Tonight’s sectional deepest in years
By Mike Ramczyk
Sports Editor
Burlington senior Molly Benavides has been through it all.
She’s won multiple individual state championships, competed at team state three straight years and formed perhaps the most dynamic trio of high school gymnasts in state history with Bailey and Jenna Fitzpatrick.
But on Friday at the Southern Lakes Conference gymnastics tournament, Benavides did something no competitor in school or conference history has ever accomplished.
At Waterford High School, Benavides set a personal, school and SLC all-around record with a score of 38.575.
Benavides won the beam with an eye-popping 9.7, and she won vault with a 9.725.
“Molly told me Tuesday that she’s never felt more confident,” said Burlington/Badger/Wilmot coach Diane Biedrzycki. “She had no wobble on beam, and she cleaned up her bars. She just looked really good from one event to the next.”
Benavides took her time acclimating to her vault routine this year and really didn’t display her full arsenal until a few weeks ago. The move has paid off big time, and Biedrzycki said Benavides looks “better than ever.”
“I was having a good day,” Benavides said. “I started off strong, and the positivity and success just kept growing and growing with each event.”
“I have an amazing team that has my back no matter what, and I know if they are confident in me there is no reason I shouldn’t be.”
Not to be outdone was Bailey Fitzpatrick, who was second in the all-around with an impressive 37.925, a score that would’ve won most other days.
Bailey won bars (9.725) and enjoyed a season high in winning floor (9.675).
Burlington won its sixth consecutive SLC championship with a team score of 142.200. Sophia Ellsworth had a season-high 9.0 on floor. Also, Hailey Siegler missed two events, and the Demons suffered some falls.
Sectional harder than usual
There is room for improvement, and it will be needed at Thursday’s Mukwonago Sectional.
A who’s who of teams are clustered with Burlington, including three-time defending state champ Franklin, Mukwonago, Waukesha and Kenosha.
Mukwonago has the state’s second-highest score this season, 145.275, behind Arrowhead. Burlington’s has a high of 144, and Franklin has scored 143. Kenosha isn’t far behind.
Like it does every year, Franklin hasn’t used its full lineup until now. And a key performer is returning from injury.
Benavides is confident in her squad.
“All we can do is hit the routines that we’re capable of, and I guess we’ll see if that’s enough to get us up to Wisconsin Rapids,” she said. “No matter what happens, I will be proud of the team and how much we’ve improved since day one.”
Biedrzycki said Tuesday that the competition will be stiff, and she acknowledged that qualifying for state won’t be as easy as in previous years.
“It’s tougher than usual,” she said. “It’s usually us and Franklin. It’s going to be very hard. We’ve been putting in overtime at practice. We had more depth in the past. Going to state would be icing on the cake.”
Biedrzycki said Benavides and Bailey Fitzpatrick have high expectations for themselves, but the younger girls are feeling the pressure.
Athletes like Siegler, Ali Miller (Union Grove), Mia Trent and Ellsworth will all have to score in the high 8s or low 9s for the Demons to have a strong shot at state.
“Our goal is to get 5-for-5 on every event,” Biedrzycki said. “We need Bailey and Molly at their best, and our third and fourth scorers must hit their routines. We have to be confident and just go out there and compete.”
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