Girls gymnastics: Scouting Cook and Lake County

Lake County dominated the girls gymnastics state finals last season, sending a record four teams despite having just nine in the county.

Vernon Hills finished second, Carmel was fifth, Lake Zurich finished sixth and Stevenson was seventh.

They and others have their sights on trip to the state finals at Palatine Feb. 17-18.

Barrington just missed qualifying for state last year. But the Fillies believe they are ready to correct that. They have six experienced all-arounders in seniors Ellie Marquis, Sofia Rosenzweig, Adriana Merzyn and Ember Stennett and juniors Sierra Stennett and Nika Patel. Isy DiGioia is a beam specialist.

"We have a lot of talented girls on the team, and we are excited to watch these girls reach their potential," Barrington coach Jason Loeffler said. "We need to hit routines, stay on the beam and have fun doing it. We also need to learn how to relax."

Buffalo Grove is almost starting from scratch. The Bison don't return any varsity gymnasts from last season. They also have a new head coach in Amy Rivera. Senior Colleen Dahl and sophomore Keni Lupuliak will be counted on as all-arounders. Ilana Argentar, Jessica Riesterer, Zoe Petti and Masha Savelyev will head a group of specialists.

"I hope we can continue adding more difficulty to our routines and execute clean, confident gymnastics," Rivera said. "I hope we'll have a more predictable, consistent lineup as the season progress."

Carmel is the only private school in the state competing in girls gymnastics. Sarah Arends, who was 24th in the all-around last year, leads the way. She is joined by a trio of seniors in Chloe Byrne, Lilly Bruschuk and Emma Haas. Julia Bukowski, who is junior along with freshman Alyssah Arends and Ava Fendel should make them formidable again this season.

"Our expectation and main goal is to qualify to the State meet," Carmel coach Sarah Mikrut Doyle said. "We work very hard to reach that goal year after year and put countless hours into its fruition. This year will be no different."

Conant will have youth leading its way. Junior Bri Kaminski is the team's top all-arounder, while freshman all-arounders Kylie Halman and Marissa Schulman also lead the way. Specialists Riya Gosavia, Naida Kyoseva, Allegra Chapp and Kayla Rodriguez give the Cougars some depth.

"This is one of the youngest varsity groups I have ever coached," Conant coach Anthony Avella said. "We are constantly pushing ourselves to work harder than our competition."

Elk Grove looks to continue to build momentum. The young Grenadiers are led by all-arounders Adie Vergara, a junior, and Melia Mclain, a senior. Junior Abby Carlson and freshmen Adrianna Kadziela and Camille Fouche will be key contributors as specialists.

"This season our team will be more prepared," Elk Grove coach Abi Diaz said. "Our athletes are still very young, and we are working on taking them to the next level."

Fremd is looking to bounce back after finishing 6th in the MSL last year. Kacey Tokunga, a senior all-arounder, will be the cornerstone. She will be joined by all-arounder Julia White and specialist Liv D'Angelo. The Vikings are also hoping to get Abby Gallicho back from an ankle injury.

"This team doesn't shy away from hard work," Fremd coach Kacey Kronforst said. "They are a determined group of athletes and will work their hearts out to reach their goals."

Hersey is young but also could be formidable. The Huskies have a group of junior and sophomore all-arounders with the experience to help them vie for the MSL title and possibly a state run.

MSL all-around champ Sabrina Nemcek and Grace Johnson are both juniors while Gianna Mazzola and Evelyn Gradek are sophomores. Senior specialist Lauren Bayer and junior specialists Jane Forsberg and Elizabeth Berk should also help.

"We just need to stay confident all season, have fun and do what we know what to do," Hersey coach Shannon Barrett said. "We can't let pressure get underneath us."

Hoffman Estates was hit hard by graduation, but the Hawks are still hoping to fly high behind seniors Hailey Hamann and Nora Werner, junior Vanessa Mauldin Lovorn, sophomore Chelsi Vaghelsa and freshmen Nia Bridgeman and Savanah Steffan.

"We graduated nine seniors last year, so we lack the experienced leadership that we have had in the past," Hoffman Estates coach Dave Calisch said. "Without that experience to lean on, it will take a while to figure out how we step up to the challenges that are in front of us."

Lakes has four solid all-arounders in senior JJ Crum, junior Josie Gates and sophomores Julia Blasinski and Liv Stolzer. Isabella Aya and Ellie Nampel are newcomers and all-arounders, while Emily Kaluzinski rounds out the squad as a specialist.

"Our team is small this year but compact with talent," Lakes coach Chris Patton said. "Our varsity program is chock-full of all-arounders, and the girls are extremely flexible in terms of events they can compete."

Lake Zurich has been slowed in the early part of this season due to injuries.

"The hope is by mid-January the girls who came into the season with injuries will be healed up in time for postseason competition," coach Chelsie Grotelueschen said.

Emily Hills, AJ Burke Gianna Mirabella, Mia McHugh Ava Pearson and Natalie Yoon will be competing in the all-around. Laila Shaf, Olivia Verden, Sophie Borst and Amelia Bordt are specialists.

Leyden is looking to contend in the West Suburban Gold. Senior all-arounder Senfora Hanc qualified for sectionals last year. Juniors Kasey MacLeod and Emily Stewart and sophomore Nicole Martino also are all-arounders. Kylie Kopecky is a senior floor and vault specialist, while freshman Debora Hanc is hoping to make her mark.

"Our expectation is to compete for the conference championship and hopefully win our regional," Leyden coach Bill Cordts said. "We added a little more difficulty to our routines and working at keeping our sets clean and eliminating deductions."

Libertyville is counting on its senior-dominated roster. Anna Becker, the state vault champion last year, will be a key asset. Senior Max Roiland and juniors Ally Humbert and Corinne Biedermann will also be key factors. Sasha Chatamra, Maya Duffy, Kenzie Tyrrell, Adele Wildberding, Alyssa Levy, Adele Wilberding, Charlie Tomlinson and Madison Hughes should provide some depth.

"The athletes have been training in the off season and are off to a great start," Libertyville coach Tiffany Owens said. "We are hopeful to be a team contender for the conference title and advance through the state series as a team for the first time in a long time"

Maine East looks to continue to build with Megan Espinoza, Arbella Sarkissian, Vidhi Soni, Mireya Lima as all-arounders and Mireya Lima and Natalie Kowalkowski as specialists.

Maine South has no seniors but has a bevy of junior all-arounders in Anastasia Gritsonis, Grace Bolech, Madelyn Rutherford, Gabriella McCants, Jenna Sinandirakis along with specialist Arianna Hirsh. Freshman all-arounder Katie Saviski will also be in the mix.

"I want to have the best season we possibly can," Maine South coach Heidi Bowen said. "We have an exceptional amount of talent and depth and if we stay healthy, we can be a conference, regional and sectional contender."

Maine West will be looking to give head coach Amanda Harrison a nice send-off after 18 years at the helm. The Warriors are led by returning all-arounders Maya Woroszylo, Lilly Bain and Madison Story. Newcomers Julia Zielinski, who is an all-arounder, and specialist Gisele Mansour should also be key contributors. Specialists Theresa Palmeri, Matilda Mendoza and Ioanna Charalambous should provide some depth.

"I have been in this sport for 34 years and have had the pleasure of several judges, coaches and athletes shape me to who I am today," Harrison said. "I am eternally thankful."

Mundelein is looking to make a move forward this season. Lexie Ede and Megan Oates are all-arounders for the Mustangs, while specialists Kihara Espinosa, Isla Rehm, Kate Burchill should help punch up the scores.

Prospect had a good season last year, but graduation took its toll. The Knights are led by all-arounders Angelina Rago, Annika Dolney and Meghan Smith. Julia Cunniff, Anya Soriano, Julia Baltes and Jessica Gemmel will give the team depth as specialists.

Palatine coach Terry Theobald begins his 35th season at the helm for the Pirates. Freshman Jolee Waddington's mom, Jodi Forsberg, was on Theobald's teams in the late 1980s.

"That's a new record for me," Theobald said.

The Pirates will look to defend their MSL title this season. They will be led by seniors Riley Strahl, Emily Ziemba and Kira Bernier along with juniors Madde Weber and Maggie Haddad

Rolling Meadows could be a sleeper this season. The Mustangs return a ton of talent in all-arounders Brooklyn Hextall, Katherine Davenport, Caitlin Widawski, Emma Conners, Anna Brancato, Ariya King and Melina Moreno. Freshman Emma Conners could be one to watch while sophomore Arriya King should also be a huge help.

"This group is definitely an array of diverse talents and personalities that ironically balances us off," Rolling Meadows coach Michael Costa said.

Schaumburg has a new head coach in Paula Parat. The Saxons return a quartet of all-arounders in Chali Bauann, Amelia Mazeikis, Amy Carhee and Madeline Mazeikis. Freshmen Riya Parikh, Jhyla Johnson and Daria Czapkowicz and sophomore Wiktoria Wojcik will also be contributors.

"What I can see so far is that the girls are very talented and hard workers," Parat said. "Practices are spent working on new skills, setting goals, and achieving those goals by performing to the best of their ability at this sport."

Stevenson is led by all-arounder Ashley Schabes, who was third in the state last year. Emma Fang, Samantha Matzek and Charlotte Rosenbaum, Ariel Kaplan, Paige Bernadette, Genavieve Fox Cassidy Carlborg, and Clara Cavalcanti provide depth.

Vernon Hills returns three gymnasts who were in the top 27 in the state in the all-around last year. Junior Annika Chudy was fifth, senior Becca Tran was 25th, while her sister, Livy, was 27th and also was the state vault champ last year as a freshman. Jessica DeLorm, a senior specialist, and junior all-arounders Sarah Gutowski and Christina Raquel provide depth.

"My expectations for our team this season are to take it day by day and meet by meet," Vernon Hills coach Denise Caton said. "I want us to stay healthy and confident throughout our season."

Warren has a nice mix up and down the lineup. Amanda Hamann, who was a sectional qualifier last year in the all-around, is poised to have a big season. Mackenzie Liebau and Hailey Krueger are junior all-arounders, Emilia Montes is a sophomore specialist and freshman all-arounders Hailey Hamann and Nora Werner also will be counted on.

"Our team chemistry is something I have not seen before," Warren coach Mary Kovac said. "Our girls work really well together and push each other to not only be better in the gym but outside of the gym as well."

Wheeling will be young. The Wildcats are led by junior all-arounder Elise Stanculesco, sophomore all-arounder Julia Veverka and freshman vault specialist Roxana Milocheva.

"Our team is young but has notable experience," Wheeling coach Jaclyn Share said. "We are excited to see how we grow this season."