Midgets head into tourney time with a win

The Dickinson High gymnastics team is officially ready for the postseason.

The Midgets posted their highest team score of the season -- and likely the past two decades, head coach Kent Van Ells said -- as it cruised to a win Thursday night at the Glenn Heiser Invitational.

Dickinson compiled a 149.425 team score to finish the regular season undefeated in meets, had the top three all-around finishers and three of the four individual event winners.

"I think that each meet, we're doing a little better," said Dickinson seventh-grader Acacia Fossum, who won the all-around.

Fossum has nine all-around victories in Dickinson's 10 meets this season. She also won the vault with a 9.550.

But, one of the biggest performances of the night came from Brogan Burwick, Dickinson's lone senior starring in the final home meet of her career.

Burwick had a 37.400 all-around score, her best of the season. She was second on the balance beam (9.700), third in the vault (9.375), and fourth on both the uneven bars (8.950) and floor exercise (9.375).

"I think beam was my best because I added in a new skill last weekend and it didn't go as well as planned," Burwick said. "This weekend, I just nailed it. That was probably my best event."

Freshman Mikaela Kessel continued to perform well for the Midgets, too.

She won both the beam (9.750) and floor (9.650) while finishing third in the all-around (37.250).

"I know I can be doing better, but I'm happy where I'm at," Kessel said with a smile.

Bismarck High (141.350) and Bismarck Century (139.000) also competed at the meet.

Century's Jennifer Albers won the uneven bars with a 9.400. Fossum was second at 9.325.

Dickinson continued its strong showing on the balance beam. It had the top four finishers.

"Beam was incredible," Van Ells said. "It's just amazing to me how we can be that solid, just one girl after the next. I hope we can keep it up the next two meets. If we do, we're in pretty good shape."

The next two meets, of course, are the biggest of the season.

The West Region meet is next Saturday in Minot. The North Dakota state meet is Feb. 25 and 26 in Jamestown.

Fossum, in her first year on varsity, said the season is beginning to get exciting as the Midgets approach the postseason.

"It's starting to get where we didn't get as nervous as we did in the beginning," Fossum said. "Once we get to state, we know we have to perform our best and be a team and support each other."

Glen Heiser Invitational

At Dickinson High School

Team scores: Dickinson High 149.425, Bismarck High 141.350, Bismarck Century 139.000.

Individual scores (Top 6 and Dickinson finishers in top 10 are listed)

All around

1, Acacia Fossum, Dickinson, 37.925. 2, Brogan Burwick, Dickinson, 37.400. 3, Mikaela Kessel, Dickinson, 37.250. 4, Mackenzie Keidel, Bismarck, 36.975. 5, Jennifer Albers, Century, 36.250. 6, Katlin Kelly, Bismarck, 36.100. 8, McKenzie Kostelecky, Dickinson, 35.125. 10 (tie), Shalesa Wariner, Dickinson; Keana Kudrna, Dickinson, 34.700.

Vault

1, Acacia Fossum, Dickinson, 9.550. 2, Shalesa Wariner, Dickinson, 9.500. 3, Brogan Burwick, Dickinson, 9.375. 4 (tie), Katlin Kelly, Bismarck; Jessica Gabriel, Century, 9.225. 6, Mikaela Kessel, Dickinson, 9.200. 7 (tie), Keana Kudrna, Dickinson; Jennifer Albers, Century, 9.150. 10, McKenzie Kostelecky, Dickinson, 9.025.

Uneven bars

1, Jennifer Albers, Century, 9.400. 2, Acacia Fossum, Dickinson, 9.325. 3, Mackenzie Keidel, Bismarck, 9.175. 4, Brogan Burwick, Dickinson, 8.950. 5, Jessica Gabriel, Century, 8.800. 6, McKenzie Kostelecky, Dickinson, 8.700. 7, Mikaela Kessel, Dickinson, 8.650. 8, Shalesa Wariner, Dickinson, 8.600. 10, Keana Kudrna, Dickinson, 8.525.

Balance beam

1, Mikaela Kessel, Dickinson, 9.750. 2, Brogan Burwick, Dickinson, 9.700. 3, Jenna Mueller, Dickinson, 9.575. 4, Acacia Fossum, Dickinson, 9.525. 5, Mackenzie Keidel, Bismarck, 9.475. 6, Katlin Kelly, Bismarck, 9.050. 9, Keana Kudrna, Dickinson, 8.650.

Floor exercise

1, Mikaela Kessel, Dickinson, 9.650. 2, Acacia Fossum, Dickinson, 9.525. 3, Jessica Gabriel, Century, 9.500. 4, Brogan Burwick, Dickinson, 9.375. 5, Katlin Kelly, Bismarck, 9.250. 6, Mackenzie Keidel, Bismarck, 9.200. 7 (tie), Sierra Roshau, Dickinson, 9.075; Jennifer Albers, Century, 9.075. 10, McKenzie Kostelecky, Dickinson, 8.850.