Most view the top of podium at the high school gymnastics state meet as simply a place to honor success. Unbeknownst to gymnastics fans at Roy Wilkins Auditorium, it’s also a reflection of their efforts.

At the Class 2A individual competition Saturday, Monticello’s Lauren Hansen won the all-around competition with a score of 38.6, completing a tournament which saw her mount the podium twice. Monticello won the team championship Friday.

East Ridge senior Laney Schwellenbach was the all-around runner-up with a score of 38.4.

Hansen also won an individual event championship, taking first in the uneven bars. North St. Paul. Hopkins’ senior NyahSymone Britt won the vault and North St. Paul/Tartan senior Sydney Johnson won twice, taking first in the floor exercise and the balance beam. Johnson finished third in the all-around with a score of 38.35.

Saturday was about more than just wins and losses. Hansen, Schwellenbach and Johnson each had very personal responses to their performances Saturday.

For Hansen, she was dealing with the self-imposed pressure of bettering a previous performance. She won the all-around as a Class 1A gymnast in 2025. Only one gymnast had won titles in both classes prior to Saturday: Rogers Sabrina Hoover won Class 1A in 2009 and 2A in 2010 and 2011.

“I felt more pressure this year because I felt like I had to defend my title,” she said “But moving up class, it was another level higher. So, I just trained harder throughout the season.”

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Schwellenbach entered the meet as a favorite for the all-around, but at the meet’s end she fell off the balance beam, her last event of the meet and usually one of her best, costing her a chance at the title. Her maturity and composure were obvious after the fall.

“I was really confident, but it just didn’t go my way,” Schwellenbach said bravely. “I wish I could have redone that. Other than that, I was fine. But I had kind of assumed that if I would have hit, then I would’ve had a chance to be on top.”

Johnson’s motivation for her success was salve for a recent tragedy. Her best friend passed away recently. She dedicated her performance to her.

“Honestly, this was a lot better than I expected. It was a lot better than last year, when I only did two events,” she said, her voice a mixture of joy and dejection. “Honestly, I did this for my friend who passed away a couple weeks ago. Her name was Ajen’e Moore. Everything was in her name. I love her so much.”

Schander sets Class 1A all-around record

After helping her team win its second consecutive Class 1A gymnastics title Friday, Feb. 20, Detroit Lakes senior Maggie Schander said she’d “like to go for the gold tomorrow, but we’ll see how it all plays out.”

Her individual competition the next day at Roy Wilkins Auditorium played out about as well as it could have, with a meet record and four gold medals. She stuck landings, soared high and maintained composure and form.

Schander had a score of 38.825 in the all-around to replace the 1A record of 38.75 set by Mahtomedi’s Mindy Myhre in 1992 and tied by Austin’s Sela Fadness in 2014. Her 9.85 on vault, 9.55 on bars and 9.7 on beam were all good for first, and her 9.725 on floor landed her the silver medal. Last season, in Schander’s first season on the Detroit Lakes team, she won the vault title and finished second in the all-around and on floor.

“Going in, I wasn’t really looking for a certain number,” Schander said. “I was just going in, I want to have fun, it’s my last meet of the season. I wanted to go out with a bang, and I did.”

Schander wasn’t the only gymnast Saturday evening to display some of the weekend’s best gymnastics. Mankato West senior Maria Hagen, who won the floor title with a 9.75 and finished second in the all-around with a 38.65, and Blue Earth/United South Central senior Mariah Anderson, the all-around bronze medalist with a 37.925, kept it close with Schander all night. Neither gymnast had competed at the high school stage before this season, and both qualified as individuals, so they did not compete in Friday’s team competition.

Four of five podiums had some combination of Schander, Hagen and Anderson as the top three. A fall left Anderson off the bars podium. Through two rotations, all three gymnasts were within 0.025 points, and after three, they were within 0.075.

“[It’s] so surreal and so amazing knowing that all my hard work has paid off,” said Anderson, who took home silver on beam and bronze on vault and floor. “Being able to be on the podium is so awesome.”

What’s more, all three could be collegiate athletes this fall. Anderson is committed to Division II Minnesota State Mankato for softball, and Hagen is committed to D-III Winona State for gymnastics. Schander said she’s undecided on whether she will compete in college but has a visit with D-III Wisconsin-Stout next week.

“I’ve been doing [USA Gymnastics] for the past couple of years, and I think since I committed, I just wanted to try a new experience,” said Hagen, who won Mankato West’s first gymnastics state title. “The scoring and skills is a lot different, but I really love the high school atmosphere of how you have an amazing team always behind you.”