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player ready...Mundelein’s goal this girls gymnastics season never wavered. The Mustangs were out to qualify for state as a team, something they had never done.
They came close, but in the end, had to settle for a near miss as they finished second at the sectional meet in their gym Feb. 9. Glenbrook South came from behind to claim the sectional title and an automatic bid to the state meet to be held Friday and Saturday at Palatine.
“To do all this work and come shy of winning the sectional, and it was so close, that’s the hardest part,” said Nancy Toland, who is retiring after 15 seasons as Mundelein coach. “Hosting and doing all of this work, had we won it, that would have been a little more rewarding.”
Mundelein was competing in a big meet at home for the third consecutive week. The Mustangs had topped Warren to win the North Suburban Conference meet Jan. 30 and the regional championship Feb. 3.
“It’s a different experience,” said senior McKenzie Kehr, who qualified for state as an individual in the all-around, balance beam, floor exercise, uneven parallel bars and vault. “You have more fans come. It’s kind of reassuring.”
At conference, the Mustangs were at their peak with a team score of 143.10. A score of 142.275 followed at the regional.
That gave Mundelein high hopes heading into the sectional.
Locked in a duel with five-time state champion Carmel, it appeared Mundelein might surpass the Corsairs and seize its long-awaited sectional championship. Through three of the four events, Carmel held a slim lead with 107.550 points to Mundelein’s 106.950. Glenbrook South sat within striking distance at 105.225.
Mundelein’s four-rotation score of 34.375 on its final event, the uneven parallel bars, bested Carmel’s 33.575 on the balance beam. That was enough for the Mustangs to overtake the Corsairs, 141.325 to 141.125.
“They girls did great routines,” Toland said. “They stayed strong throughout the whole meet.”
“The pressure was definitely high,” Kehr said. “I feel like we dealt with it really well.”
But one thing happened that Mundelein couldn’t control — Glenbrook South was better.
In their final event, the vault, Titans scored 37.400. That was enough to leapfrog both the Mustangs and Corsairs. Glenbrook South’s total score of 142.625 won the sectional title and the automatic team spot.
Although Mundelein’s season is over, Kehr has one meet left.
The senior is the lone team member to advance to state meet. Kehr won the sectional championship on the bars with a 9.425, and also qualified by ranking in the top five in beam, vault and all-around. She earned an at-large spot in the floor exercise.
It is the fourth straight year Kehr will compete in the state meet. She will try to become the first Mundelein gymnast to medal by finishing in the top six since Lisa Wajswol’s fifth-place finish in the beam in 2012. That was Kehr’s freshman year, and she performed in four events — beam, vault, bars and all-around.
“I’m definitely going to give it my all,” Kehr said. “I’m going to put everything on the line. Hopefully it works out.”
Jon Kerr is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.