This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Schools

LT Sports Roundup: Gymnasts Score Season-High, Playoffs for Wrestling, Swim/Dive [VIDEO]

Gymnast Kelsy Kurfirst won all-around and three events at the Silver Meet and the wrestling and swimming and diving teams prepare for postseason.

Lyons Township freshman Kelsy Kurfirst had quite an impressive first West Suburban Conference Silver Division Meet Saturday, winning the all-around and three events.

Seniors Ali Stuck and Kalen Iffert also enjoyed firsts—their first all-conference varsity medals with top-five finishes.

The Lions scored a season-high 142.975 points at Downers Grove North to finish second and second in the overall standings to Glenbard West’s 144.85. The Hilltoppers went undefeated in duals and the Silver Meet for the first time in program history to capture just their third overall title ever. Glenbard West won the Silver Meet for the first time last year but finished second overall to Hinsdale Central.

LT beat its 142.325 from Jan. 14 even with three routines with falls off balance beam, each automatic .5 score deductions, two counting toward the team total.

“We had a really good meet. We’ve been working very hard this week and had a lot of amazing things happen,” LT coach Kari Karubas said. “We simply did not stay on balance beam. Other than that, as a coach I’m really please with my girls’ performance. They have a lot to be proud of.”

Kurfirst’s 37.525 captured the all-around title by by .25 over Hinsdale Central junior Erin Morgan.

Kurfirst also took first on vault (9.65), uneven parallel bars (9.45) and floor exercise (9.55).

Kurfirst also would have won beam if not for a fall on her flip-flop, flop-flop layout combination, an automatic .5 score deduction, and was seventh (8.875). Glenbard West freshman Mackenzie O’Keefe won beam with a 9.325.

“(Kurfirst) was straight on. She just lifted her shoulders at the end so it’s something very easy to fix,” Karubas said.

“As a freshman conference champ to add that to her resume, I’m very proud of her. Other than beam, she had an amazing evening. I know, however, she’s very dissatisfied because of beam, which is excellent because now she has something to work forward to as we enter the state series.”

LT used its usual five all-arounder lineup, and junior Maren Craig (35.15), Iffert (34.70), Stuck (34.45) and freshmen Kelly Ryser (33.80) were sixth through ninth.

Stuck tied for third on vault (9.15) and Iffert was fourth on floor (9.35) to earn all-conference medals for top-five finishes.

“Both girls have come such a long way. I hold them in the highest respect,” Karubas said. “They’re really committed to improving every single day in the gym and we’re really starting to see it in competition. It breaks my heart because they’re both seniors.”

Craig and Ryser also earned top-10 event finishes. Ryser returned to competing all-around Saturday after being further hampered by an ankle injury suffered during diving in the fall.

“Here we are trying to work through it, yet gain strength, flexibility and skills. Her progress is just at a different pace, but it’s there,” Karubas said. “Her bars were beautiful.”

The Lions will need to bounce back quickly in order to earn one of the eight team berths to the state meet Feb. 17-18 at Palatine High School.

LT is the No. 1 seed for the Hinsdale Central Sectional at 6:30 p.m. Monday and the four sectional champions automatically qualify for state as well as the four other highest-scoring teams at sectionals.

Only three days earlier, the Lions must play host to regionals at 6:30 p.m. Friday in La Grange. LT is favored to win its seventh consecutive regional title.

LT’s strongest competition should come from Oswego co-op (season-high 141.90) and Hinsdale Central (season-high 139.95). Last season, the Lions ended up with the ninth-highest sectional score of 144.775, missing a state berth by just .2.

The LT junior varsity I team were co-champions at its Silver Meet Saturday with 124.25 points and the overall title. Natalie Ruffner won uneven bars (7.75) and shared first on vault (8.2) and floor (8.15).

West Suburban Conference Silver Division Meet
Team results:
1. Glenbard West 144.85, 2. Lyons Township 142.975, 3. Hinsdale Central 139.075, 4. York 129.15, 5. Oak Park-River Forest 128.675, 6. Downers Grove North 122.55
LT results
All-around:
1. Kelsy Kurfirst 37.525, 6. Maren Craig 35.15, 7. Kalen Iffert 34.70, 8. Ali Stuck 34.45, 9. Kelly Ryser 33.80
Vault: 1. Kurfirst 9.65, 3T. Stuck 9.15, 8. Craig 9.0, 9. Iffert 8.9.25, 25. Ryser 7.9
Uneven parallel bars: 1. Kurfirst 9.45, 7. Craig 8.6, 8. Iffert 8.525, 9T. Ryser 8.475, 14. Stuck 8.1
Balance beam: 7. Kurfirst 8.875, 9. Ryser 8.675, 11. Craig 8.525, 12. Stuck 8.35, 23. Iffert 7.9
Floor exercise: 1. Kurfirst 9.55, 4. Iffert 9.35, 7T. Craig 9.025, 9. Stuck 8.85, 11. Ryser 8.75
Junior Varsity I Silver Meet
Team scores: 1. Lyons Township 124.25, 2. Hinsdale Central 120.60, 3. Oak Park-River Forest 115.35, 4. Glenbard West 113.95, 5. York 113.15, 6. Downers Grove North 112.00
LT top-five finishers
All-around: 2. Natalie Ruffner 31.05, 3. Colette Kocek 31.00, 5. Katie Gildea 30.85
Vault: 1T. Ruffner 8.25, 4T. Maddy Hamilton 8.1
Uneven bars: 1. Ruffner 7.75, 2T. Gildea 7.6, 4. Kocek 7.35
Beam: 2. Hamilton 7.7, 3. Kocek 7.65, 5. Gildea 7.55
Floor: 1T. Ruffner 8.15, 3. Kocek 8.05

LT boys swimming and diving

The Lyons Township varsity boys swimming and diving team will compete at the West Suburban Conference Silver Division championships at Downers Grove North.

Diving is at 5 p.m. Friday. Swimming begins at 1 p.m. Saturday.

The overall Silver standings are based on dual-meet and Silver Meet standings. The Lions finished 4-2 in Silver duals with a 158-69 home victory over Glenbard West on Senior Night in Western Springs.

In their regular-season finale Saturday, the Lions finished second on the varsity level (253.5 points) at their annual five-team LT Invitational in Western Springs.

The Lions finished second to Marmion (291) and just ahead of Oak Park-River Forest (250.5), the second-place team in the Silver dual standings that they hope to also beat Saturday.

Senior Danny McGuinness had the Lions’ lone victory in the 50-yard freestyle (22.50) and was second in the 100 free (50.09).

Also taking second were Joe Shannon (100 breaststroke in 1:03.24) and the 200 free relay of David Freund, Shannon, Peter Dore and McGuinness (1:32.46). Marmion’s Dan Duhig edged Shannon by .17 for the 100 breast title.

LT’s junior varsity won its level with 349 points.

LT Invitational
Varsity team standings: 1. Marmion 291, 2. LT 253.5, 3. Oak Park-River Forest 250.5, 4. Hinsdale South 226, 5. York 151
LT finishers
200-yard medley relay: 3. Jack Garrow, Joe Shannon, Adam Kline, Peter Dore 1:47.32
200 freestyle: 3. Shannon 1:53.59, 5. David Freund 1:58.28
200 individual medley: 3. Brendan Weibel 2:10.05, 6. Lucas O’Brayn 2:15.00
50 free: 1. Danny McGuinness 22.50, 4T. Dore 23.76
Diving: 4. Craig Pace 312.55, 6. Jimmy Woulfe 280.20
100 butterfly: 6. Kline 59.48, 9. O’Bryan 1:01.40
100 free: 2. McGuinness 50.09, 4. Freund 52.26
500 free: 3. Weibel 5:08.39, 4. Ben Hewett 5:08.82
200 free relay: 2. Freund, Shannon, Dore, McGuinness 1:32.46
100 backstroke: 7. Garrow 1:02.05, 8. Ed Berzanskis 1:03.30
100 breaststroke: 2. Shannon 1:03.24, 8. Sean McMahon 1:09.96
400 free relay: 3. Freund, Dore, Hewett, McGuinness 3:29.51
Junior varsity team standings: 1. LT 349, 2. Hinsdale South 316, 3. Marmion 278, 4. York 194, 5. Oak Park-River Forest 183
LT top-three finishers
200 medley relay: 3. Ben Wilson, James Kowalski, Evan Ward, Jack Lewandowski 1:55.28
200 free: 3. Kevin Roggensack 2:01.00
200 IM: 3. Kowalski 2:22.28
Diving: 2. Matt Benz 268.45 points, 3. Tim Findley 239.85
500 free: 1. Roggensack 5:26.18, 3. Ward 5:28.25
200 free relay: 3. Thomas Kaptur, John Gallucci, Andrew McLean, Roggensack 1:43.13
100 back: 2. Nolan Sovcik 1:05.07, 3. McLean 1:07.38
400 free relay: 2. Gallucci, Sovcik, Ward, Roggensack 3:46.77

Lyons Township varsity 158, Glenbard West 69
LT top-two finishers
200 medley relay: 1. Jack Garrow, Joe Shannon, Adam Kline, Peter Dore 1:47.94
200 freestyle: 1. Danny McGuinness 1:51.79, 2. David Freund 1:55.53
200 individual medley: 1. Brendan Weibel 2:09.97, 2. Josh Hirt 2:10.31
50 free: 2. Shannon 23.91
Diving: 1. Craig Pace 164.20 points, 2. Jimmy Woulfe 158.90
100 butterfly: 2. Hirt 59.03
100 free: 1. McGuinness 51.59
500 free: 2. Mike Krol 5:51.51
200 free relay: 1. Freund, Shannon, Dore, McGuinness 1:34.76
100 backstroke: 1. Chris Withington 1:01.27
100 breaststroke: 1. Lucas O’Bryan 1:09.87
400 free relay: 1. Freund, Weibel, Dore, McGuinness 3:35.23
LT frosh-soph 170, Glenbard West no score
LT event winners
200 medley relay: Ed McCarter, Erik Grosskopf, Nathan Kriha, Nick Bonneville 1:56.83
200 free: Matt Baldassarre 2:05.47
200 IM: Kriha 2:20.16
50 free: Sam Trifon 27.56
Diving: Andrew Lipchik 105.20
100 butterfly: McCarter 1:04.92
100 free: Erik Grosskopf 1:00.47
500 free: Peter Newman 5:45.78
200 free relay: McCarter, Baldassarre, Bonneville, Newman 1:42.66
100 backstroke: Baldassarre 1:05.62
100 breaststroke: Jack Patel 1:20.14
400 free relay: George Duffy, Baldassarre, Thomas Waters, Newman 3:53.10

LT wrestling

The Lyons Township wrestling team will play host to the eight-team individual Class 3A LT Regional Saturday in La Grange.

Matches are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. with the finals tentatively planned for 2 p.m.

The top three finishers in each weight class advance to the individual DeLaSalle Sectional Friday and Saturday Feb. 10-11. The regional team champion advances to the team Oak Park-River Forest Sectional Feb. 21.

The Lions, who received honorable mention in the latest Class 3A team rankings by IllinoisMatmen.com, will get its biggest regional competition from No. 10 Hinsdale Central, the only ranked team in the field. LT lost its dual with the Red Devils 30-29 Jan. 20 in La Grange.

Other teams at the regional will be Argo, Hinsdale South, Morton, Oak Lawn, Reavis and Stagg.

Find out what's happening in Western Springswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Western Springs