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Chisago Lakes seventh grader Lila Leadholm had herself a meet on Saturday, turning in a pair of steady, confident routines to earn her first trip to the MSHSL State gymnastics meet at the Section 7A meet in Princeton.

Leadholm placed fourth on the vault and fifth on the balance beam, performances that secured her a state berth in a tough field. Leadholm will be one of only two seventh graders at state this year. 

For competing against older and more experienced gymnasts, it was an impressive showing. 

North Branch also enjoyed a strong day, led by junior Ella Dick, who qualified for state in the all-around. Dick posted a balanced performance across all four events, finishing ninth on the uneven bars, second on vault, third on the floor exercise and sixth on the balance beam. Her all-around score of 35.6750 placed her third overall, trailing only Alyse Denne of Becker and Caila Morris of Big Lake.

Dick’s consistency really paid off in the meet, as she executed her routines and didn’t have many stumbles.

Sophomore Sophia Thorsen added to the Vikings’ success with the only win on the day. She finished first on vault with a score of 9.25. Thorsen also earned a state berth on the floor exercise, placing sixth with a 9.07.

All the girls will take to the mats at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium on Saturday, February 21.

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