Glenbard West adds another win
For senior Amanda Rosch and her Glenbard West gymnastics teammates, this has been a picture-perfect season.
On Wednesday the Hilltoppers scored a school-record 148.45 points and the reward of earning the only team picture posted in their gymnastics room.
"We've kind of been silently hoping for it," Rosch said. "It was just a really cool thing. It's a little picture, but it's still a big deal to us."
On Saturday they secured only their second outright conference title by winning the West Suburban Conference Silver meet at Hinsdale Central with 146.90 points.
Freshman Maddie Diab won all four events and the all-around with a 38.45 to once again break her school record. Rosch, seniors Sarah DeStefano and Amber Broucek, junior Alison Oakes also earned top-five individual medals.
"We've broken so many records this year in general, like 20 for 20 (hit) routines. We've hit that twice. We've been working really hard for this. It's a really great moment," Rosch said. "We've just got to keep going on with the consistency for regionals, sectionals and, hopefully, state."
Diab continues to be consistently phenomenal. She won vault with a school-record 9.9 for the second straight meet by nailing her Kasamatsu, uneven parallel bars by tying her season high of 9.6, floor exercise with a 9.525 and balance beam with a 9.425.
"I was hoping to win some things, but I didn't think I was going to win everything so I was really shocked," Diab said. "Getting the 9.9 (on vault) was probably the highlight."
Three-time defending champion Lyons Township, the 2014 and 2013 state champions, edged rival Hinsdale Central 137.35 to 137.225 for second, followed by Oak Park-River Forest at 134.325, Downers Grove North at 133.625 and York at 129.475.
The overall Silver title is determined by dual and the division meet results. Glenbard West shared its first two titles in 2005 and 2008 before winning outright in 2012.
The Hilltoppers also have qualified for state as a team four times. DeStefano and Broucek remain from the Hilltoppers' last qualifier in 2013.
"In our conference, conference championships are really hard to come by. With Hinsdale Central and LT, it's really hard so it's special for us," Glenbard West coach Carlos Fuentes said. "Actually it meant a lot because with (DeStefano and Broucek), this is the one championship that they did not have. This is like that one notch in the belt that they have not done yet so that's pretty cool."
Diab was coming off a school-record 38.40 Jan. 23 - and repeated it Wednesday.
"It feels good just to know that I keep improving, that I keep going up," Diab said.
DeStefano and Broucek were second and third in all-around at 35.90 and 35.625. Oakes, who works three events, was second on floor and beam with 9.375 and 9.025, respectively. DeStefano and Rosch shared third on uneven bars at 9.025, DeStefano and Oakes were third and fourth on vault at 9.35 and 9.3 and Broucek's 8.8 was fourth on beam.
"I'm really happy and proud of everyone," DeStefano said. "It's a good season. It's been really good, very consistent. We've been staying kind of within a (140 scoring) range."