Schaumburg’s dynamic duo delivers

Schaumburg’s senior Brooke Shimon and junior Ashley Miller may be polar opposites in temperament, but when it comes to gymnastics the two click like a well-oiled machine.

Shimon and Miller were in synch on Friday night at the high school state meet, powering Schaumburg to third place with 147.35 points going into tonight’s finals at Palatine High School.

Defending state champion Carmel is sitting in first with 148.875 points, with Lake Forest (147.875) in second, a full point behind the Corsairs.

Stevenson (146.70) is fourth, followed by Hinsdale Central (146.675), Fremd (145.425), Glenbard West (144.65), and Prairie Ridge co-op (143.15).

Prairie Ridge senior Jenny Covers took first in the all-around (38.70) and also heads into Saturday’s finals sitting first in the vault (9.9), floor (9.8), tied for first on the bars (9.625), and fourth on the beam (9.375). Covers also won the all-around title in 2009.

Today’s finals for individual events titles and team championships will begin at 5:45 p.m.

Schaumburg’s results Friday suggest opposites do attract. Miller is more comfortable picking out the latest nail polish, while Shimon would rather get her hands in the mud.

But the two combined on Friday night to propel the Saxons’ attack and put them in the thick of the trophy hunt.

“They took over when we got here,” said Schaumburg coach Jami Stilling of the powerful partners, who both have had state experience. “They work well together.”

Miller took third in the all-around (37.750) in winning her first state medal, and heads into Saturday’s finals tied for first on both the bars (9.625) and beam (9.40). The junior also hit on the vault (9.575) and floor (9.075) in a stunning performance.

“We’ve always been best friends since we were little,” said Miller. “I think our chemistry helps the team.”

Shimon wasn’t too far off the blistering pace that Miller set, as the Saxon senior tied for eighth in the all-around (37.125), and also qualified for Saturday’s finals by taking fifth on the bars (9.425) and sixth on the beam (9.2).

“Opposites attract,” said Shimon of her pairing with Miller. “We just work off each other’s energy.”

And the team followed suit as sophomore Erin Barrett hit on both vault (9.3) and floor (9.325), senior Caitlin Barrett added a strong performance on bars (9.125) and junior Kristin Peterson helped kick-start the Saxons on vault.

Now the Saxons are looking to make good in their first state appearance by securing their first state trophy on Saturday.

“We’ve been ‘on’ all week at practice,” added Stilling, whose team kicked off the preliminary round with a solid beam performance. “They really believed that they can do it.”

Senior Maegen Wochinski qualified for finals by taking ninth on the bars (36.25), helping steady a Fremd lineup that has been riddled by injuries.

“I was just looking to put up some scores for the team,” said Wochinski who will making her first final appearance. “I think we’ve handled all the injuries pretty well.”

Senior Kelsey Onesto also made good for the Vikings by qualifying to the finals tying for 10th place on the beam (9.125). “I wasn’t sure it would happen, but I’m really excited,” said Onesto of her first final appearance. “It is my last chance, so it feels good to advance. Very proud of whole team, I think we really pulled through.”

Fremd concluded the night by hitting a solid 37.40 on the vault.

“We’ve definitely been tested this year,” said Fremd coach Jim Guest of the Vikings’ assortment of injuries. “It was a good meet and the girls really came through.”

St. Edward’s Abby Madden was the last performer of the evening on the floor, and Green Wave sophomore came through in the clutch by securing a spot in Saturday’s finals tying for eighth place (9.4).

“I knew I had to go big or go home,” said Madden of her floor routine, which included a double pike which increased her score. “Floor was my last chance to make it to the finals. The wait was nerve-wracking, but it was worth it.”

Abby Madden also took 20th on the vault (9.475), 28th on the bars (8.725), and 23rd on the beam (8.725).

Jordyn Madden, who qualified for her third state meet, tied for 26th on the vault (9.4).

Leyden senior Jenna Urbaniak used a Yurchenko layout in tying for seventh on the vault (9.65) in advancing to the finals.

“It was a big rush, because I went straight from floor to vault,” said Urbaniak, who was a state qualifier last year but did not advance to finals. “This year I had more of a feel for what was going on. Now I just want to hit tomorrow.”