The Becker Bulldog girls gymnastics team competed in the Granite Ridge Conference Championships last Saturday in Howard Lake-Waverly.

 

The girls competed well and came out with the first place prize.

 

The Bulldogs began the day on bars and up first for Becker was  Miranda O'Brien. She started the team off with a strong routine and garnered a personal record score of 8.425 (seventh place overall).  

 

Hannah Schmidt followed with another strong routine and scored an 8.525 for fifth place.  Kylee Pudas was next and the momentum carried forward as she scored an 8.55 with a good routine despite a slight little bobble near the beginning (fourth place).  

 

Marlee Louden was next and she suffered a couple of mishaps, but scored an 8.05.

 

Haley Olsen topped everything else in her rotation, hitting an impressive routine that scored a 9.2, good enough for first place.  The Bulldogs' team total on bars was less than one tenth shy of their season-high total.

 

In the third rotation, Becker moved to the beam, which has been one area of inconsistency this whole season.  Coach Jen Harmoning and her coaching staff decided to make a major change in the way the team approaches beam during competition. 

 

It seemed to pay off.

 

While the girls weren't a perfect five-for-five, they were definitely much improved compared to their recent meets. Their team total was only 0.45 short of their season-best score.

 

Louden was first up and she pulled off a super nice routine with one fall.  Her score of 8.45 was good enough for 11th place.

 

Kassidy Severson went second and turned in her best performance of the season by sticking her routine and earning a personal record score of 8.6, that tied her for seventh place.

 

Lindsay Olsen performed third for the Bulldogs.  

 

“It has been great to see her continue to improve on this event, her favorite, after spending most of the season watching from the sidelines due to a foot injury,” said Harmoning.  

 

She also stuck her routine despite a very close call.  She scored an 8.775 and took fourth place.  

 

Freshman Katie Wilke went fourth and hit a very nice routine, scoring a personal record 9.1 and taking first place on the beam.  O'Brien finished the rotation with a somewhat cautious routine and one fall.  She scored 8.55, but still took ninth place.

 

In the fourth rotation, the Bulldogs went to their favorite event, floor.  

 

Wilke started the team off with a good, solid routine and notched her personal record score of 9.225, which gave her third place.  Severson and Pudas followed with good routines, but each had a few minor mistakes, and Severson took eighth place with an 8.875 while Pudas took sixth with an 8.925.

 

O'Brien followed with the best routine of her career, nailing a new double twisting tumbling pass.  She scored a personal record 9.525 and won the event.  

 

Haley Hubbard finished the team on floor with a beautiful routine of her own, contributing 9.475 points and earning second place.  

 

In the final rotation, the Bulldogs competed on vault and although Harmoning’s vaulters turned in solid performances, the team's vault total was nearly a point short of their season best.  

 

Severson started with a strong 8.85 that tied her for seventh place.  Pudas went next, performing a new vault for the very first time and she did a decent job, but Becker’s spotter stepped in to assist just to make sure she remained safe.  This meant she would incur a half-point deduction to her score and she ended up with an 8.35 for 12th place.  

 

O'Brien went fourth in the line-up and performed two great vaults.  Her best scored her a 9.25, which was good enough for third place.  Wilke capped off the day with a 9.1 and sixth place.

 

O'Brien was the team's only all-around gymnast and she tied her personal record of 35.75 points and placed second.  The top all-arounder of the day was Jordan Sifferle of Maple Lake with a score of 36.075.  Sifferle also won the vault scoring 9.525.

 

1.  Becker, 143.225;

2.  RPHF, 138.325;

3.  Maple Lake, 134.125;

4.  HLWW, 121.85;

5.  Paynesville, 111.8;

6.  Little Falls, 109.65.

 

The JV teams also competed in the championships in what was their final meet of the season.  

 

Becker gymnasts took the top spot on every event en route to the team win.  

 

Hubbard won vault, bars and beam; Louden won floor and Emi Quill took the all-around crown.

 

The girls will compete in the Section 7A tournament today (Saturday) at Sauk Rapids-Rice. The state tournament is Fri., Feb. 19 and Sat., Feb. 20 at the University of Minnesota Pavillion.