Fremd streak ends at 19
Fremd was looking to win its 20th consecutive Mike Williams Big Purple Invitational championship on Saturday at Downers Grove North.
Lyons Twp. got in the way.
Behind all-arounders Michelle Cozza and Kelsy Kurfirst finishing 1-2 in the all-around, Lyons cruised past Fremd, 108.050 to 105.825 in the 12-team invitational.
Sydney Plichta placed third in the all-around with a 35.275 to lead the Vikings, but it wasn’t enough to extend the program’s remarkable run. Plichta also won beam with an 8.775 while Emily Pinderski claimed floor with a 9.375.
“Today was not about coming in and bringing our big skills,” Fremd coach Elise Ference said. “I wanted them on their feet and healthy, and for the most part they got it done.”
The Vikings were without Stephanie Gallo, who is concussed. They’ve already lost standout Shannon Lemajeur for the season after an ACL injury in the off-season.
“No double backs today, just focusing on keeping them safe,” Ference said. “We don’t need to prove anything now. We want to peak in February.”
Naperville Central headed home with some hardware after claiming third place by edging Oswego, 98.150 to 98.125.
“They didn’t have their best meet on Thursday and today they focused on keeping good form and seemed more relaxed,” Redhawks coach Glen Reimers said. “I told them that they weren’t doing anything different today that they haven’t done before. So they went out, had fun and it worked out.”
Brittany Mitchell, Claire Savard and Vanessa Henry nearly matched each other in the all-around to pace Naperville Central.
“We have a pretty even team this year with the exception being Brittany doing a tsuk on vault,” Reimers said. “It’s a nice group that’s been together for three years now, so I think they work well together.”
Naperville North made its season debut and placed fifth with a 97.15.
“We had some rough spots, but we had some highlights too that we can focus on and work from,” Huskies coach Chris Stanicek said. “Michaela and Kaitlyn did wonderful. For the beginning of the year, I’m happy with where we’re at, but we also have a lot of work to do.”
Sophomore Michaela Robert tied for top honors on bars with a 9.35 and placed fourth in the all-around with a 34.6 to lead the Huskies. Teammate Kaitlyn Daly took fifth in the all-around with a 33.85.
Glenbard East’s Angela Kerndl had a 29.425 in the all-around to help the Rams secure ninth place with an 89.8.