Valley Co-Op narrowly edges Naperville North in girls gymnastics matinee

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The District 204 Valley Co-Op slips past Naperville North by a slim margin in a girls gymnastics matinee. This highlight is sponsored by BMO Harris Bank.

Naperville North girls gymnastics travels to Neuqua Valley to face the newly-formed District 204 Valley Co-Op for the first time. Gymnasts from Neuqua, Waubonsie and Metea Valley now working together as teammates in search of a win over their conference rivals.

Huskies take early advantage on the vault

The teams start off taking turns on the vault and the uneven bars. Chloe Smith sprints down the runway for the Huskies. She gets some good height and makes a solid landing. That earns a score of 8.35.

The Valley gets off on the right foot with its vault performance. Lauren Reynolds with an 8 to start the day for the Co-Op.

One of the top vault scores on the day comes from another North gymnast as Sam Connolly tallies an 8.7 on this roundoff as she keeps the landing under control.

The best score on the vault also comes from the Huskies with Abby Aldrich getting an 8.75 on the roundoff with 3/4 twist.

The Valley performs well on the bars

The Valley Co-Op picking up points on the bars as Gabi Palm earns a 7.9, second best on the team and third best overall in the event.

Abby Aldrich is back for the blue and orange on the bars, leading the team once again with an 8.15. Coach Chris Stanicek offers encouragement as she is able to get her momentum going for three swings around the high bar and sticking the landing.

The best performance on the uneven bars comes from Stephanie Svec for the Valley. A seamless transition between the bars leads to a smooth dismount and landing. It’s the only event of the day for Svec but she makes it count with an 8.4.

Naperville North stays close with strong beam scores

Xara Gin hopes to continue her strong day on the balance beam for the Valley Co-op. A couple of backwards walkovers as Gin keeps her balance before dismounting with a backflip with a little hop. A 7.6 is second best for the Co-op.

Naperville North also performing well on the beam to stay close in the team standings. Kate Ahlfeld working hard to stay on the beam on her turns, but she is able to regain control. She then also finishes with a walkover backwards right into a back somersault tuck on the dismount. That earns the Huskies a 7.9.

Erin Arnold with one of the top balance beam performances for either team. The Huskie manages to keep her balance on her final turns before the dismount. The aerial walkover forward with a twist gets the job done. An 8.4 is the second best score in the event behind only teammate Abby Aldrich and her 8.55.

Speaking of Aldrich, here she is on the floor, once again putting up big points for the Huskies. Good body control on display and a team best 8.7 in the event. Aldrich is the All Around winner for the meet with a 34.15.

The Valley earns big points on the floor

Hailey Mitchell has been a standout for the Waubonsie/Metea Co-op for the past two seasons and now she steps into a key role for the Valley Co-op. Her teammates miming along with her floor routine before showing great control on her back handsprings to conclude a strong performance. An 8.45 is third best overall and second on the team.

Just a few points separating the two teams in the overall score. Lauren Cordero wrapping up the day of competition with her floor routine and talk about saving the best for last. Cordero shows off the athleticism and even throws in a dab, before a series of back handsprings and a twisting finish. A 9.0 is not only the best score in the floor exercise, it’s the top score for any event. Plus it helps the Valley Co-op slip past Naperville North by an incredibly slim margin, 128.55 to 128.3. A great competition all around.

For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!