Casey Takacs – Gymnastics Standout National Championship Season
A Historic Moment for Wilmette Gymnastics
Casey’s qualification for Eastern Nationals is a big achievement for her and for the whole Wilmette Gymnastics program. It shows the strength of the program and the dedication of its athletes and coaches. As Casey prepares to compete on the national stage, the Wilmette community will cheer for her and celebrate this historic accomplishment. History has been made for Wilmette Gymnastics as Casey Takacs competed in the 2026 Level 9 Eastern National Championship from April 30 to May 3 in Savannah, Georgia. Casey is the first gymnast from Wilmette to have competed in the USA Gymnastics Eastern Nationals.
Once again, Casey executed strong performances across all four events:
- Vault: 9.300 (21st TIE)
- Uneven Bars: 9.100 (15th)
- Balance Beam: 9.125 (13th TIE)
- Floor Exercise: 8.825 (26th)
- All Around: 36.350 (19th)
Following her 2nd-place all-around finish at the Level 9 Regional Championships in Columbus, Ohio, Casey competed as a part of the Level 9 Junior 6 Region 5 Dream Team, made up of the top seven gymnasts in the Junior 6 Age Group from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky. The Junior 6 Region 5 Dream Team earned an impressive 148.125 team score.
Casey has become an inspiration to everyone in Wilmette Gymnastics
Including her coaches. MaryAnn Oehlerking has been Casey’s coach for the past five years, and traveled with her to Savannah for Eastern Nationals. When asked to describe the experience, MaryAnn said “Tears. Real tears. On my face. She’s worked really hard.” She went on to say “She’s kind of the trailblazer for everybody. I think it’s kind of hard for her because she doesn’t have, like, a herd of people, older people around her. But I think she’s starting to realize she’s making a huge impact on the program” to which Wilmette Park District’s Gymnastics Manager Sara Emory added “We have a bunch of kids that are, like, six, seven years old, and they look at her and they’re like, oh, my God, Casey’s here. It’s just been a total different in the atmosphere in the gym. She talks to them and they think it’s like their own little celebrity. It’s kind of cool to have that in the gym, a figure. Which MaryAnn was saying she didn’t have that herself. So it’s kind of cool that she is making it, you know”
The Wilmette community will continue to cheer on Casey, and is excited to see what she accomplishes next in her inspiring journey.
This story is a follow up to Casey’s performance at Regionals. To see that story, CLICK HERE
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