The Minot United gymnastics team poses with the second-place trophy following the conclusion of the team competition portion of the state meet on Friday, Feb. 27, at Dickinson High School. Minot United finished with a team score of 143.183. Photo provided by Minot United gymnastics. Submitted Photo

The Minot United gymnastics team had their sights set on a pair of second-place finishes at both the WDA Championships and the State Championships when the season began back in December, knowing full well that Dickinson was once again going to be an unbeatable juggernaut.

That’s why there was a sense of disappointment following a third-place showing at WDA last week, bested by Jamestown for the runner-up position for the first time all year. Halfway through the team competition of the state meet on Friday, Feb. 27, it looked as if a second-place finish was slipping away.

But Minot United rallied with solid performances on both the balance beam and in the floor exercise to leapfrog the Blue Jays and secure second place at the team competition of the State Championships at Dickinson High School. Minot United’s runner-up finish was its best showing at the state meet since 2016, when they also finished second. They finished outside of the top three from 2017-23 before back-to-back third-place finishes in 2024 and 2025.

“For team day, the girls had a shaky start in the first two events, but they gave each other a pep talk and pulled it together on beam and floor,” Minot United gymnastics coach Cassie Davis said. “They all stuck their beam routines, no one fell off. That was a goal they had. Placing second at state after a third-place finish at WDA was a major goal for the team.”

Minot United finished with a score of 143.183, beating out Jamestown, which finished third at 142.083. Dickinson completed an unbeaten season, capturing its 11th straight state title and 20th in program history. The Mavericks’ score of 151.500 was the second-highest total at the state meet all time. Dickinson already holds the best mark, set in 2024 at 152.801. Bismarck Century (137.383) and Mandan (136.350) rounded out the top five, followed by Bismarck Legacy (132.300), Breckenridge-Wahpeton (113.450) and Northwest Stars (65.250).

Dickinson swept the top spot in all four events. The Mavericks scored at least a 37.500 in each event, with their top score coming in the floor exercise with a 38.633. They dominated the field in the uneven bars, winning by more than four points with a score of 37.850. Jamestown was second at 33.883. The Blue Jays also placed second on the vault.

Minot United struggled on the vault, placing sixth out of eight. They settled for third on the uneven bars but closed the meet with a top-two finish on both the balance beam and floor exercise. Minot United scored a 36.883 and was able to gain ground on Jamestown, which placed fourth in the event with a 35.050.

Minot United finished the meet by putting up their highest team score of the meet in the floor exercise. Their score of 37.783 was nearly a full point better than Jamestown and allowed them to secure second place.

“As a team, all of the girls did great this weekend,” Davis said. “Most of them had their best scores of the year, which is what we aim to do in the sport.”

A day later, Minot United returned to Dickinson High School to take part in the individual portion of the State Championships. Dickinson once again led the field, winning all four events as well as the all-around. Dickinson’s Aspen Roadarmel capped off her decorated career with the all-around title for a third straight season. She also won the state title on the vault for the first time and defended her title in the floor exercise. Roadarmel was nearly perfect on vault, scoring a 9.967. She scored a 9.800 in the floor exercise. Roadarmel took second on the uneven bars and third on the balance beam.

Dickinson’s Brooklyn Wariner captured the state title on the uneven bars, scoring a 9.850. Teammate Reygan Strommen scored a 9.600 on beam to win the title. She had the highest margin of victory, finishing three points clear of Legacy’s Sophia Goldade.

The Mavericks held the top three spots in the floor exercise , vault and uneven bars.

Pavyn Peterson finished in a tie for sixth with Dickinson’s Sophie Flores in the all-around with a score of 36.033 to lead Minot United. Adylin Belnap cracked the top 10, finishing ninth with a score of 35.583. Peterson was seventh on the balance beam (9.050), tied for eighth in the floor exercise (9.350) and ninth on the uneven bars (8.867).

“As a senior, Pavyn was our top placement in all-around,” Davis said. “She was consistent on all four events.”

Minot United placed a gymnast in the top six in all four events in Belnap and Keira Davis. Belnap took fifth on the uneven bars (9.133) and sixth on beam (9.100). Keira Davis finished tied for fifth in the floor exercise (9.400) and tied for sixth on vault (9.167).

Roadarmel was named the Senior Athlete of the Year and Jamestown’s Bre Carlson earned Coach of the Year honors.