Park seniors Ashley Davis finished fifth and Makayla Bollman seventh in the all-around to lead Park in the star-studded Below Zero Invite gymnastics meet Saturday at Cottage Grove.
Davis took fifth place in the all-around with a score of 35.25. Bollman was just behind, finishing seventh with a score of 35.15.
Despite finishing fifth overall, Davis had a bit of a mixed meet, finishing second on both the vault (9.4) and on the floor (9.6) and sixth on the beam (9.05). But she struggled on bars however, with a score of just 7.2, which caused her to drop down in the all-around.
“Ashley, you know she didn’t have her best day on bars, she fell on beam but still squeaked out a nine but had fantastic floor and vault today,” said Park head coach Ali Flaata. “Sill to place in the top five is pretty darn good.
“My best event was probably floor that I ended on,” said Davis. “I actually did have one of my best vaults today. I did stick it which was my first time this season, so I was happy about that. Floor I had my personal best with a 9.6 and then vault I got a 9.4 which is still like one of my highest cores I’ve gotten.
Davis said she relished the top competition Saturday.
“I think it makes me more competitive,” Davis said. “And it’s so fun like watching all of the good teams. It’s just like it makes me work even harder. … I didn’t obviously have my best meet today, especially for bars, but everything else went pretty good.”
Bollman was ninth on the vault (9.15), seventh on bars (8.45), 22nd on beam (8.45) and ninth on floor (9.1).
“Makayla for sure is (improving),” said Flaata. “Every meet she’s improving and just getting that more precise on all of her routines and has had such a great season of steady improvement that within a few weeks at sections she is going to have a great meet.”
“Probably my vault, vault or floor,” said Bollman when asked her best event in the meet. “On vault I scored a 9.15 so technically I had a higher score on there but my floor I’ve been really working on that recently, especially with my leaps and jumps and I think that really paid off today and that’s what helped me get my 9.1.
“Everyone was super competitive and I feel like that motivates me even more,” Bollman said of the high caliber competition. “It’s seeing all this fine and different styles of gymnastics it's like oh, this is my time to really shine and show everyone what I’ve been working so hard for, and I love having like an audience and Ashley motivates me a lot.”
The meet featured some of the best teams and gymnasts in Minnesota, included second-ranked and defending Class AA state champion Owatonna, East Ridge (seventh at state last season), ninth-ranked Sartell, Minneapolis Southwest (ranked 18th in Class A), 19th-ranked Park and 21st-ranked White Bear Lake.
Park finished fifth in the 12-team meet with 135.45 points.
Owatonna won the team race with a score of 142.85, followed by 2, East Ridge, 139.2; 3, Sartell-St. Stephen, 138.4; 4, Woodbury, 137.75; 5, Park, 135.45; 6, Minneapolis Southwest, 134.7; 7, White Bear Lake, 133.0; 8, Stillwater, 131.85; 9, Minneapolis Washburn, 128,2; 10, Wayzata, 126.0; 11, Saint Paul Highland, 120.05; and 12, Roseville, 118.1.
“It’s nice to be able to compete against some of the best teams in the state,” said Flaata. “It elevates the look and feel of a competition and just gets us that more prepared going into sections.”
Park’s best event was the vault, where the Wolfpack finished second (Davis, 9.4), ninth (Bollman 9.15), 32nd (Audrey Reimers, 8.5), 33rd (Natalie Peters, 8.5) and 36th (Kadence Glide, 8.4).
“We had fantastic vault tonight,” said Flaata. “Lots of sticks, lots of improvement, season high score for vault for us.
Peters was 22nd in the all-around with a score of 31.95. Luella Erling scored a 23.65 and Audrey Reimers a 16.75.
Sofia Reimers finished third in the junior varsity all-around, scoring a 28.6.
Bollman’s 8.45 led the Wolfpack on bars. Erling scored a 7.8, Peters a 7.7, Isabelle Boyd a 7.25 and Davis a 7.2.
On the beam it was Davis sixth (9.05), Bollman (8.45), Audrey Reimers (8.25), Peters (7.5) and Erling (7.45).
As usual, the Wolfpack scored some of their best marks on floor. Davis was second with a 9.6, Bollman ninth with a 9.1, Erling had an 8.4, Alice Wood an 8.35 and Peters an 8.25.
Park will finish the season with two home meets, hosting Cretin-Derham Hall on Thursday, Jan. 29, and then East Ridge on Thursday, Feb. 5.
Park 136.55, White Bear Lake 135.5
Park senior Ashley Davis won all four events Thursday to easily win the all-around Thursday in a meet at White Bear Lake. She finished first on the vault (9.425), bars (8.525), beam (9.25) and floor (9.45), scoring nine or better on three of the four events.
Davis was first (36. 65) and Makayla Bollman third (34.475) in the all-around as Park’s gymnasts edged host White Bear Lake in Suburban East Conference gymnastics Thursday. Park scored a season’s best of 136.55 in winning the meet.
Davis won the vault (9.425), bars (8.525), beam (9.25) and floor (9.45).
Bollman was third on the vault (8.75), second on bars (8.275), sixth on beam (8.3) and third on floor (8.8).
Luella Erling finished sixth in the all-around (23.05), Audrey Reimers seventh (17.15) and Natalie Peters ninth (16.475).
On the vault, Kadence Glide of Park was sixth (8.35), Reimers seventh (8.325) and Sofia Reimers ninth (8.025).
Peters was fifth on bars (7.825), Erling sixth (7.775) and Isabelle Boyd 10th (6.275).
Audrey Reimers finished a solid third on beam with a score of 8.825. Erling was ninth (7.4) and Charlotte Faber 10th (7.275).
Peters finished sixth on the floor (8.65), Alice Wood was ninth (8.275) and Erling 10th (7.875).
