Bulldog Gymnasts Tumble with Top Teams

The Milbank gymnastics team faced the top teams in the state at the Madison Invitational Meet on January 13. The Lady Bulldogs finished fifth in the team standings with a score of 121.925.

“This meet included all of the top Class A teams in the state. There was dual judging with some tough judges so we knew scores were going to be lower than we normally see,” stated Amber Fraasch, head coach for the Lady Bulldogs. “This proved to be the case across the board. We beat Hot Springs and Vermillion, both teams that had outscored us at the Vermillion meet. We were edged out by Chamberlain and Parkston/Ethan/Hanson. We now know who our direct competition will be for the third place finish at the state meet.”

Based on year-to-date scores, Fraasch anticipates that Deuel and Madison will battle for the State Class A title. Madison won this meet with a score of 138.525. Deuel was second with 136.62. Chamberlain finished third with 123.8, and Parkston/Ethan/Hanson was fourth with 122.2. Other teams competing in the meet were Hot Springs, 121.8; Wagner/Bon Homme, 117.825; West Central, 115.475; Vermillion, 114.05; Sisseton, 111.05; Britton-Hecla, 110.8, and Wall/Kadoka/Phillip, 101.8.

Milbank started on the vault and experienced tough scoring from the start. “Our vaults were good, but the scores were low and stayed that way throughout the meet for all teams,” stated Fraasch. The Lady Bulldogs performance was also inconsistent on the uneven parallel bars. “Stops and falls got the better of us,” Coach Fraasch added. “We are still working on new skills and with that comes a learning curve and a period of lower scores.”

Each performer for Milbank suffered one fall on the balance beam, but recovered. “The girls did not let that define the rest of their routines,” Fraash said. “This shows strong mental composure and a never-give-up attitude. This also resulted in strong scores despite the falls.” Milbank finished the meet on the floor exercise with five solid routines. “We hit most of our skills,” Fraasch said, “and therefore received full difficulty, event requirements, and bonus on many routines.”

Milbank travels to the Watertown Invitational meet on Saturday, January 20.

Results from the Madison Invitational:
All-Around Competition – 16. Mackenzie Weinkauf, 30.875; 23. Dani Yamaura, 29.550.
Vault – 12. Mackenzie Weinkauf, 8.250; 18. Maddie Gustafson, 8.10; 28. Greta Snaza, 7.850; 29. Tori Hooth, 7.80; 37. Dani Yamaura, 7.450.
Uneven Parallel Bars – 27. Maddie Gustafson, 7.025; 29. Mackenzie Weinkauf, 6.850; 34. Dani Yamaura, 6.50; 36. Greta Snaza, 6.425; 39. Madison Mathews, 5.975.
Balance Beam – 20. Tori Hooth, 7.60; 22. Dani Yamaura, 7.50; 24. Joci McFarland, 7.425; 27. Mackenzie Weinkauf, 7.325; 44. Jalyn Engel, 6.475.
Floor Exercise – 14. Mackenzie Weinkauf, 8.45; 22. Madison Mathews, 8.30 23. Greta Snaza, 8.225; 27. Dani Yamaura, 8.10; 32. Maddie Gustafson, 7.850.

Pictured – Tori Hooth (file photo)