Girls gymnastics: Chudy, Vernon Hills bring home sectional titles
With the pressure on, the Vernon Hills girls gymnastics team held true to form Tuesday night at the Glenbrook South sectional as the Cougars easily rolled to the team title with 145.5 points.
Vernon Hills joins Hinsdale Central sectional champion Downers Grove North (146.1 points) as the first two qualifiers into next weekend’s eight-team state meet with two more sectional meets to be contested. The four at-large squads and at-large individuals will be determined following the final sectional on Thursday night.
Lake Zurich scored a season-high 141.45 points to place third while Warren (138.55), and Carmel Catholic (137.85) placed fifth and sixth, respectively.
Vernon Hills senior Annika Chudy (9.59 average) worked her magic to soar to the all-around title with 38.35 points while teammate Livy Tran took runner-up honors overall with 36.85 points. The top five finishers in every event and the all-around earned berths to the state meet at Palatine.
"We still definitely had some mistakes, but nothing that we can't fix before the next round," said Chudy, whose team placed second to DGN last year at state. "As long as we do our best (next week) that's all you can really ask for and have fun. Really the key is confidence. The past couple of years going into state we've been a little nervous and a little shaky and I think this year we need to stay positive and confident."
Lake Zurich's Gianna Mirabella (36.225 points) placed fourth in the all-around while Stevenson freshman Kate Staub and Lake Zurich's Mia McHugh (36.15 points) tied for fifth to earn trips to the state meet.
"We started on beam which can be a difficult event to start on and we went 5-for-5 on beam," said Lake Zurich coach Chelsie Groteleuschen. "I am so proud of them to have no falls on beam and that set the stage for the entire meet."
Chudy took first place on all four events. Libertyville's Ally Humbert (9.525) reached state with a second-place finish on vault as did Carmel's Ava Fendel in fourth. Fendel (9.225) also advanced with a second on balance beam along with Lake Zurich's Emily Hills (9.175) in fourth. Staub and Mirabella (9.05) tied for fifth on floor exercise.
"We had a really rough day on bars (36.175) which is a tough event for us in general," said Vernon Hills coach Denise Caton. "I'm super-proud of them. We've had to fight for every 10th and everyone stepped into their role and accepted it."
Mundelein's Isla Rehm (9.125) has a good shot at state on balance beam as does Warren's Nora Werner (9.0) on floor exercise. Vernon Hills freshman Mya Brusso (36.125 points) placed seventh in the all-around.