Section champs once again
Owatonna’s Averie Roush goes down the high-five line after her floor exercise routine. Roush and the Huskies won the Section 1AA title in Farmington last weekend. Staff photo by Johnnie Phillips
The Owatonna Huskies gymnastics team will be in the hunt for a state title this week after winning the Section 1AA championship in Farmington last weekend with a season-best 148.675-point performance.
The section title and state berth will send the team back to the big meet after a close second-place finish in 2023-24 kept the Huskies sidelined from team competition while only a handful of individuals qualified.
“They executed on every event. The bars score a season high. Beam was a record. Floor was awesome. Delia Neumann’s music cut out in her second-ever floor performance, and she fought through. Halle [Theis] got a big banged up again, but she kept going and did excellent,” said Owatonna Head Coach Evan Moe.
The Huskies’ day began on the floor where the team compiled 37.425 points.
All five Owatonna gymnasts scored over nine points, but it was Theis who led the pack with a 9.450.
The team then rotated to the vault and continued its high-scoring trend.
Owatonna threw up 37.200 points in the event, spearheaded by a 9.475-point routine from senior captain Jozie Johnson.
Her score qualified her for the vault event at the state individual championships, where she will be joined by teammate Johanna Spielman, who posted a 9.400.
The senior had previously suffered a concussion at a home meet early in the season, but has battled back to play a key part in the Huskies’ rotation.
Owatonna’s momentum carried over into the bars where the team needed a breakthrough performance.
The event has traditionally been the Huskies’ lowest scoring event, but a huge 36.15-point day was more than enough to put the team in the driver’s seat in Farmington.
Dylann Norrid kicked off the event by sticking her landing and the team never looked back.
In fact, Owatonna looked stronger after every routine with Neumann earning the highest score at 9.400.
The performance punched her ticket to compete in the bars at the state individual tournament alongside teammate and senior captain Averie Roush.
Owatonna finished its rotation with the beam and capped the huge day with a record setting performance.
The team’s 37.900 point total was a program record and saw all four qualifying gymnasts score 9.325 points or higher.
Junior Chloe Myer excelled with a personal-record score of 9.650 to punch her ticket to the state individual tournament.
Joining her in the state event will be Neumann and Roush, who both scored 9.525 and 9.400 respectively.
The Huskies’ will also be able to support Theis at the state meet as the senior captain competes in the individual all-around competition.
Owatonna will begin competition at the state team tournament on Friday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m.
The event will last one day before state individuals begins the next day at 6 p.m.
All competition will be held at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul.
