by Erik Nelson
Sports Reporter
In 2023, the Rogers gymnastics team had two gymnasts qualify for the state individual meet. This year, that number has doubled.
Four Royals qualified for the Class 2A individual gymnastics tournament after competing in the Section 5-2A meet on Thursday, Feb. 15, at Buffalo High School. Sophomores Jessica Carik, Maddie Skubic and Sadie Zachman, along with senior Sophie Mahnke, will represent the black and blue on Saturday at state.
Royals head coach Aly Meech said it’s exciting to see four Rogers gymnasts qualify for state, including two first-time participants in Carik and Skubic.
“We had our fingers crossed for both of them [Carik and Skubic] on vault,” Meech said. “They were able to nail their vault today. Maddie threw us a surprise and made it on floor, too.”
Carik qualified for state on vault with a score of 9. Skubic qualified for state in both vault and floor. She finished sixth on vault with 8.925 points. The top six individuals in each event qualify for the state meet. In the floor exercise, Skubic finished fifth wit 8.85 points.
“I’m happy,” Skubic said. “I worked really hard for it [state]. It means a lot. I’m happy I’m not going alone. I’m proud of everyone who was able to make it.”
Zachman returns to the state meet after competing in both bars and floor last year. This Saturday, she will represent the Royals in the all-around competition after finishing third with a score of 36.075. The top three individuals in the section all-around competition advance to the state meet.
“I worked hard during the offseason and I’m proud of myself for making it, especially on all-around,” Zachman said. “I didn’t think I would make it for all-around, but I’m happy.”
Mahnke represented Rogers at state last season. She finished 19th on beam. At the Section 5-2A meet, she finished fifth on bars with 8.275 points and fifth on beam with a score of 9.2.
“I was nervous about this meet, but I’m so happy that I made it again,” Mahnke said. “I’m grateful that I can do it in two events this year. It’s going to be a fun hotel night.”
Rogers finished second in team scoring with 138.6 points, behind St. Michael-Albertville, which had 145.475.
What’s next
The 2024 MSHSL Class 2A individual gymnastics tournament will be held on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 6 p.m. at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul.
Zachman said she is motivated to do better at this year’s state tournament than last year. In 2023, she finished 23rd on bars and 19th on floor.
“There’s a lot of good competition out there,” she said. “After seeing last year, I know that I have to step it up a lot in my performances.”
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