Huskies win Section 1AA title
Owatonna High School’s gymnastics team will appear at the state tournament for the third consecutive year this winter after the team won the Section 1AA title at home last week against an eight-team field.
The Huskies took first place with a final score of 145.325 - winning in the vault, beam and floor to edge out second place Lakeville South by 2.5 points.
“Our Owatonna fans definitely showed out. Judges always come up to us and say how much they love the meet because of how competitive and packed it is every year. There are always going to be multiple teams throwing 140s, and to win in front of our home crowd was amazing,” said Owatonna head coach Evan Moe.
Moe was also handed Section Coach of the Year honors after the meet, commemorating him for his team’s season and repeated success at the top of the section.
Owatonna’s title run began on the uneven bars where the Huskies recorded a team score of 33.875.
The Huskies were forced to compete without an integral part of their lineup in Chloe Myer who missed the meet due to suffering a hyper-extended knee in training.
However, the Huskies found a spark when Emma Johnson replaced Myer on the bars and led the team with an 8.625-point routine.
The Huskies’ score on the bars would go on to be their lowest of the night, but set up a hot stretch of high-scoring routines across the beam, floor and vault.
According to Moe, a pivotal point in the meet was when the Huskies coaching staff watched multiple Lakeville South athletes fall on the beam, setting up the team to potentially win the event if they could manage to hit their routines.
Moe’s confidence in his team was validated shortly afterward when Owatonna moved to the beam and went five-for-five on its routines without any gymnasts falling to score 36.675 points and win the event.
Owatonna’s Delia Neumann earned the top score amongst the team with a 9.350-point routine.
On the floor, Owatonna scored 37.275 points behind Emma Johnson’s 9.475.
Once again, the Huskies earned the top score and set themselves up for a potential victory heading into the vault.
The Huskies iced the meet with a 37.500-point performance on the vault that scored Moe’s squad not only a section title, but a season-best team score in the event.
Jozie Johnson’s 9.500-point routine earned her the top score amongst all competitors.
The Huskies’ win punched their tickets to the Minnesota State High School League state tournament, scheduled to begin on Friday, Feb. 24.
The state meet will be held at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul on Friday, Feb. 24.
Owatonna is scheduled to start its day at the state meet at 11 a.m.