High school girls gymnastics: Prairie Ridge co-op wins regional; Willis wins all-around

Prairie Ridge co-op won the Hoffman Estates Girls Gymnastics Regional by almost nine points and produced the top three all-around competitors by a wide margin.

But the Wolves know there still is work to do in the next two weeks to bring home a team trophy from the state meet for the eighth consecutive year.

Prairie Ridge co-op, which draws from Prairie Ridge, Cary-Grove, Crystal Lake Central and Crystal Lake South, scored 142.325 to win the regional but will need to increase that score significantly at the Conant Sectional on Feb. 7 to advance to state as a team. Last year, the lowest sectional team score to advance was 145.2.

Freshmen Gracie Willis (36.7) and Sydney Hallsten (36.325) took first and second in the all-around, while senior Maddy Kim (35.775) was third. All three also won individual events.

Willis won balance beam (9.275) and floor exercise (9.45), Hallsten won vault (9.5), and Kim won uneven bars (9.55). Willis and Hallsten qualified in all four events, Kim qualified in vault and bars.

Katie McEnery also was an automatic qualifier (top five) in the uneven bars (8.5). The top five advance to the sectional, with the top 12 scores from the four regionals feeding into the sectional receiving at-large berths.

Prairie Ridge will look for a score closer to its runner-up finish at the Lake Forest Invitational in early January (146.3) next week to earn a trip to the state meet Feb. 15 and 16 at Palatine.

Hoffman Estates Regional

Team scores (top team advances to Conant Sectional): 1. Prairie Ridge co-op 142.325, 2. Hoffman Estates 133.675, 3. Prospect 128.05, 4. Maine East 119.175, 5. Fenton 105.725.

Individual results (top five automatically qualify for Conant Sectional)

Vault

1. Sydney Hallsten (PR) 9.5, 2. Maddy Kim (PR) 9.425, 3. Gracie Willis (PR) 9.225, 4. Olivia Tader (Pros) 9.15, 5. Sol Serratos (HE) 9.025.

Uneven bars

1. Kim (PR) 9.55, 2. Hallsten (PR) 8.825, 3. Willis (PR) 8.75, 4. Katie McEnery (PR) 8.5, 5. Elyssa Wuerffel (HE) 8.325.

Balance beam

1. Willis (PR) 9.275, 2. Serratos (HE) 9.15, 3. Afroditi Balstas (ME) 9.0, 4. Hallsten (PR) 8.85, 5. Wuerffel (HE) 8.75.

Floor exercise

1. Willis (PR) 9.45, 2. Hallsten (PR) 9.15, 3. Wuerffel (HE) 9.0, 4. Balstas (ME) 8.925, 5. Tader (Pros) 8.875.

All-around

1. Willis (PR) 36.7, 2. Hallsten (PR) 36.325, 3. Kim (PR) 35.775, 4. Wuerffel (HE) 35.1, 5. Balstas (ME) 34.625.