The Becker Bulldog gymnastics team traveled to St. Francis a few weeks back and came away not only with a conference win, but also a share of their first Mississippi 8 Championship.

Becker finished the conference season in a first place tie with Cambridge-Isanti and Monticello, as each team finished with one loss.

Becker was on top of the Saints all evening, winning the event 141.125 to 131.225.

Coach Jen Harmoning said her team started out on bars and had five great routines.

Karli Kirk finished in first with an 8.75, while Lauren Woelfel was second at 8.65 and Maggie Graning fourth with an 8.575.

On vault, the Bulldogs were dominant, taking the top four places: Kirk first 9.45 (tied personal record), Graning second 9.25, Woelfel third 9.075 and Alison Woodard fourth 8.55.

Next was the floor and Harmoning said the team still has some areas for improvement.

“We still need to learn to become adjusted to different floors more quickly,” Harmoning said.  “Every floor has a different ‘bounce’ to it, and gymnasts have to become adjusted to that in the 12 minutes they get to warm up on the event.”

Kirk and Bella Kuschel tied for second with scores of 9.1 to lead the Bulldogs, while Graning was fourth (8.9) and Chloe Spear was fifth with an 8.8.

Despite the up and down performance, the Bulldogs’ coach sees a chance for a more steady performance.

“Some skills are more easily adjusted than others,” Harmoning said.  “As gymnasts gain more experience, they usually learn how to adjust the timing on their ‘punch’ with each new floor they encounter.”

Beam was next and Becker bounced back with three, no-fall performances.

Emma Hennessey was first with a 9.225 (new personal record) and Spear was close behind with her own personal record, taking second with a 9.175.

Graning was fourth and Woelfel was fifth to round out the scoring.

In the All Around, Graning again took the title with a 35.175 and Kirk was close behind with a 35.05.

Woelfel finished in fourth and Spear was fifth, giving the Bulldogs four of the top five spots.

Harmoning also reported that the JV Bulldogs competed this week in the conference championships in Monticello, as they finished the regular season in second place with a 6-1 record.  Against St. Francis, the JV team tied the JV Team School Record score of 36.05.

JV Title

For the first time, the Becker JV team also won the Mississippi 8 Conference Championships.

The team’s win made it a complete sweep of Gymnastics titles for the Bulldogs this year.

“This group of athletes has been incredibly fun for us to coach because they come into the gym every day with smiles and good attitudes,” Harmoning said. “We are very excited about the potential we have coming up in future years!”

Harmoning also sang the praises of her seniors, noting how great they have been as role models.

“We will really miss all of our seniors,” Harmoning said.  “They have been great leaders.”