Hot Springs Bison hope to finish strong at State Gymnastics Championships

HOT SPRINGS, S.D. – The high school gymnastics season is set to close this weekend with the State ‘AA’ and the State ‘A’ championships at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.

The team championships will take place on Friday followed by the individual competition on Saturday.

When it comes to Class ‘A’ gymnastics, no school other than Madison or Deuel has won a state title since 1995.

But the Hot Springs Bison hope to be in the mix this year.

The Bison recently won the Region 2A title for the second year in a row with a score of 136.25 followed by Chamberlain with a score of 135.15

Hot Springs also qualified six girls into the individual competition.

Jaylen Nachtigall, Kiera Allen and Peyton Stewart will be participating in the all-around.

Plus, Jenna Ellis and Carlie DeBoer will compete in three events and Jillian Simunek in one event.

Although Hot Springs has had a great season, the Bison are hoping for a strong finish at state.

“The rankings are fun and all of that is fun to look at,” said Hot Springs gymnastics coach Dana Nachtigall. “But really all that matters is what we go in and do that day. So it’s going to depend on what they have. Who they have healthy. You know who’s going to stick beam. Beam is always a good decider there. Our strengths are definitely our bars and our floor. And when we hit our beam, its right up there.”

Meanwhile, Lexi Petersen and Hallie Forman from Rapid City Central and Emily Adams from Stevens qualified for the State AA Gymnastics Championships.