Gymnastics: Irish flying high

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Abby Nelson’s clutch balance beam performance Friday night against Lakeville North had Rosemount head coach Jason Passeri searching for superlatives.

After four teammates fell during the event, Nelson closed out the Irish’s turn on the beam by scoring a 9.45 to take first place. That finish lifted the Irish to 6-0 in the South Suburban Conference after a narrow 141.05-140.8 victory over Lakeville North. The team score moved the Irish up to eighth in the Class 2A rankings.

“If you were to compare that routine to other sports it would be like hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer, a walk-off home run or a touchdown at the end of regulation,” Passeri said.

Rosemount opened the meet with its lowest vault score of the season, and trailed after the event for the first time this season. Josey Schlie finished third in the event with a 9.325 and Shannon McCoy was fourth with a 9.175.

The Irish then scored 33.725 in the uneven bars, their highest score of the season. Schlie won with a 9.05 and Kailey Askew tied for second with an 8.775.

Schlie followed Nelson in the balance beam with a third-place score of 8.775 and added a second-place floor exercise of 9.425. She won the all-around with a total score of 36.575.

Nelson finished fifth in the all-around with a 34.85.

The Irish traveled to Lakeville North Tuesday and close out the regular season next Tuesday with Senior Night next Tuesday against Apple Valley.

Tags: sports, rosemount, irish, prep, gymnastics