Mitchell Gymnastics: Gropper & Prunty Shine at State Meet

MITCHELL, S.D. – The Mitchell Kernel gymnastics team concluded its best team performance of the season Saturday at the Class AA state meet, fueled by strong individual showings from its senior class. Kyanna Gropper and Olivia Prunty led the way, finishing second and third respectively in the all-around competition at Mitchell High School.

Harrisburg ultimately claimed the Class AA team title on Friday, but Saturday’s individual competition saw the Kernels’ seniors shine in their final routines at MHS. Gropper nearly secured the balance beam title, posting a career-best score of 9.800, only to be narrowly edged out by Harrisburg’s Katelyn Maeschen, who swept all five individual titles.

Despite missing out on the beam crown, Gropper’s score was remarkable in its own right. According to the Mitchell Republic, a 9.800 would have been sufficient to win the Class AA beam title in every year since 2007. It now ranks as the fourth-best beam score in Mitchell High School gymnastics history, adding to Gropper’s already impressive resume, which includes a third-place ranking in both all-around and floor scores.

“Kyanna has been great and she was at the top when she needed to be,” said Mitchell coach Audra Rew. “It’s one thing to hit a great score in a triangular where there’s one judge but at state, there’s three. She deserved the chance to shine.”

Gropper’s strong performance wasn’t limited to the balance beam. She also finished second on uneven bars (9.567) and vault (9.467) and fourth on floor exercise (9.583). Her all-around score of 38.417 was just shy of her season-best of 38.450.

Prunty also delivered a standout performance, securing third place on bars (9.550) and vault (9.383), and finishing sixth on floor (9.533). These results contributed to her third-place finish in the all-around competition.

“The routines, they matter, but our mindset in going into it is just go out and have fun because we perform better when we are having fun,” Prunty said. “It was a very full circle moment. It was a very special thing to share the podium with Kyanna considering how long we’ve been in gymnastics together.”

The Kernels’ success wasn’t solely reliant on their two leading seniors. Abby Helleloid also contributed with a strong showing, finishing ninth on bars (9.100) and beam (9.300). McKenna Auch landed just off the podium on bars, taking 12th (8.933), but Rew highlighted her contribution in setting the tone for the team’s performance on the first two events.

“McKenna had the best vault I’ve seen her do,” Rew said. “Same for the bars. Those are the moments you cherish and remember and I just wanted her to do the best she could. … Abby, she hasn’t scored like that all year. I knew she could do it. Watching her dial that in was so exciting.”

Abby Hohn added a ninth-place finish on vault (9.267) for Mitchell, while Sury Bechen finished 12th on floor (9.333).

Mitchell’s team score of 149.468 on Saturday represented a significant improvement over their score of 146.566 on Friday, demonstrating the team’s ability to perform under pressure and peak at the right time.

“Usually, Day 2, you’re tired, you’re wiped out. I think they had some redemption on their mind,” Rew explained. “They knew the beam (on Day 1) wasn’t what they could have done. They were just dialed in, focused, they were relaxed. It was the trifecta of everything a coach wants them to be.”

While Gropper and Prunty were the headliners for Mitchell, Harrisburg’s Katelyn Maeschen dominated the competition, winning the vault, bars, beam, and floor exercise. Her score of 9.900 on beam was particularly impressive, ranking as the third-best all-time among Class AA gymnasts at the state meet. Maeschen’s performance marked the first time a Class AA gymnast has won all five individual titles at a state meet since Amelia (Rew) Endres, now a Mitchell assistant coach, accomplished the feat in 2009.

Class AA state individual gymnastics competition

Saturday at Mitchell H.S.

ALL-AROUND: 1. Katelyn Maeschen, 39.184, Harrisburg; 2. Kyanna Gropper, 38.417, Mitchell; 3. Olivia Prunty, 37.683, Mitchell; 4. Jersy Tryon, 37.550, Harrisburg; 5. Lauryn Gohl, 36.867, Sioux Falls Lincoln; T-6. Emery Gaikowski, 36.500, Watertown; T-6. Macy Olsen, 36.500, Watertown; 8. Isabel Gillespie, 36.417, Sioux Falls Lincoln; 9. Baya Carlson, 36.283, Sioux Falls Jefferson; 10. Layla Erickson, 35.933, Brookings.

VAULT: 1. Katelyn Maeschen, 9.667, Harrisburg; 2. Kyanna Gropper, 9.467, Mitchell; 3. Olivia Prunty, 9.383, Mitchell; 4. Jersy Tryon, 9.367, Harrisburg; T-5. Isabel Gillespie, 9.350, Sioux Falls Lincoln; T-5. Jaycie Adams, 9.350, Harrisburg; 7. Lauryn Gohl, 9.333, Sioux Falls Lincoln; 8. Macy Olsen, 9.317, Watertown; 9. Abby Hohn, 9.2667, Mitchell; 10. Layla Erickson, 9.25, Brookings.

UNEVEN BARS: 1. Katelyn Maeschen, 9.750, Harrisburg; 2. Kyanna Gropper, 9.567, Mitchell; 3. Olivia Prunty, 9.550, Mitchell; 4. Ailee Johnson, 9.317, Harrisburg; 5. Emery Myron, 9.317, Harrisburg; 6. Layla Erickson, 9.233, Brookings; 7. Lauryn Gohl, 9.200, Sioux Falls Lincoln; 8. Jersy Tryon, 9.167; Harrisburg, 9. Abby Helleloid, 9.100, Mitchell; 10. Jaycie Adams, 9.083, Harrisburg.

BALANCE BEAM: 1. Katelyn Maeschen, 9.900, Harrisburg; 2. Kyanna Gropper, 9.800, Mitchell; 3. Emery Myron, 9.667, Harrisburg; T-4. Annika Krogman, 9.517, Brookings; T-4. Jersy Tryon, 9.517, Harrisburg; 6. Emery Gaikowski, 9.483, Watertown; 7. Macy Olsen, 9.467, Watertown; 8. Kennedy Malloy, 9.317, Harrisburg; T-9. Abby Helleloid, 9.300, Mitchell; T-9. Lilly Gusso, 9.300, Harrisburg.

FLOOR EXERCISE: 1. Katelyn Maeschen, 9.867, Harrisburg; 2. Lilly Gusso, 9.767, Harrisburg; 3. Shauna Evenson, 9.683, Watertown; T-4. Emery Myron, 9.583, Harrisburg; T-4. Kyanna Gropper, 9.583, Mitchell; 6. Olivia Prunty, 9.533, Mitchell; 7. Jersy Tryon, 9.500, Harrisburg; 8. Ailee Johnson, 9.483, Harrisburg; 9. Macy Olsen, 9.433, Watertown; 10. Laela Vincent, 9.383, Harrisburg.

ALL-TOURNAMENT SELECTIONS (four event winners plus next six highest all-around finishers): Katelyn Maeschen and Jersy Tryon, Harrisburg, Kyanna Gropper and Olivia Prunty, Mitchell, Emery Gaikowski and Macy Olsen, Watertown; Isabel Gillespie and Lauryn Gohl, Sioux Falls Lincoln; Baya Carlson, Sioux Falls Jefferson; and Layla Erickson, Brookings.