New Prague’s Ava Bruegger in 2A, Monticello’s Lauren Hansen in 1A are all-around gymnastics state champs

One night after coming up just short, finishing as runners-up to Owatonna in the Class 2A team tournament, two gymnasts from No. 1-ranked New Prague put on a riveting duel for the all-around championship. It was so evenly matched that, after all four events, a tiebreaker was needed to determine the winner.

Senior Ava Bruegger took the championship in Roy Wilkins Auditorium on Saturday, defeating freshman Hailey Proshek.

Both were awarded Class 2A All-State elite honors at the state meet banquet Thursday, and they spent most of the Class 2A meet competing neck-and-neck for the title.

Entering the final event of the night, the always nerve-jangling balance beam, Bruegger held a slight edge.

Neither girl knew what was at stake when they started their final routines.

“No clue,” said a beaming Bruegger.

Proshek kicked off the event with a solid 9.050, staying on the beam after narrowly avoiding a fall, and posted a 37.575 to take over the lead in the all-around.

Bruegger had to wait until the end of the meet to perform. She did just enough to win.

She had a fall during her required acrobatic series on the beam and posted an 8.7, bringing the teammates into a tie at 37.252.

“Beam is my struggle,” Bruegger said. “I was actually more worried about my aerial than my series.”

But the tiebreaker went to Bruegger, whose total of all four scores on the final event narrowly outpointed Proshek.

“I’m just super happy,” Bruegger said. “I’ve wanted this ever since I was a little kid. I remember sitting in the stands in second grade and watching the other gymnasts win this.”

Lakeville South’s Piper Keith was third with a 37.475.

The event winners were Cordelia Neumann of Owatonna on beam (9.475), Proshek on uneven bars (9.575), Kaia Bauerova of Waconia on vault (9.825) and Bruegger on floor exercise.

This was just what the guiding forces behind the girls gymnastics state meet shoot for.

The all-around championship of the Class 1A meet Saturday was largely determined by the final two routines of the day. And even when that was over, the parties involved had no idea where they stood until their names were called 15 minutes later.

Monticello junior Lauren Hansen had the top performance of the meet in the floor exercise, posting a 9.525 to bounce over North Branch senior Dakota Esget, the defending all-around champ who held a slight lead heading into the final rotation.

Hansen finished with a meet-winning score of 37.475, outpointing Detroit Lakes' Maggie Schander, who vaulted into second place on the strength of the best single-event score of the day, a 9.775 vault, for an overall 37.35. Esget was third with a 37.325. Hadassa Gonzalez of Mound-Westonka/Watertown-Mayer won the balance beam with a 9.3875.

Hansen admitted she knew she’d been having a strong overall meet but didn’t know she’d won until it was announced.

“I had no idea,” Hansen said.

No parents, no coaches, no teammates let it slip?

“Nope. Nothing.”

Hansen, who was third in the all-around in 2024 — “I wasn’t satisfied with that,” she said — said her overall state tournament experience was what she hoped it would be. Not only did she win the all-around, but she also took first place in two individual events, uneven bars and floor exercise, to help her team to second place in the team competition Friday and was named to the Class 1A All-State Elite team at Thursday’s pre-tournament banquet.

“It was just what I wanted. I couldn’t ask for anything more,” she said. “I feel like I’ve worked so hard all year and I’ve been pushed by my teammates so much, and to come together as a team to get second place and then win individually the next day is really, really nice.”

Esget is a three-time state champion, winner on the uneven bars in 2023 and 2024 and of the all-around in 2024, but she said defending her titles was not her priority in the meet.

A three-sport athlete, Esget, who also plays volleyball and runs track, said Saturday was her farewell to competitive gymnastics. She’s headed to St. Thomas to study biology with an eye toward becoming a dentist or a physician’s assistant.

She has a plan to satisfy any lingering longing for gymnastics.

“I coach younger gymnasts, around like 7 to 11 years old, so that will be my way of getting back in the gym,” she said. “I want to share my knowledge of everything that’s happened through my sports life.”

Esget said she enjoyed the introduction before the meet of the many previous state champions who returned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the state meet’s connection with the Minnesota Girls Gymnastics Coaches Association.

“It was cool to see them celebrate their past success,” Esget said. “That was my goal my senior year, to just enjoy gymnastics as it is.”