Wheaton co-op takes team honors at DVC meet
Backed by strong showings from all-arounders Darren Fill and Mike Brackmann, the Wheaton co-op boys gymnastics team took home first-place honors at the DuPage Valley Conference boys championship Friday night at Naperville Central, netting a team total of 153.85 points.
Fill and Brackmann placed second and third in the all-around, earning scores of 52.35 and 52.30, respectively. Glenbard East's Kirk Jackson edged Fill for the individual all-around title with a 52.55.
Brackmann, a junior at Wheaton Warrenville South, earned top honors in both the parallel bars and the horizontal bar. His 9.35 on the horizontal bar tied for the fourth-highest score of the night.
While he appreciated his effort on the horizontal bar, Brackmann felt he could perform at an even higher level - a feeling that permeated among the entire Wheaton co-op squad.
"It was a nice routine," Brackmann said, "but I think that I can still do better and my team can still do better."
"Our kids did a really nice job," Wheaton co-op coach Chad Downie said. "Particularly Gerry Reimer on pommel horse - and Mike Dieterle hit a couple of really nice routines.
"We really want to get to the state meet and see if we can get a medal this year, but we've got some improvements to do. We only had a hit ratio of 48 percent tonight, so that's not too hot."
Naperville Central's Dave Rynearson highlighted the evening by earning a 9.55 on the vault, a routine that gave him his highest score ever.
"I just recently started doing the vault, and luckily I happened to hit the ground and my feet stuck to it," Rynearson said. "I pushed my layout so I was a lot straighter. That was the one thing I focused on, keeping my body as straight as possible."
Naperville North placed second with a score of 137.05, narrowly topping Glenbard East's total of 134.9.
Like Wheaton co-op, the Huskies have their sights set on sectionals, beginning next week with a trip to Lincoln-Way East.
"The best thing is we came out healthy. No one got hurt, and that's huge," Naperville North coach Brad Foerch said. "Whether we took second or third tonight, it doesn't matter.
"What we score in sectionals will make all the difference in the world. That's what we're really gunning for."
Naperville Central placed fourth with a total of 97.8. Glenbard North rounded things out with a 66.55.