said. “But beam makes a difference and they’re great at vault. We were consistent. We’re getting in our groove.”
Phillip also made a clean sweep of third place with all-around (36.95), vault (9.35), floor (9.325) and uneven bars (9.025). The former competitive cheerleader was the only newcomer Saturday from the Trostangs’ 2024 state runners-up.
“I love the environment. It’s so fun. All of the girls are so sweet. It just feels like a team and I’m happy to be a part of it instead of cheer,” Phillip said. “I’m pretty proud of myself, especially having a long time off and relying on muscle memory, getting the stuff back.”
Landry also was fourth in all-around (36.375) and vault (9.325) and fifth on uneven bars (8.9), Condon was fifth on vault (9.3) and Palansky was fifth on floor (9.0) and tied for fifth on uneven bars (8.9). Emilie Kuchta added two sixth-place finishes.
Patel also won Gold floor as a sophomore. But four routines earler Saturday, senior teammate Casey Fundator suffered a routine-ending knee injury.
Fundator missed all of last season with a broken foot. Only competing bars this season, Fundator wanted to try floor one last time.
“That was brutal. She had quite a rough injury last year so it was heartbreaking to see,” Patel said.
“(Fundator) going out of the meet was a big, emotional blow to the kids but they rebounded. They moved on and that was huge,” Hinsdale South coach Jarrod Amolsch said.
Patel was visibly upset but got composed and performed well with Fundator on her mind.
“Honestly, I kind of thought what she’d want. She’d want me to go out and do my best routine,” Patel said. “I just thought of Casey and she’d want me to put my best foot forward.”
Patel also was excited to win bars, one of her weaker events, with an upgraded routine. Patel also was second in all-around (37.30) and vault (9.45) and fifth on beam (8.975).
Emma Glashin was fourth on uneven bars (8.925) and Kaitlyn Amolsch was fifth in all-around (34.025).
The Gold Meet was Patel’s season debut last season after battling a back injury. She competed all-around for regionals and sectionals and reached state on beam and floor. She made the state floor finals, taking 10th.
“She’s an unbelievable kid,” Jarrod Amolsch said. “A total leader in the gym now, which is great, mentoring the young kids, fighting through adversity because she’s fought through adversity her whole career with injuries, all sorts of problems.”
Willowbrook senior Naomi Campbell was fourth on floor (9.025).
Last season, Campbell became the Warriors’ third all-stater by tying for fifth on floor. She just recently returned to all-around after dislocating her finger just before the season. The comeback began with modified floor and beam routines.
“It’s slow and steady. I’m still trying to get my confidence back,” Campbell said. “I just really have to lock in, focus, every little mistake, put it behind me. I need to cry out to move forward.”