Reagan Johnson / Winonan
In its final tune-up before the regional meet, the Winona State University gymnastics team placed second at the four-team Best of Minnesota meet on Saturday, Feb. 27 at the University of Minnesota.
The Warriors scored a 184.825, beating Hamline University and Gustavus Adolphus College, which tied for third place with scores of 184.300. University of Minnesota won the meet with a score of 196.200.
Leading the Warriors on floor was senior Brooke Hiestand who scored a 9.650, followed by sophomore Eboni Jackson with a 9.500. Sophomore Jessica Gabriel scored a 9.475 and senior Jade Donaldson a 9.450. Winona State had a total score of 47.425 on the event.
Warrior head coach Beckie Rolbiecki said she was impressed with the team’s floor routine.
“Floor was the event that we were really trying to get to come around and it did,” Rolbiecki said.
On vault Jackson scored a 9.600, Donaldson a 9.500 and sophomore Taylor Lewis a 9.275.
Jackson posted Winona State’s best score on bars, a 9.600. Behind Jackson, sophomore Katie Carling scored a 9.500, senior Olivia Cattelino added a 9.375, Donaldson a 9.225 and sophomore Katie Pipp a 9.125.
First-year Natalie Koehler led the Warriors on beam with a 9.375 while Jackson added a 9.300.
Rolbiecki said the team was close to having a well-rounded meet.
“It would have been a lot nicer if we could have preformed equally well on all four events,” Rolbiecki said. “We had great performances on bars and a great performance on floor but we struggled on beam, we had to count two falls and a very uncharacteristic performance by our vault squad; we had three falls there.”
The Warriors have had record-setting performances on vault this season. They have recorded the first and second best performances in program history with scores of 47.800 and 47.500.
Winona State will compete at the WIAC Championship/NCGA West Regional Friday March 4 starting at 5 p.m. in La Crosse, Wis. The regional meet will determine if the Warriors will make it to nationals as a team, which has been the team’s biggest goal since the start of the season.
The Warriors’ two biggest competitors at regionals are University of Wisconsin Whitewater and University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Rolbiecki said the team is aiming to place third at the meet, which would guarantee them a spot at the national meet.
“I feel that we have them well trained. I know that they’ve been successful, each and everyone of them, in the routines that we have ready for them. It’s their show and it’s their time to shine,” Rolbiecki said.
