Focused Geneva takes sectional title

Everything appeared to be going Geneva's way at the midway point of Tuesday's Glenbard North girls gymnastics sectional.

Then freshman Holly Friedel fell hard on her back while performing on bars. She couldn't get up to finish the event and had to be carried off on a stretcher for precautionary reasons.

Some teams get overcome with emotions and lose their focus when something like that happens. The Vikings picked up their fallen teammate by dedicating their routines to her and then putting up solid scores.

"It was hard to pull it together after watching Holly wipe out like that," Geneva senior Grace Ginsberg said. "It's sad, because she's worked so hard, but we had to pull it together and do it for Holly."

They not only did it for Holly, but they also did it for themselves and the entire Geneva program. The Vikings advanced to the state finals for the third consecutive year, besting runner-up DeKalb/Sycamore co-op, 146 to 144.6.

"They wanted to go right after (Holly's injury) happened, even though they also had an option to go later, but they said they wanted to get it done now," Geneva coach Kim Hostman said. "It just shows how committed they are to the sport and to the team. They just all really support each other and they came back with a vengeance and did an outstanding job."

Geneva sophomore Claire Ginsberg tied for first on floor with Glenbard North's Katie Murphy with a 9.75 and won beam with a 9.475. The defending state all-around champion also won the all-around with a 38.175. She could've talked about those accomplishments afterward but chose to talk about the team coming together and fighting through adversity.

"The team's really good about pulling together and after that happened to Holly, Grace went out there and set the tone, which is what we needed," she said. "Things like this can happen. We started so strong on vault and floor and just had to pull through things. We did it for Holly and it says a lot about how we're a team."

Notable scores for the winners included Grace Ginsberg's 8.9 on beam, 9.175 on vault and 9.45 on floor, Megan Beitzel's 8.9 on bars and 9.325 on vault, Julia Grooten's 8.925 on beam and 9.325 on floor, Kelly Frank's 9.275 on floor and Bailey Pihera's 9 on vault. Claire Ginsberg's other two scores were a 9.35 on bars and a 9.6 on vault.

Wheaton Warrenville co-op placed third with a 143.875, despite junior all-arounder Petrina Chino being limited to bars, where she placed second with a 9.35.

"She's the most frustrated out of everybody because she's such a competitor," Wheaton Warrenville co-op coach Maureen Latimer said. "She wants to compete."

Senior teammate Lenna Klein qualified for state on vault with a 9.525 and beam with a 9.2. She also took sixth in the all-around with a 36.675 and could advance via at-large berth.

"I'm happy with the results," Latimer said. "They came together as a team at the right time. You can always do a little better, but it's like that in any competition."

Glenbard North was fourth with a 143.375. The Panthers were solid except for a 33.7 on beam.

"Beam has always been our issue and the kids can't seem to hit under pressure," Panthers coach Kristin Nordquist said. "They were fantastic on three events, but then beam overshadows those great performances."

The Panthers received a first-place effort on bars from Allison Wahrman with a 9.6. She also took second on vault with a 9.625. Erin Bregman also was fantastic on bars with a 9.2 while Murphy had a 9.75 on floor." All three gymnasts qualified for state.

Junior Amber Broucek, who tied for fifth on beam with a 9.125 and was fourth in the all-around with a 36.725, paced Glenbard West. The Hilltoppers were fifth with a 141.225.

Batavia's Megan McGee qualified on floor, taking fourth place with a 9.65. She may also advance on vault after scoring a 9.425.

St. Charles co-op's Emma Grace Redmond-Mattuci tied for sixth on floor with a 9.5 as the team placed sixth with a 139.575.

Addison Trail's Kennedy O'Neill is going to Palatine after taking fifth on bars with a 9.2. Also making the trip is Willowbrook senior Tamara Mendez who qualified on beam with a 9.15 as well as in the all-around with a 36.7. She improved greatly upon the 34.5 she had at the York regional.

"All we were doing was getting her ready to go to the show," Willowbrook coach Annette Nocek said. "Now we're going to the show. I'm so excited for her."