The Britton-Hecla gymnastics squad placed seventh in the Class A state meet held in Mitchell Friday and Saturday, and senior Ava Teveldal brought home a ninth place medal in the balance beam.
Estelline-Hendricks defended its state crown, scoring a 140.533 total to top Parkston-Ethan-Hanson-Mount Vernon by nearly three points.
“It’s hard to put into words the end of a season,” said B-H coach Angela Grupe. “This season was a memorable one with so many highs and plenty of learning experiences the girls will take forward into life with them. There were many good moments over the weekend. We did not compete as well as we would have liked on team day but did have some good moments and had a solid competition on individual day.
“Ava was our lone top 10 placer with her ninth place finish on beam. She also competed a brand new vault for the first time at state and had a personal best score and was our only competitor to have two no-fall beam routines. She really had a great final meet.”
Three seniors will graduate from this year’s squad and Grupe said they will be missed.
“Ava, Abby Lee, and Taryn Kraft did a great job for the team on both days and they will be greatly missed by their team and coaches,” added the B-H boss. “We start this journey together in sixth grade and after seven years of blood, sweat and tears it’s hard to say the final goodbyes to something so memorable in their high school years. We wish them well with their future plans.”
Despite the loss of three key seniors Grupe has some younger girls waiting in the wings.
“I know my juniors and sophomores will come back next year with a new-found fire to carry this team to its’ next chapter. Although we graduate three big roles from our team I believe this younger crew grew their love of the sport and the competition and will come back next year ready to fill some big shoes!”
FOR FULL STATS SEE THIS WEEK'S JOURNAL
