Maeve Murdock of New Trier goes airborne during her balance beam routine at the Stevenson Sectional. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
Had Maeve Murdock been slightly sullen and disappointed after the Stevenson Sectional earlier this week, it would have been understandable.
The New Trier freshman gymnast — less than a week after earning a runner-up score of 9.55 on the floor exercise at a regional meet — settled for a 7.875 (32nd place) on the same event at the sectional on Feb. 6. The talented Trevian had fallen at the end of her double-back pass.
But there she was after the meet, smiling and upbeat, the picture of a gymnast brimming with positivity.
“Hope,” Murdock said when asked to sum up her team’s collective feeling following the highly competitive sectional.
NT’s Trevians (145.275) finished runner-up to Glenbrook South’s Titans (145.45), meaning they just missed capturing an automatic team berth to the state meet next weekend. NT would have to wait until the conclusion of the state’s fourth and final sectional (scheduled for Feb. 9, at Oswego High School) to see if its point total would be high enough for at-large state status.
“Maeve is the hardest worker, a gymnast who is willing to do anything and everything in practice in order to get better,” NT coach Jennifer Pistorius said of the all-around champion (37.675) at the New Trier Regional on Jan. 31. “Such a great kid. She’s that competitor who always says, ‘One more, let me do one more [routine].’ No matter how well she does a routine, it’s never good enough. Maeve wants to do whatever she can to make sure she’s at her best for meets.
“Her transition from club gymnastics to high school gymnastics,” the coach added, “has been seamless.”
Murdock — one of three high-scoring freshmen on NT’s varsity this winter — finished eighth in the all-around (35.575) at the sectional, a total that has a good chance of bettering the at-large state cut. She finished fourth on the balance beam with a 9.375, a mark which automatically qualified her for state in the event. (The top five finishers in each event and in the all-around automatically advance to state.)
“It was tough. We had some bumps along the way,” Pistorius said of her team’s night, minutes after Trevians freshman Avery Faulkner completed her vault (9.375, fourth place) to cap NT’s final rotation.
“I look at our team, and I see so much talent and determination. We had some falls tonight … some uncharacteristic falls.”
Faulkner earned the team’s only automatic state berth in the all-around (37.175, third place) and collected three others, including the one she earned on vault. Faulkner, who battled the flu after the New Trier Regional on Jan. 31, also advanced on floor (9.5, runner-up) and on beam (9.4, runner-up).
Back spasms threatened to derail NT’s Emma Jane Rohrer at the sectional, but the junior — another relentlessly positive, vastly gifted gymnast in NT’s fold — powered through to take sixth place in the all-around (36.2), runner-up honors on bars (9.375) and fifth place on vault (9.35).
The ailment forced Rohrer to miss a couple of practices last week.
Pistorius praised Rohrer for her tenacity and resolve.
NT freshman Rachel Zun finished in 10th place on bars (8.975).
The Trevians’ other sectional competitors were senior Ally Smith and sophomore Zoey Spangler.
Many of this year’s NT varsity gymnasts, including Murdock, hone their skills at the American Academy of Gymnastics in Wheeling. Murdock found the time to serve as the setter for New Trier’s highly successful freshman ‘A’ volleyball team last fall.
She lofts passes in one sport.
And reaches lofty heights in another.
Notable: The state gymnastics meet will be held at Palatine High School on Feb. 17-18. … New Trier amassed 147.175 points to win a regional title on the home mats on Jan. 31. Trevians walked away with five gold medals — the maximum. Freshman Maeve Murdock topped the all-around (37.675) and beam (9.425) fields; freshman Avery Faulkner emerged as champion on vault (9.35) and on floor exercise (9.575); and junior Emma Jane Rohrer took first on bars (9.55). … New Trier, runner-up at the Stevenson Sectional with 145.275 points, and Carmel Catholic (144.8, third place) both are serious contenders to advance to the state meet as at-large team qualifiers. “I thought New Trier would score 149, and Carmel would be right there, too,” said Steve Gale, coach of Stevenson Sectional champion Glenbrook South (145.45). “I figured we’d come in third, with around 145 or 146 points, and then hope for an at-large state berth. Our mindset tonight was to go out and hit, not think about beating any of the teams. ‘Do what you can do and do it with confidence’ — that’s what I told our girls. I’m giving our team an A-minus tonight.”
Maeve Murdock (right) celebrates with a teammate. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
NT’s Avery Faulkner gets plenty of lift during her floor exercise routine. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
Emma Jane Rohrer competes on beam at the sectional meet. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER