Senior Anna Philipson takes second in All-Around
The Forest Lake gymnastics team took home a fourth-place finish at the Class AA state team event on Friday, Feb. 23, at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in downtown St. Paul.
The Rangers had a total of 144.425 points and placed just 0.025 points behind third-place Hopkins. Cretin-Derham Hall/Minnehaha Academy/Mounds Park Academy took second with a 144.9 score, while Lakeville South blew away the competition for the championship with 147.4 points.
“They were really excited to just be here,” Pierron said. “Our intention was to just come in and have fun and go throughout our routines and see what happens.”
Forest Lake kicked off the team competition on the balance beam, which head coach Lindsey Pierron noted is “one of our tougher events to begin with.” However, the girls persevered their way to a total beam score of 35.075. Among the Rangers on beam were Alaina Bergeson, junior Hailey Henry, freshman Brielle Berube and seniors Anna Philipson and Samantha Ernst. The top three scorers in the event consisted of Philipson (9.250), Henry (8.90) and Ernst (8.675).
“We had a decent beam rotation. It wasn’t our best, but it certainly wasn’t our worst, either,” Pierron said.
The Rangers then totaled 36.525 on the floor exercise, thanks to Philipson’s 9.475 and Ernst’s 9.20. Berube and Henry each added to the team’s total by accumulating scores of 8.975 and 8.875, respectively.
“We almost had too much adrenaline and a little bit too much power, but that’s OK. I’d rather have too much than too little,” Pierron said.
The Rangers posted its highest score of the night on vault with a 37.400. Ernst and Philipson led the way for Forest Lake, earning average scores of 9.6 and 9.320 respectively. The Rangers once again relied on the dynamic duo of Ernst and Philipson, as the gymnasts each orchestrated scores of 9.475 and 9.30, respectively, on the uneven bars. The team earned 35.425, bringing its total to 144.25.
“Vault was a pretty great rotation for us, and the bars ended up being one of our better [events] this season. Overall, I was just really proud of how they did. As a whole group they had fun and made us proud.”
Pierron noted the girls’ excitement about competing at the state level.
“It’s incredible to be here, and also more incredible to place within the top four,” Pierron said, noting the extremely tight placements for second through fourth. “It’s really fun to compete against high-level teams, because it pushes them. They see these things and it’s just overall really exciting for them to see and be a part of. ...
“I’m just really proud of what the team was able to accomplish this year. They’ve had a very successful season and they’ve had their ups and downs, for sure, but as a whole, they’re just a very solid team and I want them to know that what they’ve done this season is very special and important.”
Individuals
In what was a crowded field of the state’s top gymnasts, Philipson took home a silver medal in the Class AA all-around competition with a total score of 38.15, just 0.45 points behind state champion Jackie Bergeron of St. Michael-Albertville, and 0.25 points ahead of CDH/MA/MA’s Delaney Cunnington in third.
Ernst also took ninth in the all-around competition with a total of 37.7.
Philipson ultimately placed sixth overall in the vault, while Ernst earned an eighth-place finish – each off scores of 9.57 and 9.56, respectively – as the duo paced one another throughout the meet. The two gymnasts dominated the score sheets, seemingly both placing within the top 10 finishes in each event. Philipson rallied in an uneven bars score of 9.55, enough for a third-place finish, while Ernst followed in seventh place with a 9.425 – the top eight spots were all within half a point.
Philipson proved how steady and composed she is on the beam – placing second with an average of 9.5 – allowing her to be within heavy contention of the All-Around title. The senior put together scores of 9.50 twice, while posting a 9.60 and a 9.40. Her score came just behind the first-place individual from St. Michael-Albertville, who had a 9.625. Ernst struggled on the beam, but still managed to pull through with 8.975, placing 30th overall out of 47 other gymnasts in the event.
In the final frame of the state meet, Philipson was in contention to win the All-Around title. The floor competition had the senior star giving it her best effort, as she cemented a third-place finish on a 9.525 average. Ernst came in at 9.375 for a 15th place finish.
Philipson ended her high school gymnastics career by gathering five state medals due to her individual efforts.
Juniors Stamp and Henry each competed in the vault after securing top scores of 9.45 and 9.4 at the section meet. Stamp scored a 9.325 for 23rd place, while Henry ultimately recorded a 9.26 to qualify for 27th.
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