Vernon Hills junior Mya Brusso was in a sea of tranquility as many other gymnasts swam in a proverbial ocean of nerves during the state meet in Palatine.
That was nothing new for Brusso.
“I think every gymnast is different,” Vernon Hills coach Denise Caton said. “Some come with that nervous energy, and Mya comes with a calm.
“I think it benefits her because you walk into a big arena like this and you can get rattled easily. Mya is so calm about it that she just kind of stays locked in and into her routines and what she needs to do. It serves her good.”
Brusso was more than good over the weekend. She was great, hitting all eight of her routines over two days of competition.
During the preliminary round on Friday, Brusso scored a 37.8 to finish second in the all-around. Palatine’s Jolee Waddington, the Illinois High School Girls Gymnastics Coaches Association senior gymnast of the year, won with a 38.55.
Brusso and Waddington were the only gymnasts to qualify for all four of the individual event finals on Saturday. Brusso scored a 9.6 on vault, a 9.4 on uneven bars, a 9.45 on balance beam and a 9.35 on floor in the preliminaries. In the finals, Brusso placed second on bars with a 9.45.
“It felt great,” she said. “I was really happy with how yesterday went and also happy with how today went. Second place is awesome.”
Brusso was sixth, one place out of the medals, on vault (9.475), beam (9.1) and floor (9.25).
“Last night, you can’t ask for a better night to go and hit all four and be on the podium for all-around,” Caton said. “But then on the second part to turn around and do it all over again today, she hit all four again.
“Scores didn’t totally go in our favor, but she hit, and she’s proud of what she did. You can’t ask for anything else.”
Brusso, who was third in the all-around last season, is continuing a recent tradition. A Vernon Hills gymnast has been the runner-up in the all-around in four consecutive seasons. Annika Chudy did it 2023 and 2024, and Livy Tran followed suit in 2025.
But Brusso didn’t have a specific outcome in mind when the meet began. She said her goal was “just to have a great, clean meet, be confident with my routines.”
“Placing is always great, but I never put too much pressure on myself,” she said.
That approach is partly Brusso’s default setting. But it was reinforced by Chudy, who earned a program-record eight state medals, including the 2024 state title on floor.
Chudy and Brusso were teammates in 2024, when Brusso was a freshman.
“I loved her demeanor,” Brusso said. “She was always super chill and laid-back, very confident.
“I feel like she gave me some good advice and she helped me out. I just loved how confident she was out there. She never put too much pressure on herself, too, which I think is a good thing. Just go out there and do your thing and however it goes.”
It’s good advice for anyone. Brusso’s example is rubbing off on teammates like sophomore Olivia Miller.
“Gymnastics can be really stressful, especially in competition,” Miller said. “But she’s so easy to be around and is a good teammate to calm us down if we’re worried.
“Practicing with her, she’s always very levelheaded, very down-to-earth. She’s a really strong competitor. It’s really cool to watch.”
How does Brusso stay cool under pressure?
“You’ve just got to embrace it,” Brusso said. “I just try to do my thing, not think about too much. The people around me are going to do what they do, but I’ve just got to focus on me and know that I can do it.”
The same goes for future goals. With Waddington graduating, Brusso will have an opportunity to become Vernon Hills’ first all-around champion next season.
But Brusso is not taking anything for granted. She was in a similar position this season as the top returning all-arounder.
“It definitely feels great, but there was also a ton of other great juniors,” she said. “My class is very talented.”
Indeed, 12 of the 32 all-arounders at the state meet were juniors. Brusso and Glenbrook South’s Allie Mietus, who finished fourth with a 37.425, were two of four juniors in the top five.
“The junior class is a powerful bunch, but she fits right in,” Caton said of Brusso. “She continues to put in the work and isn’t afraid to put in the work, so I think we’ll see great things from her next year.”
That’s as specific as Caton and Brusso will get with predictions.
“Mya is just a humble person, a humble athlete,” Caton said. “She just wants to do her best. She’s here because she loves it.”
Most of all, Brusso loves performing in front of a crowd, particularly one filled with friends and family.
“I love repping my high school and knowing that my family is out there,” she said. “It feels good.
“I love the anticipation and the support from everyone, and I love seeing all the other girls do great out there. I have so many supporters, which feels great.”
After 15 years in the sport, Brusso said her body has reached its limits, so she will not compete in college. Her senior season will be her last.
What would a state championship mean to her?
“That would be awesome,” Brusso said. “A great way to end it.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.