Carmel rolls to Stevenson title
Another step closer for Carmel Catholic’s girls gymnastics team for another IHSA state championship.
The Corsairs set a school record and chalked up a state-best season score of 151.6 on Monday night by capturing the IHSA Stevenson Sectional in Lincolnshire.
“We did a good job and still have places that we can tweak,” Carmel coach Sarah Doyle said. “What I saw, these girls really enjoyed what they were doing.
“The girls don’t look at a score. They know to fix what they need to fix and get back to work It’s so many goals for the team and individually, but they’re not done.”
Carmel earned a state berth, while four other schools in the meet have a great opportunity of competing in the IHSA State Meet at Palatine High School on Feb. 18 and 19 with at-large berths.
Stevenson finished behind Carmel with a 148.925 followed by Lake Forest (147.6), Fremd (146.575) and Prairie Ridge (144.975).
Three other sectionals will take place over the next three days at Lake Park, Hinsdale Central and Niles North.
Carmel came out with a strong effort on the vault, scoring a 39.025 on its first rotation.
“Girls came in determined to fix key things,” said Doyle, noting from the Lake Forest regional on Saturday night.
“Starting a meet like that puts you in a good frame of mind for the rest of meet.”
Corsairs’ Lauren Feely tied for top honors with teammate Kristin Mirski as each had scores of 9.875. Also Sarah Cohen-Smith posted a 9.8.
“We have a way of bonding together,” Feely said. “We all motivate each other and always there to help each other out. It makes things so much easier.”
Mirski was first on floor (9.8), a notch better than Feely (9.75). Mirski also tied with Jenny Covers of Prairie Ridge on the beam (9.625) for first. Feely placed third (9.575), but she finished ahead of Mirski, taking second and third in the all-around 38.6-38.05.
Covers won the all-around with a personal best 38.875. She had the top score on bars (9.825).
“Consistency with the scores are the importance,” Covers said. “There was more pressure, because if you do it here then you don’t go to state.”
Stevenson for the last month has been competing at the same level as Carmel, but fell back a bit behind them Monday night.
“Girls might be disappointed that they didn’t have a great meet,” said Stevenson coach Judy Harwood, who believes that the team can finish among the top 3 at state. “We did pretty well and our goal from the start of the season was to make it to state.”
The Patriots’ Caitlin Pagano finished fourth in the all-around 37.7, and teammate Ali Castriano was fifth (37.675).
Castriano was fourth on bars (9.525) and fifth on vault (9.575), while Pagano finished in a four-way tie for fourth on beam with Carmel’s Lauren Bowles, Melanie Foster of Lake Forest and Palatine’s Nicole Kuksuk (9.5) and placed fifth on bars (9.5).
Theresa Wojton of Stevenson picked up fifth on the floor (9.5).
Alli Tran of Vernon Hills earned third-place honors on bars with a 9.65.
“This is right where I need to be at this point,” said Tran, a sophomore, who had a 9.7 in a dual meet earlier in the season. “This means so much, because it qualifies you for state.
“I was nervous coming in and I tried to put them aside. I knew what I had to get the score I wanted.”