GYMNASTS SET FOR NEC, REGION

    The Britton-Hecla gymnastics team had its final tune-up for the Northeast Conference and Region 1A meet at Deuel on Saturday, and Coach Angela Grupe is hoping to be right in the thick of the chase for an NEC title and a team berth in the state meet at Deuel on Thursday.
    The Lady Braves scored 131.950 points to finish fourth on Saturday without one of their top gymnasts.  Jaelee Grupe did not compete due to illness but is hopeful for Thursday’s meet.
    “We had a pretty solid meet and counted no falls on the beam, which is always a great day,” said Coach Grupe.  “We scored well without Jaelee and she should bring some more scoring potential as the NEC teams were very tight.”
    Defending state champion Estelline-Hendricks rolled to the team title with a 144.800 total, followed by NEC squads Deuel at 133.400, Milbank 132.400, Britton-Hecla 131.950, and Sisseton 131.850.
    “We will need to have a strong performance as we compete for the conference title,” noted Grupe, “ and our goal is to qualify for the state meet as a team and get as many individual events qualified as possible.”
    The eight teams with the best scores in the two regional meets will qualify for the state meet.
    Individuals were able to pre-qualify for state events by hitting the standard three times during the season.  B-H qualifiers include Abby Lee in vault, bars, and floor; Jaelee Grupe in beam and floor; Ava Teveldal on beam; and Taryn Kraft on beam. Remaining state spots are filled by the top scores in each event in the two regional meets.  A total of 40 gymnasts (which includes prequalified individuals) advance to the state meet in Watertown Feb. 14-15.
    TEAM POINTS: Estelline-Hendricks 144.800, Deuel 133.400, Milbank 132.400, Britton-Hecla 131.950, Sisseton 131.850, Chamberlain 129.450, Kimball-White Lake 87.750
    VAULT: Kennady Van Lith 8.60, Abby Lee 8.50, Brynlee Schmieg 8.45, McKenna Heer 8.35, Ava Teveldal 8.35
    BARS: 6. Lee 8.40; Van Lith 7.55, Heer 7.45, Schmieg 6.80, Taryn Kraft 6.70
    BEAM: 4. Teveldal 9.05; Kraft 8.45, Heer 8.15, Lee 8.00, Marley Sundin 6.85
    FLOOR: Lee 9.00, Teveldal 8.60, Van Lith 8.45, Sundin 8.15, Heer 7.70
    ALL-AROUND: Lee 33.90, Heer 31.65