Scouting Fox Valley area gymnastics
2018-19 Fox Valley Girls Gymnastics at a glance
Top teams: Batavia, Geneva, Prairie Ridge co-op
Top returning athletes: Gracie DeVita (Geneva, all-around, sr.), Maddy Kim (Prairie Ridge co-op, sr.), Katie McEnery (Prairie Ridge co-op, jr.), Gianna Murkowski (U-46 co-op, jr.) Sydney Kamin (St. Charles co-op, so.), Taylor Novotny (Batavia, jr., all-around), Kathryn Wendt (Geneva, so.),
Dates to circle: Dec. 7: DeKalb Invite; Dec. 12: Batavia at Geneva; Dec. 22: Oswego Invite; Jan. 9: St. Charles co-op at Geneva; Jan. 18: Prairie Ridge Invite; Jan. 25: DuKane Conference Meet (first ever) at Geneva; Jan. 26: Upstate Eight Conference Meet at Glenbard South.
Season skinny: There may just be 5 gymnastics teams in the Fox Valley area, but thanks to the IHSA's co-op rules there will be gymnasts representing 13 schools here. Once again the area is quite talented. Some great gymnasts are now gone, including St. Charles North's Emma Grace Redmond-Mattucci and Crystal Lake South's Ciara Ryan, but new ones are on the rise in the form of returnees and newcomers. There are 2 programs with someone new to call head coach while the other 3 teams have coaches who have combined for over 50 years of experience. Three of the 5 teams have earned a trip to state in the past 6 seasons and all but U-46 co-op has done so in the past 10 years, although Batavia's lone trip was back in 2009 already. Without a doubt, the gymnastics in the Fox Valley will certainly been intriguing this winter as the road to Palatine has just begun. Who will get there? Who will find success in a different way?
Prairie Ridge co-op, which consists of athletes from Crystal Lake Central, Crystal Lake South, Cary-Grove and Prairie Ridge, fell just short of becoming the fourth team to win four straight state championships last season, playing runner-up to Glenbard West. While the Hilltoppers, with their entire team returning, are again the favorites in the state, it'll be interesting if Prairie Ridge has enough new firepower to overcome substantial losses in personnel to remain among the state's most elite. Senior Maddy Kim, who finished 12th in the state in the all-around last year, returns, but at least 8 others didn't return even though only one of them graduated (Katarina Schaffer). Seniors Ciara Ryan (third in the all-around in the state), Kira Karlblom (10th) and Clancy Raupp (24th) are all seniors but have not returned to the team. Teagan Perroni, Emily Puccini and Olivia Weeks also haven't returned for their sophomore seasons. In order to sustain success, Prairie Ridge is in need of some newcomers to step up immediately. Freshmen Sydney Hallsten, Sarah Willis and Haylee Yelle, sophomore Morgan Quinn and juniors Sofia Rank and Katie McEnery are in the mix. Kim and McEnery competed at state last year.
St. Charles co-op knew it would have to adjust to life without four-time state qualifier Emma Grace Redmond-Mattucci this season but it appeared as if an extremely young group of talented gymnastics were ready to take over the reigns. Some of them have opted to not come back, and under first-year head coach Natalie Przybylski, the team will have to do some rebuilding rather than simply reloading. "We are looking to make this year a rebuilding year," she said. "We only have one senior (Alissa Buono) and two juniors (Maddie Kramer and Ashley Olea). The rest are all underclassmen." Sophomores Jennifer Nickel and Sydney Kamin are the only returnees with postseason experience. Katie Kempff is a freshman all-arounder who should be fun to watch. "I am excited to see where we can take this team," Przybylski said. "We are hoping to finish in the upper half of the conference." Since she's not far removed from competing herself, Przybylski, a 2011 Elk Grove Village grad, will hopefully be able to relate to the kids and maximize their potential while also helping them celebrate their mutual love for this great sport.
Geneva didn't get out of a regional (139.25) last year and lost a handful of gymnasts including Lily Chapman, Kelly Frank and Holly Friedel. Thankfully, the Vikings return plenty of talent to be competitive, including three all-arounders in senior Grace DeVita and Olivia Takesue and sophomore Kathryn Wendt (34.3 in the all-around in last year's sectional). "Kathryn will most likely be our top one," Geneva coach Kim Hostman said. "But those three will be our main ones but we'll play around with it." Senior multi-event specialists Lindsay King and Sophia Hostasa, juniors Catilin Cook and Maggie Zeim, and underclassmen newcomers Kate Nitschke and Katie Beitzel give Hostman plenty to work with this winter. "It's a strong group," Hostman said. "We're working on strength and competing with character as well as having fun." After back-to-back state appearances, including a second place finish in 2015, the Vikings haven't fared nearly as well in the postseason. De Vita, Takesue, Wendt and Cook all saw action in last year's regional. Beitzel is a familiar name to the program because her older sister Megan Beitzel was a key contributor a several years ago. In fact, she helped the Vikings bring home the state runner-up trophy in 2015.
Batavia has a lot of talent combined with depth and team camaraderie this winter and the Bulldogs work. With a solid mix of returnees and an influx of new talent, Batavia is shaping up for its best season in a long time. "It is perhaps the hardest working, most self-motivated bunch of gymnasts we have ever had," Bulldogs coach Taryn Boyce said. Seniors Lillian Baty-Barr and Jessica Nena are back to lead the team as captains and specialists while junior all-arounders Olivia Bartolotta and Taylor Novotny also return. Opportunities for spots should be competitive as sophomores Kaitlyn Wesender and Haley Salus and junior Delaney Hindel are also back and Boyce has been blessed with quite the class of freshmen with Sydney Balitewicz, Cynthia Carr, Maggie Connell, Natalie Hayden, Brianna Munoz, Jackie Nelson and Hannah Vrba joining the team. "Our captains (Baty-Barr and Nena) have amazing leadership skills," Boyce said. "They understand the importance of the team concept and are goal-oriented, with the main goal of making it to sectionals as a team."
U-46 co-op features at least one gymnast from Bartlett, Elgin, Larkin, South Elgin and Streamwood as part of its entire 19-person program this winter. "In years past, the team has been comprised of primarily one or two high schools," first-year coach Mary Kate Brooks said. "I just love how our students are bonding across schools." A former gymnast and softball player, as well as a cheerleader and diver, Brooks is coaching gymnastics for the first time. "With all five schools, it's pretty fun," she said. "With a smaller group it's a lot different than other sports. It's more intimate and we get to know the ins and outs of each opportunity. The talent level varies and we're super excited to get the girls working on new things, doing things they are proud of and getting over the skills they are scared of." Since Brooks is new, she's still getting to know her roster. Last year, U-46 only went four deep in the postseason with Gianna Murkowski, Frances Kuzyk, Taegan Vinarsky and Kimberly Garcia. Vinrasky graduated while the other three gymnasts returned and will be joined by freshman Allie Bucaro and sophomore Cecily Garcia among others. "Our talent is deep on both beam and floor," Brooks said. "Additionally, we have several talented underclassmen that make it exciting for the program long term."