JAMESTOWN -- As a team, Dickinson put the final touches on an unforgettable season on Friday.
In a dominant campaign which saw them break the school record with a 151, the Midgets used a stellar 148.017 to oust the pack by a considerable margin at the North Dakota state gymnastics meet on team day at Jamestown High School.
Minot (142.367), Valley City (141.233) and Bismarck High (139.833) rounded out the top four, respectively. Individual competition is today.
For Dickinson senior Keana Kudrna, the season-long dominance was about experience.
“We had so much experience coming back and the depth we had with Acacia (Fossum) and I being seniors,” Kudrna said. “It was all ups for this season. Nothing was bad.”
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Though results were only used for team-scoring purposes, Dickinson had all four event winners including the top score in the all-around, which went to Fossum with a 38.4. She also bested the field on the balance beam (9.550) and uneven parallel bars (9.633).
However, Kudrna’s day was nearly as impressive, taking second in the all-around (37.7) by winning the floor exercise and vault with identical scores of 9.733.
“We just came out like it was a regular meet and tried not to think about it being state,” Kudrna said. “That’s what brings your nerves down. We performed how we would at a regular meet, and it ended up well.”
Dickinson won every meet it competed in this season including a school record mark of 151.050 at a home meet on Feb. 11.
“We started off the season a little iffy,” Kudrna said. “We did have some injuries throughout the year, but we kept gaining and gaining.”
Minot co-coach Marissa Albertson saw her team post its second-best score of the season, but she felt points were left behind.
“I don’t think we performed up to the level we should,” said Albertson, who shares duties with co-coach Robbie Werchau. “We’re very lucky some of these teams didn’t overtake us.”
Senior Hannah Werchau finished third in the all-around with a 37.4, helped out by third-place performances on the bars (9.517) and vault (9.367).
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“I was happy with our senior leadership -- Hannah Werchau coming through with big scores as usual,” Albertson said. “We pulled that out by the skin of our teeth.”
Valley City wasn’t able to duplicate the 144.675 it used to win the East Region championship last week. Still, the Hi-Liners had their fourth-highest score of the season in capturing a top-three spot.
“I’m happy with the day we had -- the girls had their best meet of the year on beam,” Valley City coach Suzanne Fisher said. “The girls have been working hard to improve on beam.”
State gymnastics meet
at Jamestown High School
Day 1 (team competition only)
1. Dickinson 148.017. 2, Minot 142.367. 3, Valley City 141.233. 4, Bismarck 139.833. 5, Jamestown 139.650. 6, Bismarck Century 136.917. 7, Grand Forks 132.0. 8, Fargo Davies 131.433.
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Individual results (top 10)
All-around: Acacia Fossum, D, 38.400; Keana Kudrna, D, 37.7; Rachel Dillman, Bis, 37.417. Hannah Werchau, Minot, 37.400; Ayanna Fossum, D, 36.717; Erin Hillerud, J, 36.450; Julia Redwing, Cent, 35.917; Brienne Roehrich, VC, 35.817; Kate Dillman, Bis, 35.517; Anna Suppes, Davies, 35.433.
Floor exercise: Kudrna, D, 9.733; Ayanna Fossum, D, 9.7. Rachel Dillman, Bis, 9.667; Acacia Fossum, D, 9.533; Werchau, Minot, 9.5; Erin Hillerud, Jamestown, 9.483; Adisynn Widell, Minot, 9.417; Taylor Johnson, VC, 9.367; Roehrich, VC, 9.317; Hannah Schiele, Jamestown, 9.250.
Balance beam: Acacia Fossum, D, 9.550; Anna Suppes, Davies, 9.050; R. Dillman, Bis, 9.033; Werchau, Minot, 9.017; Taylor Johnson, VC, 9.017; Brienne Roehrich, VC, 8.967; Ayanna Fossum, D, 8.917; Hannah Schiele, J, 8.917; Hannah Sorensen, VC, 8.867; Kate Dillman, Bis, 8.850.
Uneven parallel bars: Acacia Fossum, D, 9.633; Kudrna, D, 9.60; Werchau, Minot, 9.517; R. Dillman, Bis, 9.417; Redwing, Cent, 9.1; Hillerud, Jamestown, 8.967; Ayanna Fossum, D, 8.867; Michaela Thibert, VC, 8.8; Roehrich, VC, 8.717; K. Dillman, Bis, 8.633.
Vault: Kudrna, D, 9.733; Acacia Fossum, D, 9.683; Werchau, Minot, 9.367; Adisynn Widell, Minot, 9.333; Rachel Dillman, Bis, 9.3; Erin Hillerud, J, 9.250; Ayanna Fossum, D, 9.233; Redwing, Cent, 9.167; Olivia Schoffstall, Minot, 9.050; K. Dillman, Bis, 9.050.
