September 06, 2024
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Girls Gymnastics: Kathryn Snouffer, Downers Grove Co-op 'pretty proud' after winning sectional title

Snouffer wins floor, teammates Mia Bowers and Melina Pipilas automatically qualify for state

By MATT LE

Snouffer and her teammates have a right to be. Snouffer won the floor exercise title at Tuesday’s Hinsdale Central Sectional with a 9.45 to help Downers Grove capture the team championship with a season-high 144.075. The “Trostangs,” as they call themselves, are made up of gymnasts from both Downers Grove North and Downers Grove South. They will be one of eight teams competing at the state meet Feb. 21-22 at Palatine. “For me it’s less about the co-op and I just look at them as a team of great gymnasts that work hard,” Downers Grove coach Kristyn Campos said. “The mentality was let other people watch us, don’t watch other people. “Let’s not turn into spectators. We have a job to do and we knew it would be tough.” (Jeff Krage)

Snouffer and her teammates have a right to be. Snouffer won the floor exercise title at Tuesday’s Hinsdale Central Sectional with a 9.45 to help Downers Grove capture the team championship with a season-high 144.075. The “Trostangs,” as they call themselves, are made up of gymnasts from both Downers Grove North and Downers Grove South. They will be one of eight teams competing at the state meet Feb. 21-22 at Palatine. “For me it’s less about the co-op and I just look at them as a team of great gymnasts that work hard,” Downers Grove coach Kristyn Campos said. “The mentality was let other people watch us, don’t watch other people. “Let’s not turn into spectators. We have a job to do and we knew it would be tough.” (Jeff Krage)

Indeed, the six-team sectional field featured three other co-op teams, including two strong contenders in Lincoln-Way and Andrew. But Lincoln-Way was a distant second with 141.975 points and Andrew third with 141.25. Junior Mia Bowers, who earned automatic individual state berths by finishing fourth on uneven bars (8.95), floor (9.175) and vault (9.325), felt good after the first three events went well. “Sometimes you don’t want to say it because you don’t want to jinx it, but after bars I was like, ‘This is so good,’” Bowers said. “Nobody is going to have a perfect meet, but we’re killing it on everything so far.” (Jeff Krage)

It started on floor, where Snouffer made her sectional debut a memorable one. “She’s been rocking and rolling on floor all year, title after title,” Campos said. “She won conference and regional on floor. “As a freshman to step up on this stage at her first event, she did a new tumbling pass tonight and still hit her routine. She has fun out there. She likes to dance and she literally enjoys the entire minute and 30 she is on that floor.” That wasn’t the only event where Bowers and Snouffer shined. They also have a chance to earn one of 12 at-large berths to state in the all-around, as Bowers was sixth with 35.95 and Snouffer seventh at 35.775. (Jeff Krage)

Both will be making their state meet debuts. “This is my first time being to state for gymnastics so I’m really pumped,” Bowers said. “I think we pulled it together really well at the end.” Downers Grove’s performance was the culmination of months of work. “Mia’s been working real hard all year upgrading skills and connections,” Campos said. “So I’m really proud of her for having that meet today.” Junior Melina Pipilas also qualified automatically by taking fourth in the all-around (26.125), and third on balance beam (9.2), while sophomore Katrina Carlson advanced on uneven bars, where she was fifth (9.2). (Jeff Krage)

At-large possibilities include Pipilas on bars, floor and vault; Snouffer on beam and vault, Carlson on vault and junior Gabriella Stellato on beam. “This is kind of surreal,” Snouffer said. “I have nothing to compare this to because this is my first year on the team and I can say we can only go up from here.” Which is more than any of the gymnasts could say last fall, when the two schools merged their gymnastics program after Downers North was unable to find a suitable replacement for retired coach Linda Reynolds. “At the beginning of the season it was just kind of weird a little bit because we weren’t used to practicing with each other,” Pipilas said. “But I think as the season went on we got closer and I think that really helped our team overall because our confidence got higher and higher.” In other results, Hinsdale Central senior Caroline Klobach qualified automatically on every event except floor, taking second all-around (36.45), third on bars (9.025), fourth on beam (9.125) and fifth on vault (9.3). (Jeff Krage)