MANKATO – Blue Earth Area eighth-grade phenom Arika Howard captured the gold medal at fourth singles to pace the Bucs’ effort at the Mankato West individual tennis tournament on Saturday in Mankato.

Julia Hanson netted a bronze medal at third singles, while Tea Armstrong and McKenna Dutton claimed fourth place at second doubles to pace Blue Earth Area’s performances.

Briana Joseph teamed with Maggy Totzke and Lydia Thatcher to generate a sixth-place showing at third doubles to top the Fairmont Cardinals’ efforts at the invitational.

Howard posted a 6-3, 6-1 opening-round victory over Rosemount’s Izzy Agpalasin before outslugging Holy Family Catholic’s Maggie Berg in the semifinals, 6-3, 6-4.

Howard pocketed the fourth singles crown by fending off Mankato East’s Kezin Kim, 6-1, 7-6 (7-5), in the championship match.

Fairmont eighth-grader Lauren Green claimed seventh place in the fourth singles competition.

Green lost back-to-back 6-1 sets to Kim in her opening match before falling to New London-Spicer’s Ava Hanson by the same score in the consolation semifinals.

Green, however, bounced back to net back-to-back 6-3 set wins over East Grand Forks’ Kayla Partlow.

Hanson opened the tourney by posting a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Fairmont’s Sydney Hainy during third-singles play before falling to Rosemount’s Sonya Ramesh in the semifinals, 6-2, 6-1.

The Blue Earth Area junior singles player rebounded to earn back-to-back 6-3 set triumphs over East Grand Forks’ Maggie Dietrich in the third-place match.

Hainy lost a 6-1, 6-1 decision to Holy Family Catholic’s Emma Terris in the consolation semifinals before the Fairmont sophomore netted seventh place when New London-Spicer’s Ruby Parsons withdrew due to medical issues. Hainy led the opening set 3-0 when Parsons exited the court.

In doubles action, Armstrong and Dutton earned a hard-fought three-set decision, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5, over New London-Spicer’s Michelle Johnson and Emma Spors before losing to Holy Family Catholic’s Alexis Pricco and Mary Seifert in the semifinals, 6-1, 6-2.

Blue Earth Area’s second doubles tandem battled Mankato West’s Josie Goellner and Teagan Townsend in the third-place match, falling by a narrow 6-4, 6-3 decision.

Gracie Leland netted sixth place at first singles, Malarie Scholtes took sixth at No. 2 singles, Macie Stevermer and Maddie McCleary placed sixth at first doubles, while Carissa Engesser and Athena Thompson tallied a seventh-place showing at third doubles for Blue Earth Area.

Lauren Carlson placed seventh at No. 1 singles, Brittany Bass finished eighth at second singles, Bergen Senf and Claire Nemmers pocketed eighth at No. 1 doubles, while Makena Rodriguez and Emily O’Connor also took eighth at second doubles to round out Fairmont’s individual effort.

Fairmont (2-10) travels to Albert Lea today for a 4:30 p.m. non-league dual meet.

Blue Earth Area (5-7) plays host to St. Peter at 4:30 p.m. today at Schroeder Courts in Blue Earth in a rescheduled meet.

Mankato West Invite

Area Individual Results

No. 1 Singles: Sophie Lynch (HFC) d. Gracie Leland (BEA) 6-3, 6-3; Leland d. Lauren Carlson (F) 6-1, 6-1; Emma Dietrich (EGF) d. Leland, 6-2, 6-2. Lexi Miller (West) d. Lauren Carlson (F) 6-0, 6-2; Leland (BEA) d. Carlson, 6-1, 6-1; Carlson d. Loterbauer, 6-3, 6-3.

No. 2 Singles: Shayn Bartolo (East) d. Malarie Scholtes (BEA) 6-0, 6-1; Scholtes d. April Groff (NLS) 6-3, 6-1; Jenna Dietrich (EGF) d. Scholtes, 6-1, 7-5. Tanya Ramesh (Rosemount) d. Brittany Bass (F), 6-0, 6-1; Dietrich d. Bass, 7-5, 7-6 (7-2); Groff d. Bass, 6-3, 7-5.

No. 3 Singles: Julia Hanson (BEA) d. Sydney Hainy (F) 6-2, 6-0; Sonya Ramesh (R) d. Hanson, 6-2, 6-1; Hanson d. Maggie Dietrich (EGF) 6-3, 6-3. Hanson d. Hainy, 6-2, 6-0; Emma Terris (HFC) d. Hainy, 6-1, 6-1; Hainy d. Ruby Parsons (NLS) 3-0, medical forfeit.

No. 4 Singles: Arika Howard (BEA) d. Izzy Agpalasin (R) 6-3, 6-1; Howard d. Maggie Berg (HFC) 6-3, 6-4; Howard d. Kezin Kim (East) 6-1, 7-6 (7-5). Kim d. Lauren Green (F) 6-1, 6-1; Ava Hanson (NLS) d. Green, 6-1, 6-1; Green d. Kayla Partlow (EGF) 6-3. 6-3.

No. 1 Doubles: Libby Moakley-Lindsey Harris (HFC) d. Macie Stevermer-Maddie McCleary (BEA) 6-2, 6-2; Stevermer-McCleary d. Bergen Senf-Claire Nemmers, 6-4, 6-4; Shea Oman-Kylie Thompson (NLS) d. Stevermer-McCleary, 7-5, 6-2. Lauren Smith-Alyssa Haley (West) d. Senf-Nemmers, 6-0, 6-0; Stevermer-McCleary d. Senf-Nemmers, 6-4, 6-4; Geena Boyum-Tessa Birkholz (EGF) d. Senf-Nemmers, 7-5, 6-2.

No. 2 Doubles: Tea Armstrong-McKenna Dutton (BEA) d. Michelle Johnson-Emma Spors (NLS), 6-2, 6-7, 7-5; Alexis Pricco-Mary Seifert (HFC) d. Armstrong-Dutton, 6-1, 6-2; Josie Goellner-Teagan Townsend (West) d. Armstrong-Dutton, 6-4, 6-3. Morgan Anderson-Maddie Ahrens (East) d. Makena Rodriguez-Emily O’Connor (F), 6-0, 6-1; Bailey McMahon-McKenna Atchison (EGF) d. Rodriguez-O’Connor, 6-1, 6-2; Johnson-Spors (NLS) d. Rodriguez-O’Connor, 6-2, 6-1.

No. 3 Doubles: Camryn Steinberg-Lynsey Rohlfing (East) d. Carissa Engesser-Athena Thompson (BEA), 6-2, 6-1; Megan Larson-Abbey Sweetman (R) d. Engesser-Thompson, 6-3, 7-5. Engesser-Thompson d. Gracie Coulter-Brynn Havis, 6-2, 6-2. Elle Hauser-Grace Fenske (HFC) d. Briana Joseph-Maggy Totzke (F), 6-4, 6-4; Joseph-M. Totzke d. Coulter-Havis, 6-2, 7-5; Larson-Sweetman (R) d. Joseph-Lydia Thatcher, 6-0, 6-1.