‘Happy Tears’: Trevians get contributions across lineup to win first sectional since 2014

Most seasons, New Trier gymnastics competes in the final IHSA sectional. So by the time the night is over, the Trevians know their fate — either state or no state.

This season, though, thanks to the winter weather, another sectional (Glenbard West) was yet to come after New Trier’s performance in the Mundelein Sectional. To avoid 24 hours of stress, the Trevians would have to overcome their sectional drought.

Let’s just say coach Jen Pistorius was looking forward to the bus ride home.

“It’s huge. It’s a big weight (off),” Trevians coach Jen Pistorius said of her team’s sectional title. “They are just super happy. It’s going to be a fun bus ride home.”

New Trier bucked its recent trend of at-large state bids by winning its first sectional championship in 11 seasons, recording a team score of 143.575, more than a point ahead of runnerup Prairie Ridge (142.55), on Thursday, Feb. 13, in Mundelein.

This is the second consecutive state qualification for the Trevians and their ninth since 2011.

New Trier, though, last won a sectional in 2014. Its four state-finals appearances between then and now, one of which (2019) resulted in a second-place finish, have come via at-large berths.

“It feels amazing,” senior Sammy Mills said of the sectional championship. “I knew we could do it and we just had to prove to ourselves we could do it.” 

Senior standout Clara Crossgrove again led the way for New Trier. She finished third in the all-around scoring (37.25), just one-tenth of a point behind sectional champion Maria Reyes, a freshman from Hersey, and .05 behind runnerup Livy Tran, a senior from Vernon Hills.

Crossgrove was the sectional champion on the uneven bars with a score of 9.5. She also tied for second on floor (9.5) and placed fourth on vault (9.475).

Fellow senior Taylor Kim was the only other Trevian to medal, tying for fifth on vault (9.4). She also placed 14th on beam (8.8), 16th on bars (8.6), 23rd on floor (8.825) and 16th in the all-around (35.625). Mills was 11th on bars (8.925), 14th on floor (9.05) and 14th on vault (9.25), finishing 12th in all-around scoring with 36.1 points.

New Trier’s point total included a sectional-best 37.125 on vault and runnerup totals in the three other events: bars (35.575), beam (34.925) and floor (35.95). Those scores featured a number of standout performances from non-individual qualifiers (meaning gymnasts who competed for New Trier but not as individuals).

Freshman Miya Schaffner’s vault earned the Trevians 9.0 points, Mills’ beam routine scored an 8.875 and junior Elena Scarano’s beam performance an 8.4.

Following her beam dismount, Scarano, who has dealt with injuries to both her ankles this season, was covered in a celebratory swarm of New Trier coaches and gymnasts.

Scarano said staying on the beam for the length of her routine has been difficult, but this past week in practice, something seemed to click and that continued on Thursday night.

“That was basically all my hard work paying off, because I stayed on the beam the entire time and I had been struggling to stay on,” she said. “It felt surreal. I have never cried happy tears in my life, and I bawled my eyes out. That was an unmatched feeling. I’ve never felt like that before.”

Scarano hopes that feeling can reemerge for her and the Trevians at the state finals Friday-Saturday, Feb. 21-22, at Palatine High School.

Pistorius believes New Trier is capable of an even higher team score. And they have another meet to prove it.

“Obviously we’d like to hit 145 or 146. … We absolutely have that potential,” she said. “I told them, ‘Hey we made it to the big dance, so let’s just hit it there.””

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