BRAINERD – The Brainerd Warriors posted their best overall team score of the season at the Holiday Invite on Saturday, December 16.
The Brainerd team’s score of 134.6 was good enough to place sixth out of eight teams that competed at Brainerd High School. Lakeville South earned first place as a team for the second year in a row with a score of 146.4.
“I thought it went really well,” Brainerd head coach Jessica Lofrano-Larson said. “It’s always difficult to have two meets a week. I think we competed well and made a number of improvements that we’ve been working on.
Freshman Sophia White led the Warriors with a score of 33.7, the best on the team.
“She had a really good day,” Lufrano-Larson said of White. “She added a twist to her vault, which was exciting. Her bar routine was great and I think her beam was the highlight. She stuck to her beam routine and was consistent throughout the meet.”
White dazzled on beam, posting a 9.05 — one of two high points for the Warriors. White’s beam score was tied for seventh in the event. Big Lake’s Alli Lu won the beam title with a score of 9.5.
“I just wanted to stick my back up,” White said of her beam performance. “All the graduates were here and I wanted to make them proud.”
On bars, White again finished in the top 10 for the Warriors with an 8.25. Lakeville South’s Piper Keith won on bars with a score of 9.6.
“It feels really good,” White said. “I think it was a good meet for everyone. A lot of our promotions have improved a lot.”
Kelly Humphrey/Brainerd Dispatch
Brainerd’s Lauren Castle scored the other nine goals for the Warriors with a score of 9.0 on vault. Castle was close behind White all around with a 33.55.
On floor, Castle finished tied for ninth with an 8.85 for a top ten podium finish.
“Her floor routine was beautiful today,” Lofrano Larson said. “This meet is different for us because some of the best gymnasts in the state are here. It inevitably affects some results when you have quality routines. Her vault was beautiful and she really came back down to earth after not having her best routine, so I was excited to see her It returns and attacks Earth.
Autumn Schmidt of Lakeville South, who won the all-around with a 37.6, took the title on floor with a 9.5.
Lakeville South also won the title on vault with a 9.75 by Alexa Drew.
Kelly Humphrey/Brainerd Dispatch
Brainerd’s Anaka Schroeder nearly finished in the top 10 in two events. She finished tied for 11th on floor with a time of 8.75 and 12th on bars with a time of 8.15.
Lofrano Larsson was impressed with the Warriors’ performance overall.
“We had new releases in the bars and that was exciting,” she said. “It was a good meet overall and I’m proud of everyone’s performance.”
Brainerd is off until the new year when they travel to Willmar Friday, Jan. 5. The Warriors will host an exhibition meet on Thursday, December 21, in place of the one that was canceled.
“I’m excited to spend some time in the gym and focus on training,” Lofrano Larson said. “It’s going to be fun to have a fair. We decided to go to the fair because we were supposed to meet Sauk Rapids which doesn’t happen anymore, but we didn’t want to lose the opportunity to do the chores.
Team scores: 1-Lakeville South 146.4, 2-Owatonna 145.0, 3-Melrose 140.6, 4-Big Lake 138.75, 5-Detroit Lakes 136.65, 6-Brainerd 134.6, 7-Lakeville North 131.7, 8-Moorhead 116.9
Vault: 1-Alexa Drew (LS) 9.75, T8-Lauren Castle (Brd) 9.0, 15-Tia Brueggemann (Brd) 8.55, 16-Sydney Jones (Brd) 8.5, 19-Eva Dirks (Brd) 8.35, 22-Sofia White (cold) 8.0
Uneven bars: 1- Piper Keith (LS) 9.6, 10- White 8.25, 12- Anaka Schröder (Brd) 8.15, 18- Brueggemann 7.8, 19- Jones 7.7, 21- Castle 7.45
Balance Beam: 1-Alley Low (BL) 9.5, T7-White 9.05, T15-Schröder 8.55, T19-Castle 8.25, T24-Tatum Christophersen (Broad) 7.6, 27-Marin Ellingson (Broad) 7.2
Floor exercises: 1-Autumn Schmidt (LS) 9.5, T9-Castle 8.85, T11-Schroeder 8.75, T13-Ellingson 8.65, 14-Jones 8.6, 16-White 8.4.
Overall: 1-Autumn Schmidt (LS) 37.6, 12-White 33.7, 14-Castle 33.55
Next up: Brainerd at Willmar at 6pm Friday, January 5th.
CONRAD ENGSTROM can be reached at 218-855-5861 or conrad.engstrom@brainrddispatch.com. Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/the_rad34.
The Warriors Gymnastics team soared to success at the recent Holiday Invite, securing an impressive 6th place finish. The Brainerd Dispatch reported on the team’s outstanding performance, highlighting their determination and skill on the mat. With their stunning routines and unwavering dedication, the Warriors have solidified their position as a force to be reckoned with in the world of gymnastics. With this latest achievement, the team has proven that they are true warriors in every sense of the word, and they continue to inspire and impress with each competition they enter.