When Lake Park seniors Elena Heath and Cristina Benza went to the 2025 girls gymnastics state meet as individual qualifiers, they felt a little lonely.
Even though four Lancers qualified, they’re used to a huge team, such as the 11 gymnasts in their lineup for Lake Park Sectional on Tuesday.
“It is crazy. I think helps because we have a lot of people that are specialists,” Heath said. “It was so different. I fell on beam last year because I just didn’t have my team to support me.”
The Lancers scored 143.425 points to win the Lake Park Sectional for the program’s first sectional title and their third team state trip in the past four seasons.
Wheaton co-op (139.85), eighth at state last year, and Geneva (136.85) were second and third. York (133.975) and Glenbard West (133.50) were fifth and sixth.
“I’m so excited,” said Heath about her fourth state trip. “The feeling is nowhere the same. Going with the team you have people to be there with you and back you up.”
Geneva senior Reese Lackey, an all-state fourth in floor the past two seasons, won all-around (36.65), floor (9.35) and balance beam (9.325).
Lake Park freshman Annabella Suchan, currently the team’s lone all-arounder, was second in all-around (36.225), followed by Glenbard West sophomore Nicole Sienkiewicz (36,075), York junior Melania Veselovsky (35.425) and Wheaton co-op sophomore Kara Wilkinson (35.325).
Sienkiewicz and Veselovsky shared first on bars (9.25). Suchan and Sienkiewicz shared first on vault (9.4).
On her best event, Lackey won floor despite taking steps out of bounds on her last pass.
“I had a lot of power at the end there, it was insane. Too much juice at the end,” Lackey said. “I was hoping to get to this point so I’m excited (about state).”
The Lancers used 12 gymnasts at regional, but senior Mikayla Gnutek injured her ACL during the meet and had to be replaced on floor.
”I’ve told the girls you’ve had a lot of teams with these late season injuries and their score drops five points, seven points,“ Lake Park coach Jake Luketin said. ”The strength of the team has always been the gymnasts, the depth. They are showing that strength.”
Heath just returned to the lineup at regional after injuring her ankle and was third on beam. Other individual qualifiers include the Lancers’ Benza (vault) and senior Brooke Enright, who advanced in her two events, vault and floor. This will be her first state appearance as a competitor.
“(I love) just the energy at state. I like the feeling of being at state and also with my team, especially the seniors,” Enright said.
This is the first state trip for Sienkiewicz, who missed the 2025 bars cut by .05.
“It definitely makes me feel better about today,” Sienkiewicz said. “It feels really good just to be out here with my team and supporting each other. They’re the reason we’re here today (as a team).”
Veselovsky is questionable at state after injuring her left ankle that limited her to a bars routine at 2025 state.
Wheaton co-op sophomore Jacqueline Phanthavong earned her first individual state berth with second on beam (9.025).
“I’ve always loved beam,” Phanthavong said. “I’m definitely more team focused this year. I’m pretty close with the seniors. I wanted to go to state as a team. At least I get to do individual.”
https://www.shawlocal.com/my-suburban-life/2026/02/11/lake-park-girls-gymnastics-team-wins-sectional-earns-3rd-state-trip-in-last-4-years/