Sports
Sandburg/Stagg Girls Gym Team Opens With a 130.3
Alexa Messina wins all-around title with 35.9, but Prairie Ridge/District 155 co-op rules triangular with 132.6 points; Neuqua Valley finishes third with 128.15 points.
Verdict: Not bad for starters.
The Sandburg/Stagg co-op girls gymnastics team got its season under way on Monday in a triangular meet against Prairie Ridge/District 155 co-op and Neuqua Valley in Naperville.
Junior Alexa Messina was the top all-around scorer with a 35.9 to lead Sandburg/Stagg to a second-place finish with a 130.3. Prairie Ridge/District 155 won with a 132.6 and Neuqua Valley closed with a 128.15.
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"It was pretty rough, and I don't think we were totally ready for this meet," Messina said. "But being here and showing everyone what competition is like was good, and I think we'll be more ready for the next one."
Messina earned a 9.2 score for her floor exercise routine and an 8.8 on the uneven parallel bars.
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Junior newcomer Lexsis Bailey made the transition from club competition to high school and finished with an 8.8 in her debut floor exercise routine.
"I could've done better, but overall it was good for our first meet," Bailey said. "This is just the start and we want to make it to state and place."
Sarah Mussallem, another junior for Sandburg/Stagg, showed little rust on her vault as she received a 9.7.
"The girls did a great job of sticking together as a team and they know the areas they can improve on," Sandburg/Stagg first-year head coach Kory Kronenberg said. "I saw them around the gym helping each other and encouraging each other. Obviously, the skills aren't all there yet, but they'll get there."
Competing in its third meet, Neuqua Valley welcomed the return of junior Jamie Butler. A former Level 9 club gymnast, Butler hadn't competed for a couple of years.
"It was good to have her back and she still has a lot of skills," Neuqua Valley coach Christine Clark said. "It's just going to take her awhile to get back into shape."
Riley Wypiszenski led the Wildcats with a 9.0 on vault and an 8.7 in the floor exercise, while Sarah Cushing, who is battling through ankle injury, finished with an 8.55 on both bars and beam.
"That darn ankle continues to both her," Clark said. "She is getting better and hopefully she can get that flip on her vault."
Both teams will be back in action on Wednesday. Neuqua Valley will host St. Charles co-op and Waubonsie Valley/Metea Valley co-op, while Sandburg/Stagg travels to Hinsdale Central.
