Last season, junior Emmy Bertucci and her Lyons Township High School girls gymnastics teammates had their best meet during regionals at home.
When the Lions duplicated the feat Wednesday at the Lyons Township Regional, the performances – and the screaming – were even greater.
“The mindset was completely different (this year),” Bertucci said.
LTHS captured its first regional championship since 2015 by scoring a season-high 138.975 points that also is the program’s highest since that season, when the Lions finished fifth at state after back-to-back state championships.
Bertucci (9.35 on balance beam) and senior Emily Tucker (9.275 on uneven parallel bars) were individual event champions with personal-best scores.
“We wait until the end (for results),” said senior Emily Tucker following the post-meet pandemonium. “Last regionals (as a senior), it’s sad but I’m happy because I ended on a good note.”
Freshman Brynn Krantz, senior Elle Rockrohr and juniors Dahlia Highland and Ava Hepokoski also earned individual sectional berths automatically with top-five regional finishes or at-large among remaining scores from the four feed-in regionals.
The Lions compete at the Hinsdale Central Sectional Monday with hopes of getting to the eight-team state meet Feb.16-17.
In 2023, the Lions earned their first team trip to sectionals since 2017 with a third-place 135.30 that advanced at-large.
“I remember last year thinking, ‘Oh, maybe we can make it at-large (to sectionals as a team). That would be pretty cool.’ And we did. It was amazing,” Bertucci said.
“Then this year we came into it like, ‘We need to win this. We can do this.’ We had a lot of faith in ourselves and we pulled it off.”
Statewide, 10 teams scored at least 140 at regionals. In this season’s other home meet Jan. 17, the Lions scored a then-best 138.65 on Senior Night.
Even Thursday, LTHS coach Brittany Milovanovic still noted five combined falls among double back flip dismounts on uneven bars and beam routines, each an automatic .50 deduction.
“This was my goal. I really wanted to win regionals and now with this score I really want to try and go to state at-large,” Milovanovic said. “If we hit clean and hit our doubles (off bars), we could. I think that they all want to go to state on some sort of an event so they’re really motivated.”
Tucker could not remember previously scoring in the 9s on uneven bars. She also was fifth in all-around (33.975) and advanced at-large on floor (8.55).
“Honestly, I was very shocked that I got the (bars) score of 9.275,” Tucker said.
“I’m very proud of myself on bars because I scored very high but I’m also proud of the team. It’s amazing. Going into sectionals, I hope we get even higher but if not I’m still proud of us no matter what.”
Bertucci was elated with the second half of her meet – beam and second on floor exercise (9.325) – that propelled her to second in all-around (34.625).
“It’s not my best all-around (total) but the fact that I got such a high score on beam and floor definitely makes it my best meet personally,” Bertucci said.
“I was very nervous going into the beam routine. Then the second I landed my back tuck, I knew I had it in the bag. I just wasn’t really expecting my score to be that good.”
Krantz advanced on all five events individually. Krantz was third on vault (9.15) and floor (9.0), fourth in all-around (34.45), tied for fifth on uneven bars (7.9) and qualified at-large on beam (8.4).
Highland was second on vault (9.175) with new pike Tsukahara and advanced at-large in all-around (33.40), beam (8.60) and uneven bars (7.675).
Rockrohr was fourth on floor (8.75) and fifth on vault (8.675). Hepokoski was fourth on beam (8.1).
RBHS girls gymnsatics
RBHS sophomore Kayla Janusz was simply happy to be in the Bulldogs’ 2023 regional lineup. She competed on floor even with an ankle injury that kept her from vaulting.
“I was really just focused on competing varsity and earning that spot,” Janusz said. “I’ve come a long way from then to now.”
On Wednesday, Janusz was standing tall after a fourth-place 8.75 vault that advanced her to the Hinsdale Central Sectional Monday.
“(Qualifying) honestly means everything to me because I’ve worked so hard the last couple of weeks to get this (handspring full twist) vault down,” Janusz said. “Just landing it and making it to sectionals is a huge thing for me.”
Freshman Paige Phelan also advanced by taking fifth on beam (8.85) and achieving at-large cuts in all-around (32.85) and floor (8.3).
“Not my high scores but I feel I performed pretty well,” Phelan said. “I feel like it’s a little unexpected (advancing) but it’s really sure.”
Four days earlier, Phelan had a rare fall off beam at the Upstate Eight Conference Meet.
“It was relieving sticking it and just knowing that my work paid off. I worked harder in practice (Tuesday) to stick the thing that I fell on,” Phelan said.
Janusz (8.15 on beam) and junior Tanya Hertogs (8.5 on vault) missed respective at-large cuts by .05.