It’s the first girls gymnastics meet of the new year, and the Valley Co-Op is ready to get the DVC matchups underway, playing host to the Naperville Central Redhawks in the Neuqua Valley auxiliary gym. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Both teams fly high on the bars
Starting things off on the uneven bars, where diving star Ella Buchenauer takes her turn for the Valley. She gears up for the double somersault tuck on the dismount, but can’t quite keep her footing for the clean landing. Despite the stumble, the impressive display gives her an 8.50.
Naperville Central is taking a turn with Avani Prasad as she settles herself for a final spin around the bar and a dismount. She makes a steady landing and takes a score of 7.45, second on the team in the event.
The top Redhawk on the bars is Morgan Bullivant. She keeps her momentum going as she makes her way around the high bar and sticks a strong landing. Bullivant with a 7.65 in the event.
The Valley moves over to the vault, where Teagan Thacker sprints down the runway and twists over the vaulting table and lands with a score of 8.60, tied for second in the event.
That tie is with Ava Prokop from Naperville Central, the lone Redhawk gymnast competing in the all-around. She is sound as usual after a successful routine.
Teammate Harley Sambrooks is not far behind as she earns an 8.45, good enough for the top five in the event.
Wrapping up the vault is Lily Ladaga from the Valley, who gets great height as she springboards her way to an 8.50, resulting in her top score on the night.
Lucia Caruso continues her strong night on the beam
Onto the balance beam, where Lucia Caruso steps into the spotlight. The all-state diver showcases her athleticism with a backflip off the beam and an energetic finish. The senior takes first in the event with an 8.90, just ahead of her Waubonsie Valley diving teammate Buchenauer, who scores an 8.65.
Naperville Central gets a strong performance on the beam from Lia Bennett, who works hard to keep her balance, before flipping down for the dismount, earning a 7.95.
Stella Hutchinson is the third performer in the all-around, showcasing her top performance of the meet on the beam. A cartwheel into a backflip off the end of the beam, closing out an 8.35 routine in style. That’s good for fourth overall in the event.
It’s an all-Valley top four on the beam, and in third place is Jade Woulfe, who clinches a strong score of 8.55 with a twisting dismount to keep the Valley in front in the team standings on the scoreboard.
The Redhawks finish strong on the floor
Ava Prokop finishes third in the all-around and finishes in the top two on the team in three of four events for Naperville Central. She is excited to be performing the floor exercise again after an injury sidelined her for several weeks. Prokop scores an even 8.00 in her return to the floor.
The floor is the lone event for Redhawk Mia Lupo, but she makes it count by delighting the crowd with an energetic routine to close out the night for Central. She leads the team with an 8.30, the second-best score in the event overall.
Leading the way in the all-around is Lucia Caruso, who caps off another big night with a high-flying floor routine. Caruso tallies a 9.35, the top score in any event, while earning a 35.75 all-around score. The Valley takes the team victory as well over Naperville Central on a fun-filled night by the score of 134.15 to 123.75.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
