Mundelein’s Kehr turns in solid outing at Lake County Invitational

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Mundelein's Maya Nienaber moves through her uneven bars routine at the Lake County Invitational on Saturday. | Joel Lerner~Sun-Times Media

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Updated: February 20, 2012 8:17AM

Mundelein senior gymnast Lisa Wajswol was sick and out of the lineup Saturday at the Lake County Invitational at Lake Forest High School.

The Mustangs needed a gymnast to make up for some of those lost points, and freshman Mackenzie Kehr responded by continuing to come through in a big way. Kehr struggled on beam but excelled on vault (9.5, 8th place tie) and uneven bars (9.05, 10th). She also experimented with a new pass on floor (12th, 9.175) that could yield higher scores the rest of the month and into the state series.

Against the tough competition, she placed 11th in the all-around (35.925).

“She has the potential of qualifying for state in every event plus the all-around,” Mustangs coach Nancy Toland said.

If she can qualify for state, she would be the first freshman to do so at Mundelein during Toland’s 12-year tenure.

“She’s just a really good all-around athlete,” Toland said.

Mundelein finished seventh (134.9 points) in the nine-team Invitational. Carmel led wire-to-wire (151.05); Stevenson (146.2) and Lake Forest were second and third, respectively.

What’s particularly exciting for Mundelein is that Kehr is not the only freshman to make a contribution. Nicole Ornoff and Kelsey Toland also scored valuable points for the Mustangs.

“It’s great to know that they have three more years,” Nancy Toland said. “Our goal is to keep them (injury free) and motivated.”

Ornoff continues to showcase new skills and scored a 9.2 on the vault, close to a full point higher than her previous best.

“She’s working on (using) those skills in competition,” Toland said. “She is a major contributor to the scores we are posting as a team, and her (current) scores may not even fully reflect the potential that she has.”

Sophomore Maya Nienaber is another young gymnast on the rise. She placed 13th on vault (9.35)

“I couldn’t be more proud of everything they did to help the team,” Toland said.

Kelsey Toland stepped in and scored an 8.35 on vault.

“She threw some new skills in on short notice,” Nancy Toland said.

Unsung contributors: The younger gymnasts were not the only ones who contributed in Wasjswol’s absence.

Juniors Kendall Smith and Katie Schall made the most of expanded roles.

“Their work ethic makes them great role models,” Toland said. “They are really good teammates.”

On the schedule: The Mustangs were scheduled to play host to Warren on Wednesday in the final home meet of the season.

Then, the Mustangs will prepare for the North Suburban Conference meet on Jan. 27. Mundelein is the No. 5 seed for the upcoming IHSA Regional at New Trier. The host school is the No. 4 seed.

“We’re pretty hungry to go for that title at New Trier,” Toland said. “We have a strong chance of winning, which would allow our whole team to advance to sectionals.”

Mundelein expects Wajswol to return for all three competitions.

“There’s no good time for her to be sick, but better sooner than later,” Toland said. “She’ll be rested up and ready to go.”