OPRF gymnasts cap 2023 with 6th place at sectionals

Huskies advanced six individuals from regional last week

By BILL STONE

Contributing Reporter

Senior Maya Lim ended her Oak Park and River Forest High School girls gymnastics career Feb. 6 with a new, upgraded routine on floor exercise.

For the first time, Lim used a doublefull twist to complete her first tumbling pass at the IHSA Lake Park Sectional and ended with a 1.5 twist, her for mer first tumbling pass finish.

Lim landed both for a team-best 8.8 tha t tied for 14th plac e.

“I feel like I did my best,” Lim said. “Since it was the end of the season, I just wanted to show it of f. I knew I could do it, but I just needed to show it. I’m happy with the end result. I’m happy to go out like that.”

T he Huskies (133.475 points) ended their season finishing sixth in their fifth straight team trip to sectionals. T here was no 2021 state series because of COVID restrictions

All of the Huskies – Lim, fellow senior fourth-year varsity gymnast Caroline Raducha and juniors Jane Walker, Violet Ruff, Gabby Morales and Eleanor Wolski -- earned individual sectional berths automatically with top-five re gional finishes or advanced at-large.

Lim, who also was 18th in allaround (33.80), is a three-time individual sectional qualifier. Raducha also competed for the team at the 2020 sectional.

Other top scores at sectionals were Walker on uneven parallel bars (8.725, 15th) and balance beam (8.25, 17th) and Ruff on vault (9.0, tied for 20th).

OPRF entered the Feb. 2 Leyden Re gional battling the host Eagles for the sixth and final team sectional berth. T he Huskies’ second-place 134.875 beat Le yden by 0.55 points.

OPRF achieved its second highest scor e this season by 05 after its 134.15 at the West Suburban Conference Silver Meet on Jan. 28.

Lim and Walker tied for fourth in allaround (34.275).

Lim (8.45) and Walker (8.375) were fourth and fifth on beam, Walker was fourth on uneven bars (8.575) and Lim tied for four th on vault (9.0).

Advancing at-lar ge were Ruff (33.00) in all-around, Lim (8.625) and Walker (8.525) on floor, Ruff (8.85), Walker and Raducha (8.80 each) and Morales (8.675) on vault, Lim (8.2), Ruff (8.15) and Wolski (8.1) on uneven bars and Ruff (8.325) and Raducha (8.2) on beam.