Watertown gymnasts finish second behind Mitchell in home invitational

Roger Merriam, Watertown Public Opinion
·3 min read
Watertown's Kinsley Van Gilder leaps from the balance beam Thursday during the Watertown Invitational gymnastics meet in the Civic Arena. The Arrows finished second behind Mitchell in the nine-team meet.
Watertown's Kinsley Van Gilder leaps from the balance beam Thursday during the Watertown Invitational gymnastics meet in the Civic Arena. The Arrows finished second behind Mitchell in the nine-team meet.

Three Watertown High School senior gymnasts (Myah Morris, Trinity Hodorff and Dawson Briggs) made the final home appearances of their careers Thursday night during the Watertown Invitational in the Civic Arena.

Mitchell took the nine-team event with a score of 148.35, followed by Watertown at 142.075. Area Class A schools Milbank Area (128.825), Deuel (124.325) and Sisseton (109.475) also competed along with Brookings, Madison, Aberdeen Central and Huron.

Morris — a two-time state Class AA all-around champion — won the floor exercise (9.625), vault (9.825) and all-around (38.3) titles to go along with runner-up finishes in the balance beam (9.625) and uneven bars (9.225) for the Arrows.

Hodorff added a seventh-place finish in the uneven bars (8.675). Other Arrow place winners included Natalie Benson, fifth in the floor exercise (9.325), tied for sixth in the vault (8.875), seventh in the balance beam (9.35) and tied for seventh in the all-around (34.425); Kinsley Van Gilder, eighth in the balance beam (9.25) and Kaitlyn Rudebusch, 10th in the floor exercise (9.05).

Dawson Briggs of Watertown, one of three seniors competing in their final home meet, performs on the uneven bars Thursday during the Watertown Invitational gymnastics meet in the Civic Arena.
Dawson Briggs of Watertown, one of three seniors competing in their final home meet, performs on the uneven bars Thursday during the Watertown Invitational gymnastics meet in the Civic Arena.

Deuel’s Paige Simon — the two-time defending state Class A all-around champion — competed for the first time this year after having knee surgery. She placed sixth in the balance beam (9.375) and ninth in the uneven bars (8.5).

Aubrey Fraasch of Milbank Area was 10th in the balance beam (9.125) and also took ninth in the all-around (34.3).

Watertown is scheduled to compete Monday in a quadrangular at Harrisburg and also will participate Tuesday in the Huron Invite, which was rescheduled from Jan. 14.

Hannah Cutshaw of Deuel is shown during her floor-exercise routine Thursday during the Watertown Invitational gymnastics meet in the Civic Arena.
Hannah Cutshaw of Deuel is shown during her floor-exercise routine Thursday during the Watertown Invitational gymnastics meet in the Civic Arena.

Watertown Invite

Thursday in the Civic Arena

• Team Scores — Mitchell 148.35, Watertown 142.075, Madison 135.725, Brookings 135.275, Aberdeen Central 133.675, Milbank Area 128.825, Huron 125.125, Deuel 124.325, Sisseton 109.475.

Individual Events

(Top 5 Plus Area Gymnasts in Top 10)

• Balance Beam — 1. Bentley Bates, Mitchell, 9.675; 2. Myah Morris, Watertown, 9.625; 3. Maggie Fites, Aberdeen Central, 9.525; 4. Aubrey Gelderman, Mitchell, 9.475; 5. Olivia Prunty, Mitchell, 9.45; 6. Paige Simon, Deuel, 9.375; 7. Natalie Benson, Watertown, 9.35; 8. Kinsley Van Gilder, Watertown, 9.25; 10. Aubrey Fraasch, Milbank Area, 9.125.

• Floor Exercise — 1. Myah Morris, Watertown, 9.625; 2. Tayla Dobrenski, Brookings, 9.5; 3. Joslin Sommerville, Mitchell, 9.475; 4. Emily Moody, Mitchell, 9.45; 5. Natalie Benson, Watertown, 9.325; 10. Kaitlynn Rudebusch, Watertown, 9.05.

Milbank Area's Rylie Overby competes in the floor exercise Thursday during the Watertown Invitational gymnastics meet in the Civic Arena.
Milbank Area's Rylie Overby competes in the floor exercise Thursday during the Watertown Invitational gymnastics meet in the Civic Arena.

• Uneven Bars — 1. Bentley Bates, Mitchell, 9.65; 2. Myah Morris, Watertown, 9.225; 3. Olivia Prunty, Mitchell, 9.15; 4. Kyanna Gropper, Mitchell, 9.1; 5. Joslin Sommerville, Mitchell, 9.05; 7. Trinity Hodorff, Watertown, 8.675; 9. Paige Simon, Deuel, 8.5.

• Vault — 1. Myah Morris, Watertown, 9.825; 2. Joslin Sommerville, Mitchell, 9.375; 3. Emily Moody, Mitchell, 9.1; 4. Kylie Krusemark, Madison, 9.0; 5. Olivia Prunty, Mitchell, 8.95; 6. (Tie) Tayla Dobrenski, Brookings, and Natalie Benson, Watertown, 8.875.

• All-Around — 1. Myah Morris, Watertown, 38.3; 2. Joslin Sommerville, Mitchell, 37.1; 3. Bentley Bates, Mitchell, 36.95; 4. Olivia Prunty, Mitchell, 36.7; 5. Maggie Fites, Aberdeen Central, 36.275; 7. Natalie Benson, Watertown, and Kylie Krusemark, Madison, 34.425; 9. Aubrey Fraasch, Milbank Area, 34.3.

Sisseton's Isabelle Skarnagel dashes down the runway to the vault Thursday during the Watertown Invitational gymnastics meet in the Civic Arena.
Sisseton's Isabelle Skarnagel dashes down the runway to the vault Thursday during the Watertown Invitational gymnastics meet in the Civic Arena.

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Watertown gymnasts finish second behind Mitchell in home invitational