The 33rd Annual Vic Avigliano Invitational at Rolling Meadows isn’t necessarily won by the best team, as the unique format of the competition requires teams to utilize a different gymnast in each of the six events.
What it does require is a special team effort, with all six gymnasts contributing to the end result regardless of how they fare.
Fresh off a dominant performance in the Krupke Invite at Lake Park on Friday, two-time defending state champion Wheaton Co-op was at it again on Saturday afternoon, scoring 50.450 points. Niles West was runner-up with a 48.5 while Glenbard West was third with a 48.1.
Wheaton Co-op claimed the top prize on half of the events, getting big victories from a trio of seniors. David MacDonald won still rings with a 9.5, Ethan Sansone won pommel horse with an 8.6 and Connor Ritchie’s 8.9 on vault edged the 8.8 by Niles West’s Jordan Goldberg.
“I was originally supposed to do rings but haven’t been so great because of my back so I vaulted instead,” Ritchie said. “It was pretty exciting. I just started vaulting again a week ago because of my back so I was pretty nervous.”
Competing in this invitational for the final time, Sansone picked up his third career victory. He won on high bar last year and parallel bars in 2012.
“I try to look at it like the state individual finals and have fun with it in that way,” he said. “We didn’t hit every routine, but that was fine. We still came out on top and had fun so that was great.”
Schaumburg’s Mat Sigler won the floor exercise with an 8.7.
“Floor has been my main event for a while now,” he said. “I just started to add some harder tricks and am still adjusting to the rule changes. I’m happy. Today was good.”
York’s Bryce Simpson won the parallel bars with an 8.9.
“I’ve always liked the p-bars,” Simpson said. “With the rule changes, how I swing it works to my benefit. This is pretty awesome. I hadn’t won a medal since my freshman year so it’s a great feeling.”
Niles West’s Harris Khan edged Glenbard South’s, Eugene Boguslavsky, 8 to 7.9 to win high bar.
