Gymnastics: Klima, Lorencz, Lord qualify for state

• Photo: Gymnastics

The Farmington gymnastics team takes to the podium after finishing second at Friday’s Section 1AA meet at Lakeville South. The Tigers set three school records and qualified three individuals for state.

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By the standards of the previous 15 years, 2010 was a very successful season for the Farmington gymnastics team. The Tigers finished fifth — their highest team placing ever — at the Section 1AA meet and qualified an individual for state for the first time since head coach Lynn Bauman in the early 90s.

The 2011 edition of the Tigers has taken the program to another level. The Orange and Black broke its own school scoring record with a 142.75 at the Section 1AA Championships Friday night at Lakeville South, breaking two other school records in the process and qualifying three gymnasts for the Class 2A State Meet while placing second in the nine-team field. Northfield, the defending Class 2A state champions, claimed the top spot with a 149.9.

“The girls were amazing,” Bauman said. “I am so proud of all of them.”

Nadia Lorencz and Kiana Lord each earned their first state meet qualifications by breaking records previously held by Bauman. Lorencz started the meet by earning a school-record 9.5 in the vault, good enough for second place. Lord scored a school-record 9.525 in the balance beam that helped her place fourth in the all-around competition with a 36.525.

“It’s very gratifying and fun to see them broken. We have two (records) left and hopefully in the near future it will happen,” Bauman said. “It’s kind of been a goal for all of us.”

Lorencz and Lord will make their first trip to the Class 2A State Meet at the University of Minnesota Sports Pavilion with senior teammate Terra Klima, who earned her second straight state bid by winning the uneven bars with a score of 9.525. She placed sixth in the same event at last year’s state meet.

The Tigers placed four other individual scores into the top 10. Klima just missed qualifying for state in the balance beam, where she placed fifth with a score of 9.1. Lord added a seventh-place finish in the floor exercise (9.45), Lorencz was ninth in the balance beam with a 9.1 and Kathryn Beckett tied for ninth in the floor exercise with a 9.4.

A school-record team score of 37.125 in the floor exercise allowed the Tigers to hold off Owatonna, who finished less than one point back in third place. After Lord and Beckett, Lorencz (9.325) and Tahra Eckert (8.95) added counting scores in the event.

The Class 2A State Meet gets under way tomorrow at the University of Minnesota Sports Pavilion.

“We’re just happy to be at state and do the best we can,” Bauman said.

Tags: sports, gymnastics, farmington, tigers, prep