Both the Deerfield and Highland Park girl’s gymnastics teams were in action on Saturday at the Central Suburban League North Conference Championships—and both were chasing Glenbrook North, which appears to be the conference powerhouse heading into regional and sectional competition.
Glenbrook North took the top spot in the six-team field with 140.2 combined points. Deerfield finished second with 128.05, followed by Niles North (125.676) and Highland Park (121.575).
“Overall we did well as a team,” said Deerfield head coach Krista Settles. “The strongest team in our conference is definitely Glenbrook North. They are the better team this year, again.”
Deerfield was led by the trio of freshman Brooke Buranosky, junior Samantha Sansweet and sophomore Rachel Krengel. Buranosky finished tied for second in the all-around competition with Caroline Blankfield of Glenbrook North, scoring 34.475 points. Marissa Gradei of Maine West took first in the all-around with 35.575 points.
“Brooke had a great meet,” Settles said. “She had a great tuck tsuk and scored a 9.3 to take second place (in vault). She had a good routine on floor with an 8.65 (good enough for 5th place overall).”
Sansweet finished fifth in the all-around competition with 33.525. Her strongest performance came in bars, where she scored an 8.525 to finish in second place. Krengel competed on floor and beam, where she earned a 4th place spot with an 8.65.
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Highland Park was led in the all-around competition by junior Avery Spitz, who finished in sixth with 32.725. Her teammate freshman Emily Aronin wasn’t far back, in ninth with 32.025 points.
“I think the meet went really well for us,” said Highland Park head coach Jose Salazar. “The girls really stepped up. Ellie (Maites, a senior) had one of her better meets of the season.”
Spitz also finished tied for sixth in bars (8.000) and eighth in balance beam (8.225). Highland Park was helped by the return of freshman Aliana Velick, who has been limited by a knee injury.
“She’s only been cleared on bars,” Salazar said. “She scored a 6.8, having only been cleared on Friday and not able to do her entire routine. It definitely helps us to have her in there, allowing us to count her score and drop one that’s in the low fives.
“She’s feeling really good,” he said. “She’s still not able to do her release moves, so hopefully those will come next. You just don’t want to put any stress on that knee until it’s ready for it.”
Deerfield had its regional meet on Monday night, where it once again finished second to Glenbrook North, 142.075 to 132.65. The remaining regional meets continue this week, with Highland Park competing on Thursday, to determine who advances to sectionals on Feb. 9.
“Our goal is to get some individuals to sectionals,” Settles said. “Individually, Brooke, Samantha and Rachel were trying to place in the top five or get as close as they could, so there would be hope to make it at-large. Brooke is going for sure on vault, beam, floor and all-around; Samantha is for sure going on bars.”
“In some ways, it’s nice to have the last regional meet, because we’ll know what we need to do to advance,” Salazar said. “I think we’re going to have some girls get (to sectionals).”