Story posted Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Hawks Celebrate Conference Title
By DWIGHT ESAU Journal Sports
When this winter's girls gymnastics season started late last year, Maine South coach Tessa Robinson predicted a special year for the Hawks.
Last Thursday at Glenbrook South, her team made her an accurate forecaster.
Remember this season, Hawk fans, it's the first time in school history that a South gymnastics team won a conference championship.
When the competition closed at the conference finals, the Hawks tied with New Trier and Niles West for their first-ever championship in the Central Suburban-South conference.
"It was really exciting for all of us at the end of the meet last week," said Robinson. "We knew we had done well, and we were second behind New Trier in the meet competition itself. When they added up all the season's scores, we tied with the other two teams. This has been our goal all year long, and it's a great feeling to achieve it."
South's title was accomplished largely on the talent and experience of seniors Paula Papaioannou and Jamie Brocker, with a lot of help late this season from junior Kalyna Witkowsky and freshman Haleigh Sir.
Papaioannou won the all-around last Thursday, and took first place on vault and balance beam and second on bars. A highlight of her performance was a season-high 9.65 on the beam, the most difficult event in this sport.
Brocker was second on floor exercise and had a top-eight finish on vault.
Witkowsky placed on floor and Sir placed in the all-around and in a couple of other events, Robinson said.
"We lose Paula and Jamie, but Haleigh and Kalyna come back, and we have several other underclassmen who will be around for awhile, so I think we will be competitive next year and beyond," Robinson said.
South was at Prospect last night (Tuesday) at the Knights sectional as the state tournament began this week.
* At the Central Suburban-North conference final last week, Maine West had something to cheer about when sophomore Michelle Madalinski won first place on beam with a score of 9.3. She is West's best hope for sectional and state qualifying this week. West is at the Palatine regional tomorrow (Thursday).
Maine East finished sixth in the conference meet with 80 points, and is at the Fremd regional tonight (Wednesday) along with Rolling Meadows.
West finished fourth at the CSL-North competition last week with a team score of 122.725. Glenbrook North was the team winner with a score of 133.8.
* Leyden, led by Khrystyna Lychagina, won the West Suburban Gold conference meet with a team score of 134.9. Lychagina won the all-around scoring and finished first on vault (9.425), and floor (9.425).
Leyden is at the Hinsdale Central regional tonight (Wednesday).
* In the Mid Suburban League finals, as expected Fremd and Schaumburg battled it out for top team honors. Fremd won by the narrow margin of 143.925 to 143.150.
The difference was the floor exercise event, in which Fremd scored a meet-high 36.975 to edge out the Saxons.
Saxon Ashley Miller highlighted the meet by winning the all-around and placing first on bars with a 9.755, one of the highest scores in the area on this event this season. Elizabeth Uhrich led Fremd on floor with a 9.4. Stephanie Uhrich and Caitlin Golota finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the all-around for Fremd.
Linda Dunne of Buffalo Grove scored second in the all-around and won first on vault (9.45) and beam (9.225).
Katie Colmone led Prospect with a fourth on bars (9.25) and fifth on vault (9.125).
Wheeling's Amy Burke took third in the all-around and was second on vault (9.35), fourth on beam (9.075), and fifth on floor (9.35).
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