Evan Thue-
On March 31 and April 1, University of Wisconsin–Stout hosted the national gymnastics meet for the first time since 2001. “There were so many people there, and it was so much fun to just take it all in and enjoy the moment and represent our school well and perform our best,” senior Kaylee Jondahl (Sr. Elk River, Minn) said when asked what it was like for Stout to host Nationals. Stout put in a great performance during the weekend, finishing fifth in the country, and the team was certainty locked in on Friday night
“Friday night during warm-ups, we had the best warm-ups I have ever seen. We were nailing every skill one after another and the energy was so high,” said Jondahl.
“The crowd was super loud and energetic” said Gymnastics Head Coach Becky Beaulieu. It was certainty a packed house, with an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people in attendance. “There wasn’t an open seat in the Johnson Field House.”
With Jondahl competing in her very last gymnastics meet, she said one of her favorite parts of the whole experience was the fact “that it all started in the Johnson Field House and that’s where it all ended.”
In her final gymnastics meet, Jondahl won All American Honors. “[It] truly is an honor, from all of the hard work, hours, blood, sweat and tears put into this sport makes it all worth it in the end. From the past four years here at Stout, I have grown as a person and athlete inside out, and it’s incredible the person/gymnast I have become today compared to the person/gymnast I was four years ago,” Jondahl commented. She went on to thank her family, coaches and teammates for pushing her and believing in her.
With nationals over, the season has also ended. Coach Beaulieu said that this was her favorite team to coach and she wanted to thank Duey Naatz, Erin Sullivan, Layne Pitt, Erick Johnson, Brett Schreiner and everyone else who helped make Nationals such a “wonderful success.”