March 10, 2009
GIRLS GYMNASTICS STATE FINALS
Stevenson wins girls state gymnastics title
Seplowin's win keys 1-3-4 finish, helps Patriots top Sandburg-Stagg for title
A perfect blend of experience, youth and depth lifted Stevenson to the greatest height.
A terrific all-around performance from senior Chelsie Seplowin and strong showings from senior Stephanie Wojton, sophomore Caitlin Pagano and freshman Ali Castriano allowed Stevenson to overcome an injury to senior Shana Manning and capture the state team gymnastics title Saturday night at Palatine.
Seplowin, who finished third in the all-around Friday night, also claimed an individual title in the uneven parallel bars (9.725) as the Lincolnshire school outscored runner-up Sandburg/Stagg 148.9-148.1.
Prairie Ridge sophomore Jenny Covers added a gold medal in vault (9.775) to the all-around title she won Friday night, while Sandburg senior Krystyn Misheck captured the floor exercise with a 9.8 and Lyons Township senior Emily Urben won the balance beam with a 9.575.
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Castriano placed second in the beam and Pagano and Wojton were third and fourth, respectively, in the parallel bars for the Patriots, who finished second to Fremd last year.
"It feels great to end my senior year like this," said Seplowin, who will continue her career at Illinois State. "I told the girls, 'This is my last shot; let's do this together.' But we are not done; Stevenson gymnastics is not over. We are passing the torch to the others."
A few minutes after narrowly avoiding injury in a crash on the vault, Seplowin put together the best parallel-bar routine of her career.
She nailed a Geinger — releasing from the high bar with a back flip and half-twist before grabbing the high bar again — and turned a giant half-turn into a handstand from the high bar to the low bar to top the 9.7 she scored in the preliminary round. Covers was second in the event with a 9.65, and Pagano (9.625) and Wojton (9.425) also hit Geingers to give Stevenson three of the top four finishers in the event.
"I just can't believe it," Seplowin said. "I worked so hard on bars and this whole year has been up and down. I didn't think I could do better than a 9.7. Words can't describe how good it feels to have my best routine at the state meet."
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