Schools
Lake Forest Gymnasts Reach Goal, Finish Fifth at State
Carlson earns top individual finish with 3rd in floor exercise.
Lake Forest High School derived the most out of its small squad of just five gymnasts.
The Scouts, who used all five as all-arounders, were able to put together one of their best meets of the year to finish fifth with a 144.50 at Saturday's State gymnastics meet in Palatine.
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- See related story: Carmel Captures 3rd Straight State Gymnastics Title
“Our goal was to place in the top five and we did that,” said Lake Forest coach Robin Straus, whose team took second at State last year.
Lake Forest accomplished the feat without a senior. The team's lone senior, Katie Meier, competed until mid-December when she left the squad to have hip surgerry that ended her season.
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“We ranked seventh in team scores after sectionals, so we knew that we had the potential," Straus added. "And our girls performed very well. We just didn’t have the depth we have had in past years.”
Junior Kylie Carlson came up big for the Scouts, scoring a 37.475 to tie for seventh in the all-around. She also finished tied for fifth place on the uneven paralle bars with a 9.45 and third in floor exercise with a 9.60.
“We were so excited to make it here as a team,” Carlson said. “We were trying to do the most of what we had when we go here. We needed everyone. We were small, but mighty.”
Junior Kat Mckeon also closed the season by finishing 13th in the all-around with a 37.15 and eighth on the uneven bars. Brittany Moccia finished 25th in the all-around.
Lake Forest also received strong performances from Laura Blake and Carly Schmidt.
