It wouldn’t be a state gymnastics meet in the state of South Dakota without the Madison Bulldogs. The Madison gymnastics team won 16 consecutive state titles from 1995 to 2010 and has qualified for the state tournament every year since 1995.
Last season, the Bulldogs captured their 21st state championship in program history. The Bulldogs will get an opportunity to repeat this year after winning the Region 1A meet on Thursday and stamping their ticket to the state tournament.
“There were several things that our girls did that made us really proud,” Madison gymnastics coach Maridee Dossett said. “We’ve been talking for the last couple of weeks about finding ways to add extra skills or connections to their routines to up their start values, and they stepped up to the challenge in a big way.
“It’s been fun to watch these girls take on new roles within the team, work together and encourage each other to be their best,” she said.
The Bulldogs placed first overall with a final team score of 136.950. It marked the highest point total of the season for the Bulldogs.
A big reason for that high total was the team’s performance on the bars and vault. Karlie Nelson placed third on the bars with a score of 8.650. Kyra Wiese placed fifth with a mark of 8.450. Sophia Sudenga tied for sixth with a mark of 8.300.
Nelson placed third on the vault with a mark of 9.200. Lexi Hirsch tied for fifth with a mark of 8.925. Sudenga tied for eighth with a mark of 8.900.
“Bars has always been a tough event for us, but we had our highest bars and vault scores of the season,” Dossett said, “along with our season-high team score.”
Nelson placed second on the beam with a score of 9.000. Hirsch placed fourth with a score of 8.650. Sudenga placed 10th with a score of 7.975.
Nelson placed second in the floor routine with a score of 9.375. Nelson finished third in the all-around with a point total of 36.225.
The state gymnastics meet will be held at Aberdeen Central High School on Friday and Saturday.
“My hope for the team this week is that we get good rest, have focused practices and soak it all in,” Dossett said. “Making it to state is such an awesome opportunity that not everyone gets to be a part of. I want our girls to enjoy the experience of preparing, competing and celebrating their hard work.”
