The Trostangs are the 2025 IHSA State Champions after winning by three points with the score of 148.7250. This is the first time in 25 years that a team has won state by that much. Just last year, they placed 2nd and in 2023 they were also the IHSA State Champions.
“Going into the competition we were not expecting anything outside of our personal team goals. I told them on the bus before we went into the meet that no matter the outcome, they had done enough to raise the bar of excellence in gymnastics this season. Our motto for the day was ‘hold it,’ simply do our normal, hold the bar up where we have raised it all season, compete with pride, and there was nothing else we can control besides our actions,” DGS senior Genevieve Herion said.
Herion was also named the All-Around State Champion for the competition with a 38.0750 score. Herion placed 2nd in the individual finals vault event with a 9.6750 score, just 0.025 points away from winning senior Ava Sullivan from Oswego. In the individual finals beam event, she placed first, for the second time, with a 9.5750 score.
“This was the best way to end my senior year with my teammates. Before I went on every event, I told myself ‘for the team’ and kept that mentality for the entire meet. My coach always says ‘if the team is successful, you’re successful,’” Herion said.
Which she was right, the Trostangs as an entire team scored the highest in every event except for the Floor event in which they were 0.15 points short from Frankfort’s 36.2500 score.
“I told the girls we won on the bus after prelims and no one reacted, they simply looked at me with disbelief. Normally you have to wait until event finals are over to see the final team outcome because if a gymnast improves their score in finals, they can also improve your team score. However, I knew that there was no mathematical possibility a team could beat us, even if they were to improve their team score,” Head Trostangs coach Kristyn Campos said.
The Trostangs scored a 37.9500 on vault, a 37.6750 on bars, a 37.0000 on beam and a 36.1000 on floor. Herion placed in the top-3 on the second day of the competition for all the individual prelims events.
“I am so proud of my teammates and how everybody performed, we had our best meet yet. Competing at state can be overwhelming, but everyone handled it with ease. We gave each other pep talks before each event, we cheered loudly, and everyone was supportive and there for each other,” Herion said.
DGN junior Kaelyn Landry also came home with a 5th place medal in the individual finals uneven parallel bars event with a score of 9.4750. Herion placed just behind Landry with a 9.4250 score finishing 6th.
“I am extremely proud of [Landry’s] progress and composure during the entire weekend. [Landry] is a huge part of our team’s success and often flies under the radar. I was thrilled to see her on the podium as an all-state athlete on bars; she worked so hard for that and deserves the recognition,” Campos said.
Landry also placed 10th in the individual prelims vault event with a score of 9.4250. DGN sophomore Caroline Phillip placed 4th in the event, scoring a 9.5000 and Herion scored a 9.6250, placing 2nd out of 38 gymnasts.
For the individual prelims uneven parallel bars event, Landy placed 6th with a 9.3250 score. Phillip scored a 9.1750 placing 13 and Herion finished by winning the event with a 9.4750.
DGS sophomore Edith Condon placed 13th in the individual prelims beam event scoring a 9.0250. Herion scored a 9.5000, placing 3rd overall.
Herion placed 2nd in the individual prelims floor event, scoring a 9.4750.
Overall, the Trostangs crushed the 2-day IHSA Girls Gymnastics State Championship. This was Herion’s last time representing the DGS/DGN girls gymnastics team and she will cherish all the memories she created from it.
“Achieving this accomplishment with my second family was such a special feeling. I’ll never forget the feeling of being up there on the podium, surrounded by my friends, and holding our state champion trophy. That is a moment that I will cherish forever,” Herion said.
