Gymnasts score season high at Shetka Invitational

The New Prague Trojan gymnastics team got back to work after the holiday break and had two good performances last week.

The Trojans traveled to Annandale and came out on top of a three-team Wright County Conference meet, beating Annandale and New London-Spicer Thursday, Jan. 5. On Saturday, Jan. 7, the Trojans hosted the 10- team Matt Shetka Invitational and placed second, scoring a season-high 139.55 points.

New Prague (No. 13, Class AA) will travel to Litchfield Thursday Jan. 12, then host Delano and Waconia in a triangular meet Thursday, Jan. 19.

Annandale meet The Trojans topped a three-team meet in Annandale, scoring 136.8 points, edging New London-Spicer (No. 14, Class A), which had 135.575. Annandale was third at 125.325.

The Trojans did not have any first places in the meet, but had 11 top five places in the four events. Kaylynn Solheid was second in the allaround with a score of 34.575.

Solheid and Tina Shimota both placed in the top eight in three events. Solheid was second on bars (8.775), third on floor (8.9) and fourth on beam (8.75), while Shimota was second on floor (9.05), fourth on vault (8.5) and fifth on beam (8.375).

Nine other Trojans had top-eight finishes. They were Grace Montgomery, third on vault (8.7), Holli Klein, third on bars (8.55), Emmalynn Dickerson, third on beam (8.85), Janay Copeland, fourth on floor (8.65), Mikayla Breiner, fifth on vault (8.4), Lauren Kitner, sixth on beam (8.35), Caitlyn Pint, seventh on vault (8.3), Mahri Halbmaier, seventh on bars (8.175), and Kayla Halbmaier, eighth on beam (7.75).

New Prague won the JV meet with 129.9 points. Top Trojans were Dickerson on vault and bars, Shimota on beam and Kitner on floor. Kali Stadler scored 31.7 on the all-around.

Matt Shetka Invitational New Prague hosted a strong field for the Matt Shetka Invitational Saturday, Jan. 7, with seven of the 10 teams ranked in the top 20 of their class. The Trojans posted their...

To see more on this story pick up the January 12, 2017 print edition of The New Prague Times.