WORTHINGTON - Paige Kinley won three events plus the all-around and the Worthington Trojans varsity gymnastics team defeated Martin County Area 134.725 to 129.4 Tuesday at the local armory.
“We performed well,” said WHS head coach Joni Reitmeier. “We had a couple of shaky routines today on the uneven parallel bars (the Trojans’ first event), but we came back really strong on the vault.”
The Trojans hadn’t had a meet in December, and although they still aren’t up to Reitmeier’s standards on the balance beam, they were talented enough Tuesday to improve their record to 5-0.
Kinley, a senior, placed first on the beam with a score of 8.975. She also won the vaulting competition (9.05) and the floor exercise (9.25). Her first-place all-around score was a solid 35.675.
She was second on the bars, with 8.4.
Martin County West, which was without its injured star, senior Rebecca Steen, managed to win the bars competition with Bryanna Peterson’s 9.125 score. Peterson was second in the all-around with 34.0.
Trojan junior Whitney Jensen was second on the beam with 8.175 followed by WHS seventh-grader Taylor Eggers who scored an 8.125. Eggers placed third third in the all-around with 33.1.
Worthington’s Liz Hayenga placed third in vault at 8.85. Jensen and Hayenga tied for third in the floor exercise with scores of 8.875.
Martin County West’s Martha Olson was second on vault with 8.9 and second on floor with 8.875.
Worthington awaits a Thursday meet in Windom with Windom Area, which gives the Trojans one more day to improve their beam routines before getting out in front of another crowd.
“Still concentrating on that darn balance beam, but we’re gonna get ’er,” Reitmeier said.
In junior varsity competition Tuesday, Martin County West topped Worthington 119.1 to 106.55. The Trojans’ Rachel Spartz tied for first place on the vault (8.2) and teammate Kourtney Bauman won the balance beam competition with a 7.65.
