OHS gymnastics team state-bound
The Owatonna Huskies gymnastics team punched its ticket to the state tournament after taking first at the Section 1AA Meet in Rochester on Thursday.
The Huskies scored 142.600 points as a team to edge the Farmington Tigers’ score of 142.350 for the top spot.
“I wasn’t sure after I saw our last bar routine, but when I saw the final scores, I was like, ‘Wow,’ “ said Owatonna head coach Evan Moe. “We won by the skin of our teeth, but it felt great. It really felt great.”
Owatonna’s best performance as a team came on the floor where the Huskies compiled 37.800 points to earn a first-place finish in the event.
Consistency was key for the team as the Huskies took second on the beam, third on the vault and fourth on the bars.
Compared to its section meet opponents, Owatonna came into the meet boasting the highest average team score.
Owatonna’s 141.240 average score over the course of the season was 1.790 points compared to the next highest average score of 139.450 held by Lakeville South.
It’s this consistency that Moe said will be crucial for his team at the state meet. He said there is no room for error, if the Huskies want to win their first-ever state title in gymnastics.
Leading the way for Owatonna was sophomore Emma Johnson, who scored 36.125 points for a third-place individual finish at the meet.
The sophomore’s 36.125 points was also her third-best personal score on the season.
Johnson’s 9.700-point floor routine was the best overall performance of any individual gymnast.
According to Moe, Johnson’s excellence on the floor has her in line to potentially become Owatonna’s first individual event winner in the past 35 years.
Also ranking inside of the top 10 in individual scoring at the section meet was freshman Averie Roush, who scored 35.350 points.
Roush’s 35.350 points were her fourth-best individual score of the season, and her 9.525 points on the floor earned her the third-best score in the event.
Owatonna now travels to the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul for the state meet, which starts at 11 a.m. on Friday.