Midgets win first West title since 2008
After four years of coming up short at championship meets, the Dickinson gymnastics team didn’t let a few stumbles and falls keep it from hoisting the West Region championship trophy that has eluded them since 2008.By: Dustin Monke, The Dickinson Press
- Acacia Fossum
- Mikaela Kessel
After four years of coming up short at championship meets, the Dickinson gymnastics team didn’t let a few stumbles and falls keep it from hoisting the West Region championship trophy that has eluded them since 2008.
Junior Mikaela Kessel won the balance beam and the floor exercise and the Midgets had five girls place in the top 10 spots in the all-around competition en route to a team score of 146.550 on Friday night during the West Region Meet at the DHS gymnasium.
“I feel like we have something to prove to people because we come up short so often,” said Kessel, who has been a part of four consecutive state runner-up teams. “I think we proved that today that we’re the best in the West and I think we’re best in state, so we want to show that people.”
The Midgets finished with a team score of 145.550, easily beating Bismarck’s 142.425 while Minot High, which had won the past four West Region titles, was third with a 141.875.
“When we’re healthy, that’s our advantage because we have a lot of girls who can score well,” Dickinson head coach Kent Van Ells said.
Dickinson’s depth was sure on display.
Kessel and freshman Acacia Fossum finished in a tie for fourth in the all-around at 36.800. Senior Chantal Urlacher (36.425), senior Mckenzie Kostelecky (35.800) and freshman Keana Kudrna (35.600) finished eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively.
Van Ells though the Midgets left a lot of points in the gym, despite the big win.
“I felt like we kept twinging things through the whole meet,” said Van Ells, who was named West Region Coach of the Year. “A lot of the girls came up short on some things and had some pain, but they kept pushing forward and going through. That showed their determination, that’s for sure.”
Fossum, the two-time defending state all-around champion, had falls on both the balance beam and the floor exercise.
Fossum was second on the uneven bars (9.350), third on vault (9.550), ninth on beam (8.900) and 12th on the floor (9.000), an event she and Kessel have tended to dominate throughout the past two seasons.
“It’s pretty rare for her,” Van Ells said of Fossum’s stumbles. “It’s something I think she handled very well. She kept a stiff upper lip and supported her teammates and finished strong on vault.”
Kostelecky, whose best finish was a 9.300 on the floor, almost had to be held out of the meet after hyperextending her knee during touch warmups on the uneven bars, the first event.
“I was really concerned for her well-being and she came back out and I said, ‘You’re back out?’” Van Ells said with a laugh.
Bismarck High junior Kaylee Keller won the all-around with a score of 37.950 and also won the uneven bars with a score of 9.575.
Bismarck Century junior Jessica Gabriel and Jamestown senior Alex Lind tied for second at 37.425. Gabriel won the vault with a 9.800, the best score in any event.
Keller was second on the balance beam (9.550) and fourth in both the floor exercise (9.375) and vault (9.45).
“I’m excited,” Keller said with a wide smile. “I was packing my bags last night and had the stomach nerves already. I was pretty nervous.
“Watching those girls fall, you can’t let it get to you. You think, she’s kind of out of it now. You can’t let that happen because that could easily be you next. You have to stay focused on everything you do and not look ahead.”
Lind was named West Region Senior Athlete of the Year, beating Urlacher, Kostelecky and Minot’s Samantha Huether, who sat out the meet with a left ankle injury that greatly affected her team’s score.
Dickinson heads to the North Dakota state meet in Valley City. The team competition is Friday with individual competition on Saturday.
The last time Dickinson won the West Region title, they also won the second of back-to-back state championships.
“Knock on wood,” Van Ells said.
West Region Meet
At Dickinson High School gymnasium
Team scores: Dickinson 146.55, Bismarck High 142.425, Minot 141.875, Jamestown 140.275, Bismarck Century 139.675, Mandan 128.2.
All around
1, Kaylee Keller, B, 37.950. 2, Jessica Gabriel, C, 37.425. 2, Alex Lind, J, 37.425. 4, Mikaela Kessel, D, 36.8. 4, Acacia Fossum, D, 36.8. 6, Madison Reiter, Mi, 36.675. 7, Hannah Werchau, Mi, 36.5. 8, Chantal Urlacher, D, 36.425. 9, Mckenzie Kostelecky, D, 35.8. 10, Keana Kudrna, D, 35.6. 11, Whitney Perrin, C, 35.5. 12, Katlin Kelley, B, 35.375. 13, Jenna Breuer, Mi, 35.1. 14, Jill Mueller, D, 34.7. 15, Blythe Ehrmantraut, B, 34.625.
Vault
1, Jessica Gabriel, C, 9.8. 2, Keana Kudrna, D, 9.575. 3, Acacia Fossum, D, 9.55. 4, Kaylee Keller, B, 9.45. 5, Hannah Werchau, Mi, 9.35. 5, Alex Lind, J, 9.35. 7, Katlin Kelley, B, 9.325. 8, Whitney Perrin, C, 9.3. 9, Madison Reiter, Mi, 9.25. 10, Mckenzie Kostelecky, D, 9.225. 11, Chantal Urlacher, D, 9.2. 11, Mikaela Kessel, D, 9.2. 13, Erin Hillerud, J, 9.125, 14, Blythe Ehrmantraut, B, 9.1. 14, Jenna Stilwell, J, 9.1
Uneven bars
1, Kaylee Keller, B, 9.575. 2, Jessica Gabriel, C, 9.35. 2, Acacia Fossum, D, 9.35. 4, Alex Lind, J, 9.2. 5, Keana Kudrna, D, 9.125. 6, Madison Reiter, Mi, 9.025. 7, Hannah Werchau, Mi, 8.950. 8, Chantal Urlacher, D, 8.925. 9, Katlin Kelley, B, 8.575. 10, Sophia Thompson, C, 8.55. 10, Jenna Breuer, Mi, 8.55. 12, Mckenzie Kostelecky, D, 8.525. 13, Whitney Perrin, C, 8.475. 14, Megan Kelly, B, 8.375. 15, Mikaela Kessel, D, 8.35.
Balance beam
1, Mikaela Kessel, D, 9.65. 2, Kaylee Keller, B, 9.55. 3, Jenna Breuer, Mi, 9.4. 4, Alex Lind, J, 9.375. 5, Madison Reiter, Mi, 9.0. 6, Hannah Werchau, Mi, 8.975. 7, Abby Kessel, D, 8.975. 8, Chantal Urlacher, D, 8.925. 9, Acacia Fossum, D, 8.9. 10, Jessica Gabriel, C, 8.825. 11, Jenna Mueller, D, 8.75. 11, Mckenzie Kostelecky, D, 8.75. 11, Whitney Perrin, C, 8.75. 14, Blythe Ehrmantraut, B, 8.65. 14, Madison Mandan, J, 8.65.
Floor exercise
1, Mikaela Kessel, D, 9.6. 2, Alex Lind, J, 9.5. 3, Jessica Gabriel, C, 9.45. 4, Kaylee Keller, B, 9.375. 4, Chantal Urlacher, D, 9.375. 6, Madison Reiter, Mi, 9.35. 6, Keana Kudrna, D, 9.35. 8, Mckenzie Kostelecky, D, 9.3. 9, Hannah Werchau, Mi, 9.2. 10, Erin Hillerud, J, 9.175. 11, Jill Mueller, D, 9.1. 12, Acacia Fossum, D, 9.0. 12, Stephanie Huether, Mi, 9.0. 14, Whitney Perrin, C, 8.975. 15, Katlin Kelley, B, 8.95.
Tags: dickinson midgets, sports, midgets, preps, gymnastics
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