Staff Photo by Jake Olson: Martin County Area Magic's Lillie Schultz performs her balance beam routine during last Saturday's MCA Invite held at the Fairmont Armory. Schultz took home first place in All-Around with a score of 35.125.

FAIRMONT – The Martin County Area Magic used strong performances during its vault and floor routines to fuel a first-place finish in this past Saturday’s MCA Invite held at the Fairmont Armory. The Magic outdueled Blue Earth, Waseca and Jackson County with their powerful team total of 133.275.

MCA’s Lillie Schultz and Jadyn Montgomery placed first and fourth in All-Around with scores of 35.125 and 33.175, respectively. Nola Thedens wasn’t too far behind with her score of 32.025, which was good enough to garner a seventh-place finish.

​”I don’t have to worry about anything when it comes to the team, I know they are going to handle it,” MCA head coach Annie Post said. “There is a reason why they were captains, Jadyn and Nola, and Lillie’s on that list too.”​

The Magic immediately set the tone during their vault routine while accumulating a score of 43.7. Schultz earned the top podium finish with a score of 9.425. Thedens and Montgomery notched second and fifth place scores of 8.75 and 8.625.​

“We killed it on vault, and that was just a heck of a way to start,” Post said. “I’m glad we started that way, especially with energy too. It was so early in the morning, and sometimes these high schoolers don’t want to get up.”

It was Montgomery and Schultz again leading the way for the Magic during their next apparatus on uneven bars. Schultz’s 8.4 was good for fourth, while Montgomery’s 8.075 put her on the podium in fifth.

​Adversity struck Post’s team during a strenuous beam routine. While falls were common for everyone at the meet, Post was proud to see her girls continue to push through the challenge with some solid scores. Montgomery led all Magic with a score of 8.175, earning a fifth-place finish in the event.

“It definitely attests to their mental toughness, and our captains are so great in working through issues,” Post said. “Their overall team atmosphere helped bring [the mood] up, because it’s rough. …We just don’t get mad at each other for falls, so it’s nice to have a good team environment for that.”

The Magic’s confidence stayed strong for their final apparatus of the afternoon on the floor. Each athlete scored higher than 8.05 during their routine, fueling a 42.65 team score that delivered the finishing touches on a first-place finish.

Schultz led the charge with an impressive first-place finish score of 9.3. Avery Steuber and Ellie Perkins rounded off MCA’s representation in the top five with 8.6 and 8.4 finishes, earning third and fourth place, respectively.

“There is definitely a reason we end on the floor every time, because it’s so fun to end it like that,” Post said.

MCA will continue its season on Tuesday with a competition at St. Peter. The meet will be held at Gustavus Adolphus College beginning at 6 p.m.