Stagg senior Lisa Peterson came into Friday`s first session of the state girls` gymnastics meet at Palatine as one of the contenders chasing favored Michele Hernandez of Fremd for the all-around title.
Before the night was over, Hernandez, Rolling Meadows` Bonnie Higgins and Libertyville`s Missy Green all had chances at the gold medal, but it was Peterson who took it home by a narrow margin.
Defending champion Fremd all but clinched the team title a day early. The Vikings scored 147.95 points through the qualifying, breaking the state meet record of 145.35 they set last year. Naperville Central is second with 144.15.
Peterson scored 37.50, thanks to a 9.70 in the vault. Higgins was second at 37.45. Hernandez, whose 9.7 in floor exercise couldn`t offset an 8.9 in the vault and a 9.05 in the beam, was third at 37.20. She also finished third last year.
Higgins had the last shot at Peterson, but her 9.35 in floor exercise left the sophomore a little short.
”I knew it was close,” said Peterson, who had to sit in the stands more than half an hour watching her challengers. ”I didn`t want her to mess up. Whatever she gets, she gets. That`s the way it will be. I can`t say I wasn`t happy with the results.”
Peterson has built up her strength since finishing eighth a year ago. She improved in every event this year in the state meet except the beam.
”Last year I wasn`t as strong as I am now,” she said. ”The strength has helped me improve in every event. Even in the beam, I was just 9.0 last year, and I didn`t fall then.
”It wasn`t a good day for a lot of people on the beam. I didn`t stay on, but I had enough of a score in the other events to offset it.”
While Higgins came up just short in floor exercise, Peterson, Hernandez and Green finished on the balance beam. Peterson was first to perform, and fell, scoring 8.85. Hernandez lost her balance after a back flip and had a 9.05. Green came off the beam twice and finished ninth overall.
Peterson`s sister, Cheryl, a junior, placed fifth in the all-around.
”Gymnastics is a hit-or-miss sport,” said Hernandez. ”I had control, but I relaxed a little bit. Third isn`t bad, but I knew first was within my reach and I let it get away.”
Peterson was the leader after two events, thanks to the vault. She scored a 9.7 with her handspring front, while Hernandez fell on both her attempts and was given an 8.9.
”I didn`t want her to fall,” said Peterson, who scored 9.5 on the uneven parallel bars and 9.45 in floor exercise. ”It`s not winning when someone falls and messes up. I don`t want to win that way. I wanted her to hit her vault.”
Peterson`s vault was far better than her 9.35 in the sectional and good enough to hold off the other contenders. Both she and Naperville Central`s Donna Oeffinger, who was second with a 9.50 in Friday`s vault, did the difficult handspring front vault that has vaulters landing with their backs to the apparatus.
