Puff, Brognia help Geneva capture regional

Geneva won its third straight regional, collecting a school-record 146.275 points on Friday in Geneva.

The Vikings will now turn their attention to Tuesday’s Glenbard West Sectional where they’ll battle St. Charles co-op, DeKalb/Sycamore Co-op and the host Hilltoppers, among others, for an automatic berth to the state finals.

“What a fun evening,” Geneva coach Kim Hostman said. “We basically went 20-for-20, so they’re obviously peaking at the right time.”

Ashley Puff and Dominique Brognia were brilliant, with Puff edging Brognia in the all-around, 37.150 to 37.075. It was the first time this season that either gymnast hit the 37 mark and only the second time Brognia has competed as an all-arounder this season.

“It was an incredible home meet altogether and a great way to end the season and turn our focus to getting to state,” Puff said. “Now it comes down to who hits next week and it’s a great feeling knowing we have the potential to [get to state].”

Puff won beam with a 9.3 and tied teammate Megan Beitzel for top honors on vault with a 9.5. Brognia was victorious on bars with a 9.15 as well as floor with a 9.575.

“We had a really good meet and all stuck beam which was a problem at conference last week,” Brognia said. “We just practiced really hard for this and it showed.”

Freshman McKenna Merges also participated in all four events and placed fourth with a 35.025.

The Vikings specialists also delivered big scores. Senior Jenna Ginsberg had a 9.25 on vault while younger sister Grace Ginsberg contributed a 9.025 on beam and 8.75 on bars. Meanwhile, Claire Scatterday placed sixth on floor with an 8.975.

“We definitely get a good vibe being here at home,” Scatterday said. “It’s an advantage for us but we’ve also worked to earn it.”

Fenton junior Taylor Patton had top five finishes on beam and vault and placed third in the all-around with a 35.25. Haley Sabala also qualified for next week’s sectional for the Bison, taking second on bars with an 8.9.

Wheaton Warrenville Co-op will send four gymnasts to the sectional with junior Sarah Bradley leading the way. Bradley placed fourth on vault with a 9.4 and was fifth in the all-around with a 34.625. Julie Galo had top five finishes on floor on bars to move on, while Gracie Erickson’s 8.725 on beam and Brooke Stewart’s 9.025 on floor also proved rewarding.