Neuqua Valley takes 2nd at DVC meet

Freshman twins Haley and Hannah Fitzgerald had been waiting for this moment and now that it has arrived they can't wait to experience it again.

Competing in their first meet against more than one team, they finished in third and fourth place respectively in the all-around to help Neuqua Valley earn second place in Friday's season-ending DVC meet in their home gym Naperville.

"Being in a gym with five other teams is amazing," Haley Fitzgerald said. "Wearing masks is still, you know, whatever, but keeping everyone safe is wonderful. And the dynamic here was great. Everyone's sportsmanship, seeing everyone cheer for everyone and seeing our team do great, was amazing to see."

DeKalb/Sycamore co-op was crowned DVC champs with a 143.1 and followed by Neuqua Valley (135.95), Naperville North (130.35), Waubonsie Valley/Metea Valley co-op (126.45) and Naperville Central (107.35).

"It's just really exciting to feel normal even though we're still wearing masks," Hannah Fitzgerald said. "It's so much more energy with everyone in here and super exciting. On top of doing well, it was a great way to end the season."

The Wildcats were most impressive on floor with Audrey Baun winning with a 9.0 and Hannah Fitzgerald placing second with an 8.95. Haley Fitzgerald was fifth with an 8.7 and Amelia Wachtel, who was sixth in the all-around with a 33.35, was also sixth on floor with an 8.65

Baun was also fourth on bars with an 8.7 and Hannah Fitzgerald rook sixth on bars with an 8.3.

"The happiest thing I did was my bail," Hannah Fitzgerald said. "I was just getting it back and I did it and I was happy with it."

Haley Fitzgerald was fourth on vault with a 9, fourth on beam with a 9.05 and fifth on floor with an 8.7, where she was most pleased with her overall performance.

"My favorite was my upgrades on floor today," she said. "Hitting those was a big accomplishment."

As former club gymnasts whose injuries led to them taking 2-3 years off from the sport, high school gymnastics has proved to be a great fit for the twins. Unfortunately, the pandemic has eliminated some of the biggest fun - Saturday invites. The DVC gave them a taste of what next year could be like, and they're all in.

"I'm extremely happy with how far we've come for being out for so long," Hannah Fitzgerald said. "All the next skills are so amazing. I'm so happy to be out here again with her and this team. It's so much fun."

Naperville North's Katie Kristle took fifth in the all-around with a 33.65 and Abby Aldrich was seventh with a 33.2.

"I thought everything went really well except beam, I fell once, but still really solid," Kristle said. "It was nice to place on bars (fifth with an 8.35). I've struggled a bit throughout the season, but everything else went really well."

Kristle also placed fourth on floor with an 8.8 for a Huskies team that will return everyone next winter.

"We all train at the same club in the off-season and it's super easy to get skills in club because you have so many more mats and pits, but at school it's a bit harder," Kristle said. "I think we'll come back a lot stronger next year."

Waubonsie Valley/Metea Valley co-op was led by Stephanie Svec (31.9) and Hailey Mitchell (31.6) in the all-around. Mitchell was also sixth on beam with an 8.4. Emily Thompson led the team on bars and vault.

"As a team I thought we had some great routines on beam with no wobbles, which was awesome," Thompson said. "And on floor some of the sticks we had were really great."

In a season like no other, Metea Valley athletic director Matt Fehrmann addressed the girls and coaches prior to the awards, providing a nice final sentiment on a challenging year on and off the mat.

"Don't be surprised when you're successful for the rest of your lives, own it," he said. "The resiliency I saw was amazing, Some of you who failed, you jumped right back on beam or whatever apparatus it was and you nailed it. As a father of two daughters, I'm thrilled that you guys will be role models for all the young girls and boys out there that are going into sports."

That's a 10.