Girls Gymnastics: Oswego takes regional, Sandburg has to wait
Updated: January 30, 2012 10:16PM
The waiting game begins for the Sandburg-Stagg gymnastics co-op.
Sandburg, with a score of 135.05, missed out on the automatic qualifying bid to sectionals with a second-place finish at the four-team Oswego Regional.
Host Oswego took first with a 139.375, and now Sandburg will wait to see if they’ll qualify for an at-large bid later in the week.
“In my 27 years coaching the team, we’ve never not made it to sectionals,” Sandburg coach Mike White said. “It will be a bitter pill to swallow, but I’m still proud of the girls because we have such a great group.”
Sandburg will send two automatic individual qualifiers to sectionals - the top five are awarded from each event- with at-large berths given later in the week.
Freshman Anna Grlich qualified on the uneven bars, balance beam, floor and finished third in the all-around with a score of 35.675. Senior leader Sarah Mussalem will join her with a third-place finish on the vault (9.425).
“Sarah has been a part of the rebuilding process, which is a tough roll for a kid to go through,” White said. “She really helped prepare our younger kids, and she let everyone know the team came first.”
The top all-around performer was Andrew’s Jamie Valla (37.750). The junior finished first on the vault, floor, and bars and second to Oswego’s Emily Flammersfeld on the beam.
“I was nervous about today’s meet,” Valla said. “It’s a hard turnaround after competing in Saturday’s conference meet. I was pretty sore.”
Andrew finished third in the sectional with a team score of 132.250.
The Plainfield schools (East, North, and South) competed as individuals. North’s Kori Boe finished fourth All Around with a 35.450 and finished in the top five in every event. She’ll be joined at sectionals by East’s Shukera Birge on the vault (9.275).
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