Barrington's Hasanov, Meadows' Johnston win state
Barrington junior Abby Hasanov and Rolling Meadows junior Kelly Johnston entered the girls gymnastics state meet at Palatine from different directions.
But they ended at the same destination — state titles in the finals session Saturday night.
Hasanov didn't have a lot to prove, having alread yearned three state medals last year, including tying for a title on parallel bars.
She kept things rolling this year by securing the floor title (9.725) with a flawless routine.
“I just wanted to show it off and it felt like I had glue on my feet,” said Hasanov, who added a seventh-place finish on vault (9.625). “I knew I wanted another trophy and I'm very happy to get it done.”
Hasanov opened her series by nailing a double pike on her opening pass and didn't look back.
“She's a true competitor,” said Barrington coach Jason Loeffler of his standout junior. “We've been working on everything and not taking the extra steps, and she did just that.”
Johnston qualified to the state finals for the first time and she made the most of it by securing the beam title (9.625).
She started her series with by nailing a flip flop lay-out and put an exclamation point on it with an aerial full dismount.
“It's unreal,” said Johnston who was a state qualifier the past two seasons but missed qualifying for finals. “The weight is completely off my shoulders. To end it on top was icing on the cake.”
Johnston became the first girls gymnast to win a state medal for Rolling Meadows since 1994 when Jaime Orzechowski took first on the beam.
“The past couple years she has struggled at state, but this year she came in mentally stronger,” said Rolling Meadows coach Michael Costa of Johnston's growth. “She really focused on this meet and she really wanted it.”
Prairie Ridge co-op captured its first state title with 150.0 points. The Wolves had finished third in 2012 and then took second in 2013 and 2014.
Senior Rachael Underwood, who won the all-around title on Friday, kept things rolling on Saturday by tying for first on the bars (9.7) and tying for fifth on floor (9.525) as she finished her career with nine state medals.
“We've been chasing this title for four years and we finally got it,” said Underwood, who attends Cary-Grove and just missed out on pair of state medals on vault and beam, taking sixth on both events. “I'm so happy — there are no words to describe it.”
Fellow Cary-Grove student Maddie Solka also came up big, tying Underwood for the bars title (9.7). Solka, who strained her back before sectionals, was able to finish on a high note.
“It's special,” said Solka of the Wolves state title. “It's nice to accomplish what we've been trying to get the last couple years.”
Geneva took second with 147.30 points.
Fremd earned it 23rd state trophy, capturing third place for a third consecutive year with 146.625 points.
“We've talked about it all year — about them not coming out and hitting it yet,” said Fremd coach Elise Ference of the Vikings' trophy drive. “We've been waiting all year and it came in the big show. The seniors came up huge, and to go back-to-back-to back — three is a charm.”
The seniors definitely did their part.
Sydney Plichta offered a couple big scores on Friday on the bars (9.05) and beam (9.2) while Emily Neal contributed on Friday with a solid bar routine (9.0).
As usual Christine Radochonski was the anchor qualifying to Saturday's finals on two events taking 10th on vault (9.425) and 11th on Floor (9.05).
Junior Carly DeFilippo added to the attack by qualifying to her second consecutive Saturday finals and securing 12th on vault (9.375).
“We had an amazing meet and to add another state trophy is special,” said Radochonski who was part of the senior trio that earned three state trophies and also won four consecutive Mid-Suburban League titles. “It's really emotional for us seniors and it has been an honor being a part of this team.”
Barrington finished fourth in the team standings with 144.275 points followed by Lyons Township (143.725). Prospect took sixth (143.70) with DeKalb (142.125 points) and Glenbrook South (140.625 points) rounding out the eight-team field.
Prospect senior Maddie Larock definitely went out in style.
On Friday, the Prospect senior took second in the all-around and she had no let-up on Saturday.
Larock used a clean series on bars with a pair of nifty releases to earn a fourth-place medal (9.6). She capped a sensational weekend by tying for fifth on the floor (9.525).
“It's amazing,” said Larock of her big showing. “I'm really happy with how the last two days went. It couldn't have gone any better.”
Jacob senior Allison Riedel rebounded from a severe foot injury as a sophomore to earn her first state medal with a fifth-place finish in the all-around on Friday. Riedel took eighth on the vault (9.55) on Saturday to cap her final season.
“The foot wasn't working as well today — it was a little sore from (Friday),” said Riedel, who used a Yurchenko layout on her vault. “But being able to come back from the foot injury, when I didn't know if I'd come back, made this weekend a lot more emotional.”