Dream finish for Schaumburg
Be careful what you wish for because you might just get it all.
Schaumburg’s girls gymnastics team had dreamed of state glory all season.
The Saxons got it all on Saturday night at Palatine in the IHSA state finals, securing their first state trophy by finishing third with a school-record 147.80.
Carmel won its fourth state title and second in a row with 149.45 points, followed by Lake Forest (148.45 points).
Stevenson (146.95) took fourth, followed by Hinsdale Central (146.675), Fremd (145.65), Glenbard West (144.65) and Prairie Ridge (143.50).
Senior Brooke Shimon took third on the beam (9.55) and junior Ashley Miller added a third-place medal on the bars (9.65) for the Saxons.
“I can’t imagine this weekend going any better,” said Schaumburg coach Jami Stilling of the dream season. “They did everything we asked them to do and believed in their goals, how often does that happen? I’m so proud of them.”
Shimon, who had qualified the past two years to the state meet, but never advanced to the finals, made good on her final attempt at a medal by sticking her dismount and capping a solid performance on the beam.
“We set really high standards for this season,” said Shimon, who also finished seventh on the bars (9.5). “The coolest part of it all is we reached every one of our goals.”
Miller made it to the state finals last year on the bars, but slipped on her dismount, finishing a disappointing 11th place.
This year the junior, who took third in the all-around on Friday, nailed her bar routine.
“One of my goals was to redeem myself on the bars,” said Miller, who added a sixth-place finish on the beam (9.175). “I accomplished that.”
Shimon and Miller joined Michelle Flamini (1990) and Cheryl Kosak (1985-87) as the only Saxons to achieve individual state medals.
Schaumburg accomplished plenty this year, including taking their first Mid-Suburban League and sectional titles and hitting school-best marks on five occasions.
On Saturday the Saxons closed the door on a spectacular season by gaining their first state trophy.
And it was a total team effort with senior Caitlin Barrett, junior Christin Peterson, sophomores Erin Barrett and Amanda Sigler and freshman Kat Young driving the Saxons attack.
“It’s wild,” added Caitlin Barrett of the Saxons success. “There was no stopping, and it’s unreal how we capped it tonight.”
And as Willy Wonka once said, “don’t forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he always wanted — he lived happily ever after.”
Schaumburg will be happily reliving this season for quite some time.
Maegan Wochinski also capped a standout career by securing a fifth-place medal on the bars (9.55) to help Fremd take sixth place.
Wochinski was a member of the Vikings’ 2008 state title team and the senior finished with her first individual state medal.
“I only wanted to make it to the state finals on Saturday,” said Wochinski, who has anchored the Vikings attack all season. “To be able to place feels really good. It’s been a crazy four years, but I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Kelsey Onesto started her career on the junior varsity for the first three years, but the Fremd senior, who joined the varsity squad midway through her junior season, ended her career by taking seventh on the balance beam (9.15).
“I never thought I’d make finals,” said Onesto, who combined with Wochinski to help the Vikings finish on a high note. “After all the injuries this season, it felt good to pull through.”
“We showed a lot of character this season,” said Fremd coach Jim Guest of an injury-riddled season. “Regular season was a struggle, but we finished with a good state series.”
St. Edward coach Doug Bucholz challenged junior Jordyn Madden and sophomore Abby Madden by adding difficulty to their routines in mid-season.
The Green Wave duo answered the challenge and more by qualifying to the state meet, with Abby finishing the season by taking ninth on the floor (9.35).
Abby Madden just added a double pike on her opening pass on her floor routine at state, and the sophomore was able to hit.
“I’m glad I threw it, I didn’t want to have any regrets,” said Abby Madden, who also threw a Yurchenko half on the vault in Friday’s prelimaries. “I still have two more years, so I’m glad I we added the difficulties.”
Jordyn has one more year, and next season she will finally have a team with another Madden, Sarah, set to join the Green Wave squad.
“I’m looking to keep adding more difficulty next year,” said Jordyn, who is a three-time state qualifier. “It will be fun competing as a team next year.”
Prairie Ridge Co-op senior Jenny Covers capped a spectacular career by wining her sixth and seventh individual titles on the vault (9.85) and bars (9.85) to go along with her all-around title, which she secured on Friday.
Prairie Ridge junior Nikki Novak just missed securing a medal on the vault (9.675), but the Cary-Grove student didn’t miss on the bars, taking fourth place with a 9.6.
“This being my first year of high school gymnastics, I didn’t know what to expect,” said Novak of her state finals appearance. “But I felt pretty comfortable once I got to the bars.”
Carmel junior Kristin Mirski took first on the floor (9.775) and Corsairs sophomore Lauren Feely added a first on the beam (9.70).
Leyden senior Jenna Urbaniak capped her season by taking eighth on the vault (9.575).