Dukes boys gymnastics team sending multiple athletes to state.
By Mike Miazga
Correspondent
Over the years, the York girls’ badminton team’s favorite number has been six.
Six as in the maximum number of players that can qualify for the state meet per team.
York once again qualified the maximum six players for this weekend’s state finals meet in Charleston.
The Dukes won the Thornton Fractional South sectional with 15 points, edging the host school by a single point.
It was York’s 11th sectional title in a row.
York singles players Linnea Dierksheide and Laura Hyink are heading to state. Dierksheide finished second in the singles division, while Hyink was fourth. Both are juniors.
Dierksheide won her first match 21-12, 21-13 and then won 21-7, 21-9 in the semifinals before dropping a 21-18, 21-14 decision in the championship match to TF South.
Hyink won her first match 21-18, 21-14, lost 21-13, 21-15 in the second round, but came back to score a 21-23, 21-10, 21-9 win in her third match before losing in three sets in the third-place match to a player from Sandburg High School.
York also qualified both its doubles teams with seniors Irin Abraham and Grace Mazzocco winning the sectional title and juniors Jenna Gallichio and Samantha Reed finishing fourth.
Abraham and Mazzocco won 21-14, 21-11 in their first match and 21-16, 21-8 in the semifinals. They defeated a TF South team 9-21, 21-14, 30-29 in the championship match.
Gallichio and Reed went 2-2 in the doubles division.
York boys gymnastics
The York boys gymnastics team took second at the recent Lyons Township sectional. The Dukes had a 149.500 team score and had numerous automatic state qualifiers.
On floor exercise, freshman Dominic Milazzo tied for second and earned a state berth with a 9.450 score.
On still rings, junior John Gill won the sectional title with a 9.300 score. Kelvin Stevens Jr. also qualified for state by placing third with an 8.950 score.
Stevens Jr. qualified on vault with a third-place score of 8.950. Freshman Charlie Cripe was fourth at 8.900 and earned a state berth.
On parallel bars, Stevens Jr. was third at 8.950 and earned a state berth. On horizontal bar, Cripe was second at 8.950 and earned a state berth. Gill also is headed to state in that event after a fifth-place showing at 8.700.
At-large state qualifiers were to be announced earlier this week.
York girls water polo
Through late last week the York girls water polo team was 19-5-1 overall.
“It’s been a fun season,” said York coach Mark Giuliani. “I kind of expected a rebuilding year, however the girls are playing really well. We have some young players who are really stepping up.”
Through late last week, junior Sydney Hutchinson was leading the team with 92 goals. Freshman Moleigh Waldherr had 63 goals.
Senior goalie Sarah Lewand has made in the neighborhood of 200 saves this season. “Sarah has been our MVP,” said Giuliani. “She’s a real beast in goal for us.”
York’s five losses have been to state-ranked Top 10 teams in Naperville North, Naperville Central, St. Ignatius and Lyons Township.
“We’ve won all the games we were supposed to and lost the games according to rank that I guess we were supposed to, but we could have definitely won,” said Giuliani.
York was the No. 2 seed in the West Suburban Conference tournament behind Lyons Township and is the No. 2 seed in the Fenwick sectional behind the host school.
