Eovaldi Earns Return Trip To State

Ella Eovaldi saved her best for last Wednesday night at the Hoffman Estates Sectional gymnastics meet.

Eovaldi soared to a second place finish on the balance beam with a routine score of 9.35 --- a career best --- and also lifted herself into an automatic qualifying spot in the all-around scoring at the same time.

The Evanston junior punched a ticket to the Illinois High School Association state finals set for February 16-17 at Palatine High School, advancing for the second time in her career.

Eovaldi’s runnerup sectional finish marked the best showing by an ETHS gymnast at a sectional competition in an individual event since Liz Iacuzzi placed second on uneven bars back in 1999. Eovaldi also claimed one of the automatic berths with an all-around score of 35.825, good for fifth place.

At-large qualifiers will be announced by the IHSA next Monday. But unlike her freshman year, when she made it on beam in the at-large category, Eovaldi won’t have to wait to get the good news.

And unlike her sophomore season, this year will have a happier ending.

“I’ll never forget that bus ride home from the sectional last year,” said Evanston head coach Mike Spevack. “It was a long ride and it was very silent. Ella was super upset because she didn’t make it back to State. And yet by the time we pulled up to the school, she was telling me don’t worry about it, next year will be better.

“She certainly did better tonight.”

Call it a Redemption Tour if you want to, but Eovaldi made sure she’d keep her season alive with another chance to show she’s among the elite gymnasts in the state of Illinois.

“I did a terrible job at the sectional last year, and I remember feeling really bad about it,” Eovaldi said. “I just used that feeling as my motivation ever since then, especially when I had an off-day. I worked on my skills every day to be more consistent, so I wouldn’t stress out once I got to the sectional again.

“Last year I felt like I HAD to make it to State again and the season wasn’t as much fun. This year there’s a lot of positivity around my teammates and my team, and that impacted my performance. I’ve definitely been a lot more consistent in practices and in meets.”

Competing in a sport that is so subjective, and where tenths or hundredths of a point can make the difference in a trip to State or a trip home on the bus, most gymnasts know that nothing is guaranteed from year to year.

That’s a lesson that Eovaldi learned the hard way in 2023.

“She had a really rough sectional last year,” Spevack said. “Remember when she was a freshman it was such a surprise that she qualified, and there was no pressure on her to make it to State. Last year I think she had more expectations. There’s a very small margin for error in this sport, and she just happened to have her worst meet on the wrong day.

“To me, Ella is arguably one of the best ever to come through ETHS --- but I might be biased. She got better and she was motivated not just to do well, but to win. She’s a great ambassador for the sport and she deserves this.”

Eovaldi had an unfortunate draw in the event rotations as the second athlete up on floor exercise. She turned in a routine that probably should have earned a score of at least a 9.0 or higher, but settled for an 8.85 because the judges don’t typically award high scores until later in the competition.

She forged ahead with scores of 8.7 on vault and 8.925 on uneven bars, setting the stage for her dramatic finish.

After watching teammates Tait Hansen and Elliott Ditchman suffer a fall apiece on balance beam, she kept her composure with a stunning effort and the crowd gasped when her score of 9.35 was flashed.

“This year I added one new skill on beam, an aerial, a cartwheel with no hands,” Eovaldi explained. “I’ve only landed it a couple of times this year, in meets and in practice. And I did it tonight, too.

“It’s cool, I guess, to make some history tonight, but I’m striving for more. Next week at State I just want to give it my all and try to do my best.”

“For her to be going to State in the all-around is absolutely incredible,” said Spevack. “That wasn’t as good as she could have done tonight, but you have to be pretty damn good to do that.”

Hansen, a junior, and Ditchman, a freshman, had joined their teammate at the sectional as part of the at-large field coming out of the regionals. Hansen managed an all-around score of 31.85, including a 7.925 on floor exercise, a 7.65 on beam, a 7.225 on bars and a 9.05 on vault. Ditchman scored a solid 8.175 on bars and a 7.15 on beam.

“Elliott did a great job all year. I couldn’t ask for more from a freshman, and it’s a great experience for her to be able to feel this (atmosphere), being in a gym where everyone else is crazy good around you,” added Spevack. “This is huge for her going forward.

“Tait has improved a lot from last year. Unfortunately she had a rough meet tonight, but this is not her plateau. She knows --- or she should know --- that she’s better than how she finished up this year. I think she’ll come back next year with a vengeance, just like Ella did. She’s an incredibly talented gymnast.”