Addison Armstrong, shown here dismounting from the beam during BEA’s last home meet, placed first in that event at the Section 2A Championship Meet to advance to the State Meet in St. Paul on Saturday, Feb. 24. Armstrong also qualified for State on floor with a sixth-place finish in that event.

The Buccaneers’ gymnastics season concluded on Thursday, Feb. 15, at the Section 2A Championship Meet held in St. James.

Blue Earth Area finished seventh out of nine competing teams with a score of 129.8500, behind first-place finishers Mankato West, who booked a 140.2750.

Mankato East took second place with a 139.9000, and Martin County Area took third with a 136.3750.

Senior Addison Armstrong concluded her final team meet with the Bucs on a high note.

“Addison was the beam queen, winning the Section title on beam with a 9.225,” reports head coach Rachel Cole.

The win qualifies Armstrong to attend the Class A Individual State Meet in St. Paul on Saturday, Feb. 24.

Armstrong also qualified for State on floor, where she finished sixth with a 9.1250.

Her 9.0500 on vault and 7.8500 on bars added up to a 35.2500, and sixth place, in the all-around.

BEA senior Addy Olson finished the meet with a 32.6250 in the all-around. Her vault brought in an 8.7000, while her beam and floor routines earned an 8.0500 and an 8.1500.

Olson also posted a season-best score on bars – a 7.7250.

BEA’s final all-arounder was senior Lauren Survis, who ended her last meet as a Buccaneer with a 28.8250 in the all-around.

Survis’s vault landed an 8.1000, and she swung a 6.0750 on bars. Her beam routine earned a 6.9500, and she earned a 7.700 on floor.

Junior Tailor Douglas competed in three events, booking a particularly high score on vault with an 8.8000. Her routines on bars and beam earned a 7.6000 and a 7.1750, respectively.

Kailey Boettcher also competed in three events, posting an 8.2500 on vault, a 6.8000 on beam and an 8.0250 on floor.

Kyannah Brandt’s floor routine earned a 7.8000, and Natalie Griffey’s routine on bars tallied a 7.3750.

“Natalie added a new skill, which is great to do at the end of the season,” Cole observes.

She reflects, “The girls gave it their all. Overall, we scored above our average for the season. We had our season-best score on vault – everyone hit. Bar routines were good, too. We had a few more falls on beam than we had during the last two-week stretch of home meets, but we also had two stuck routines.”

Cole concludes with a shout-out to the program’s graduating seniors: Armstrong, Olson, Survis, Rachel Sohn and Lizzy Uecker.

“These girls have had a huge impact on the growth and success of our program,” Cole says. “It’s hard to believe they won’t be in our gym next year – I can’t remember what it’s like without them. I feel so lucky to have been a part of their gymnastics journey.”