Dani Yamaura, a sophomore at MHS, was crowned a Northeast Conference champion on the balance beam at the NEC/Deuel Invitational in Clear Lake on... Yamaura Named NEC Beam Champion

Dani Yamaura, a sophomore at MHS, was crowned a Northeast Conference champion on the balance beam at the NEC/Deuel Invitational in Clear Lake on Saturday, February 1. Yamaura was part of a three-way tie with a score of 8.70. “This is quite an accomplishment, especially when competing against the top Class A team in the state (Deuel),” said Milbank’s head coach, Amber Fraasch. “The number of Milbank gymnasts that received all-conference honors shows the depth of our team.”

Milbank was named the conference runner-up by compiling a team score of 127.90. Deuel was crowned the team champion with 140.15 points. Sisseton placed third with 113.20 and Britton-Hecla was fourth with 110.60.

The top eight individuals in each event received medals and all-conference honors. Milbank honorees were: Yamaura, NEC champ on beam, 5th all-around, 7th on floor and vault, and 8th on bars; Greta Snaza, 4th on vault and 6th all-around; Aubrey Fraasch, 4th on bars. Tori Hooth, 6th on beam; Madison Mathews, 6th on bars and floor; and Maddie Gustafson, 8th all-around.

Saturday’s meet was a dual meet. In addition to the NEC scores and results, the meet doubled as the Deuel Invitational. Milbank finished fourth in the team standings. Deuel was first, Harrisburg, second; Estelline-Hendricks, third; Sisseton, fifth, and Britton-Hecla, sixth.

Yamaura received her second state-qualifying score on vault. Yamaura and Rylie Overby performed two no-fall beam routines, and Aubrey Fraasch tied her personal best score on bars.

Coach Fraasch said, “For this meet, we went into retro, digging deep into the storage bins to sport 25-year-old leotards and warm-up jackets. It’s easy for the stress level to increase as we enter the final meets of the season. Changing things up can be a good distraction and keep the mood fun and light.”

Scores for the Milbank gymnasts:
Vault – Greta Snaza, 8.90; Dani Yamaura, 8.60; Maddie Gustafson, 8.45; Tori Hooth, 8.15; Laney Forrette, 8.0; Rylie Overby, 7.80.
Uneven Parallel Bars – Aubrey Fraasch, 7.80; Madison Mathews, 7.30; Dani Yamaura, 7.20; Greta Snaza, 7.15; Laney Forrette, 7.05; Maddie Gustafson, 7.0.
Balance Beam – Dani Yamaura, 8.70; Tori Hooth, 7.85; Rylie Overby, 7.60; Greta Snaza, 7.25; Madison Mathews, 7.05; Maddie Gustafson, 7.0.
Floor Exercise – Madison Mathews, 8.45; Dani Yamaura, 8.40; Maddie Gustafson, 8.10; Greta Snaza, 8.0; Tori Hooth, 7.50; Rylie Overby, 7.40.
All-Around Competition – Dani Yamaura, 32.90; Greta Snaza, 31.30; Maddie Gustafson, 30.55.

Submitted photo – (l. to r.) Aubrey Fraasch, Madison Mathews, Dani Yamaura, Rylie Overby, Greta Snaza, Tori Hooth, Maddie Gustafson, and Laney Forrette.

Staff Writer

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