Girls Gymnastics: Glenbard West takes own regional

Updated: February 1, 2012 9:57PM

Glenbard West took its first step toward qualifying for its third consecutive appearance in the girls gymnastics state finals.

The Hilltoppers won their own regional on Wednesday in Glen Ellyn, finishing well ahead of the rest of the competition with a 145.2.

Next up is the Glenbard North sectional on Feb. 8.

“The only guarantee in gymnastics is there will be hits and there will be misses,” Glenbard West coach Carlos Fuentes said. “We had some misses on a couple events, but we hit enough and were consistent enough.”

South Elgin/Bartlett/Streamwood co-op finished in second with a 132.275, followed by Fenton’s 126.6 and a 117.575 by Glenbard South.

The top five finishes on the scoresheets, all which qualified for sectional play, were plastered with the names of Hilltoppers as they had 13 appearances.

Senior Missy Guzman led the way for the winners. She was crowned all-around champion with a career-best 37.250, despite competing as an all-arounder for just the third time this season. It was also the first time she surpassed a 37.

“I like competing all-around a lot more because when I wasn’t doing bars I felt like I was letting the team down,” she said. “It definitely went very well tonight. It helped being here the past couple of years, knowing how to handle it and having fun with it.”

Freshman Mackenzie O’Keefe placed second in the all-around with a 36.775 and Nicole Pagor was fourth with a 35.35.

Guzman claimed top honors on beam and floor and shared first place with O’Keefe on bars with a 9.35. Abbie Garchitorena won the vault with a 9.375.

“It’s one of my best events so I know that I can always do good on it,” Garchitorena said. “It’s always important to have a nice start in the meet.”

Fenton sophomore Taylor Patton took third in the all-around with a 35.725.

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