Local Video
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| State Champs! |
By: Jeff Wald, Sports Editor
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Posted: Saturday, February 27, 2010 1:45 am
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The Northfield gymnastics team celebrates after winning the Class AA State title Friday night at the University of Minnesota Sports Pavilion. The Raiders scored a 148.325, a school record, to win their first state title.
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MINNEAPOLIS — State champions has a nice ring to it. That’s what the members of the 2009-10 Northfield gymnastics team can call themselves after winning the Class AA state title Friday night.
The Raiders scored a 148.325, a season-high and school record, to win the state championship. Roseville, the four-time defending state champions, took second at 146.225.
“It’s unreal. It hasn’t sunk in,” said NHS coach Melissa Bernhard. “It’s exciting. This is an amazing way to end the season after all the hard work the girls have put in. We came out and hit 18 of our 20 routines, so to peak like this at the state tournament, you can’t ask for anything more than that.”
After finishing the competition, the Raiders sat with the rest of the teams on the floor to await the team scores. The group erupted when they were the last team called.
“When they said second place was Roseville, I was like ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe we actually did it,’” said sophomore Meaghan Howell. “We just do what we do. We are the state champions.”
NHS had only two falls on night. One came on the balance beam and the other was a slight stumble on the floor exercise. Other than that, the team was virtually flawless.
“Incredible. It feels awesome,” said senior Rachel Henrickson. “We are so pumped right now. We really learned that we can always count on our team. Our team is so strong, and even when one person doesn’t do the greatest, there’s always someone there to back them up. We really proved that tonight.”
Northfield knew where it stood for the whole night after the first two events were over.
It started on bars with three scores in the high 8s and two scores in the mid 9s for a 36.6. The difference came on the beam, where NHS had one of its highest scores of the season. The Raiders had four scores in the 9s, led by Sveta Mason’s 9.55, to score a 37.175.
“We have not hit on beam all season, and I knew coming in if we were going to place among the top teams, we needed to stay on the beam,” Bernhard said.
NHS had three scores in the 9s and two in the high 8s on the floor exercise for a 36.625. Through three rotations, they were in third with the top three spots separated by .06 points.
Northfield had four of its five scores on vault in the 9s, led by Meaghan Howell’s 9.7, to score a 37.925.
“I felt really confident being on vault last,” Bernhard said. “I knew that every single one of those girls could pull a pretty good nine.”
It started to hit the team after that they were state champions. They hugged each other, their parents and friends. Tears of joy poured out, and their smiles were as wide as their medals were gold.
And they’re not done yet. Mason and Howell will compete in the Class AA all-around competition Saturday, while Henrickson will compete on bars and Abby Stets on floor in the individual state competition. Action gets underway at 6 p.m.
— Jeff Wald covers local sports. He can be reached at 645-1111 or jwald@northfieldnews.com.
Class AA State Championships
University of Minnesota Sports Pavilion
Team Results
1. Northfield, 148.325; 2. Roseville, 146.225; 3. Cambridge-Isanti, 145.450; 4. Lakeville North, 145.225; 5. St. Cloud Tech, 144.625; 6. Bloomington Jefferson, 143.925; 6. Rogers, 143.925; 8. Cretin-Derham Hall, 137.350
Northfield results
Vault
Sveta Mason, 8.8; Abby Stets, 9.35; Aleasha Kimmes, 9.375; Rachel Henrickson, 9.5; Meaghan Howell, 9.7
Uneven Parallel Bars
Emily Stets, 8.55; Alexis Kiefer, 8.95; Rachel Henrickson, 8.725; Meaghan Howell, 9.45; Sveta Mason, 9.475
Balance Beam
Lindsay Henrickson, 8.025; Ariel Kiefer, 8.95; Rachel Henrickson, 9.075; Sveta Mason, 9.55; Meaghan Howell, 9.525
Floor Exercise
Maren Zach, 8.775; Abby Stets, 9.1; Sveta Mason, 9.275; Meaghan Howell, 9.475; Rachel Henrickson, 8.775 |
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