Libertyville prevails in tight finish at Palatine

For the second straight year, Libertyville, Prospect and Palatine finished one, two and three in the Oldham Gymnastics Invitational at Palatine High School. And for the second straight year that finish hinged on every slip and swing.

A year after the final positions were determined by less than a point, the three teams were separated by less than 4 points at the end of the competition Saturday. But with four of the top eight all-around gymnasts, the Wildcats were able to take home their second title in as many years.

“The teams at this meet are very competitive, and I think we're all extremely close in difficulty,” Libertyville coach John Taylor. “It's great to have that competition at the same meet. I can't believe how close it was two years in a row now.”

In a competition where every point mattered, the Wildcats put themselves in an early hole on their first event with several falls on the balance beam. Lindsay Schweitzer of Libertyville won the event with a score of 9.15, but her several of her teammtes, including Leah Herchenbach, who finished third overall in the all-around competition, struggled as the day began.

“It's really hard to deal with because I fell on things I usually stick,” Herbenbach said. “I allow myself to be sad about it for about 10 seconds. And then I say, ‘It's time to move on. I can't change it. It's already gone.'”

Herchenbach responded by finishing in the top three of the remainder of the events, and her performance was enough to pace the Wildcats to the close win.

“I just think that I have to make up for it in the next event,” Herbenbach said of bouncing back after her early trouble.

Taylor says the invitational is a welcome chance for the girls to see opponents and styles that they don't encounter during their conference schedule. Herchenbach agreed. Her familiarity with her usual Lake County opponents extends all the way to club gymnastics, but Saturday, she and her teammates saw something new. And what makes it better is they bested it.

“It's nice to meet new people,” Herchenbach said.

“(Today), there were a lot new skills that I saw, and it was really cool to watch.”