Addison Armstrong

ST. JAMES — Blue Earth Area’s Addison Armstrong earned a trip to the Class A state individual gymnastics meet on Saturday, Feb. 25, at Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul.

Armstrong, who produced a sixth-place total of 34.4 points in the Section 2 Meet’s all-around competition on Thursday night in St. James, garnered the third and final state-qualifying spot on the vault with a 9.0-scored performance.

Armstrong, the Section 2 Meet’s top three all-arounders — Mankato West’s Zoey Hermel, Grace Jacobson and Maura Panahon — and the next three spots on each of the four pieces of equipment, excluding the above all-arounders, open the Class A state individual meet at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25. Section 2’s qualifiers start on the uneven parallel bars as a group.

Hermel, Jacobson and Panahon swept the top three all-around spots, respectively, to help the Class A No. 5-ranked Mankato West Scarlets defend their Section 2 gymnastics championship by posting a total of 144.6.

Hermel struck gold in the all-around competition by producing a total of 36.125 points, Jacobson netted runner-up honors at 35.8, while Panahon nailed down the bronze medal with a 35.6.

Ella Friederich captured fifth overall individually with a 34.6 to guide New Ulm (134.175) to second place in the sectional team standings, while Cadence Tish finished fourth in the all-around with a 35.225 to top St. Peter’s third-place team mark of 130.6.

Waseca (129.35) placed fourth in the team competition, while Armstrong paced Blue Earth Area’s fifth-place team score of 128.25. Addison Olson delivered 31.725 points to BEA’s team showing, Tailor Douglas generated 31.7, while Lauren Survis produced 29.1.

Mollie Leiding netted a team-best all-around of 30.85 to steer Martin County Area to sixth place in the team standings at 123.675. Ava Thate contributed an all-around score of 30.1.

Mankato West, the 2022 Class A state team runner-up, will hit the equipment at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24. The Scarlets will open the Class A state team meet on the balance beam in the first overall rotation.

Hermel captured first sectional honors on the vault (9.55) and floor exercise (9.375), while collecting runner-up accolades (9.15) to Panahon on the balance beam. Panahon struck gold on the 4-inch-wide apparatus with a 9.35.

Jacobson merited a first-place score of 8.625 on the uneven parallel bars to edge out Scarlet teammates Charley Fernandez — second at 8.475 — and Niya Hauer, who was fourth by matching Tish’s third-place mark of 8.4.

Jacobson and Panahon delivered a respective 3-4 showing on the vault with 9.375s.

Leiding and Lillie Schultz each produced 8.3s to top MCA on the vault, while Jadyn Montgomery and Abi Chavez led the Magic’s performance on the uneven bars with a 7.5 and a 7.325, respectively.

Leiding, Schultz and Thate paced MCA on the balance beam at 7.8, 7.675 and 7.4, while Schultz tallied a team-best 8.775 on the floor.

Addison Olson chipped in an 8.775 for BEA on the vault, while Armstrong (8.275) and Douglas (7.8) paced the Bucs on the uneven bars.

Armstrong and Douglas delivered an 8.1 and a 7.375, respectively, for BEA on the balance beam, while Armstrong nailed down sixth place on the floor exercise with a team-best 9.025.