Austin's Abby Bickler rises as her team looks on during the floor competition at the Section 1A gymnastics meet in Red Wing Saturday. -- Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com

RED WING — It was hard to tell what was more impressive about the Austin gymnastics team at the Section 1A meet Saturday — their floor performance or the fact that they won the meet by eight points with a score of 142.950, to earn their second trip to the Class ‘A’ state gymnastics meet in the last three years.

Austin's Sela Fadness performs her floor routine at the Section 1A gymnastics meet at Red Wing Saturday. Fadness took first in all four events and the all-around competition. -- Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com

The Packers set the tone early in the day as they opened on the floor, which has been their strongest event all season. Eighth grader Logan Tischer got the team going when she put up a 9.150, which earned her a trip to the individual state meet, and got the ball rolling for the Packers.

“We’ve been deep all year and we’ve always said that anybody in our lineup could qualify for state in the floor and I’m not sure they truly believed it until today,” Austin head coach Mark Raymond said. “That’s probably the best routine Logan’s thrown all year and it was fun to watch.”

Tischer’s performance seemed to light a fire under her team as the Packers put up a season’s best score of 38.150 on the floor. Rachel Quandt put up a 9.125, which was good for fifth overall, Carolyn Hackel scored a 9.600, which was good for third, Abby Bickler took second with a 9.650 and Sela Fadness took first with a 9.750.

Fadness said Tischer and Quandt — who are both eighth graders — helped get the team going.

“When someone hits strong on any event, it makes the second third and fourth (gymnast) go strong because you’re fired up from the first one. You’re not going into it in a bad depressing mood and everyone’s excited,” Fadness said. “I have never seen our floor routines as good as we performed them today and I knew from there it was going to be a good day.”

Austin eighth grader Logan Tischer goes through her floor routine at the Section 1A meet Red Wing Saturday. -- Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com

It was a good day for the Packers and it was an exceptional day for Fadness. She took first in all four events as she put up a 9.5 on the vault, a 9.15 on the bars and a 9.0 on the beam.

“I was really nervous going into this meet because I knew anything can happen,” Fadness, a sophomore, said. “Four girls make it (to the individual state meet) in each event and I was just hoping to be in the top four in every event. I was looking to come in here and give it my all and I was able to do that.”

Standing next to Fadness on the podium was Austin freshman Abby Bickler, who took second in the all-around and will advance to the individual state meet in all four events along with Fadness.

“Me and her are always pushing each other and it was great to see her do well. It was just exciting for me to get the chance to compete with her,” Bickler said.

Bickler, who was injured going into the state meet last season, is healthy this time around and she can’t wait to compete with her teammates on Friday.

“This is what we worked for all year and to know that it all came together at the right point of the season is just great,” Bickler said.

While Raymond was glad to see two of his gymnasts advance to the individual all-around competition, he was hoping the Packers’ third all-arounder could make it, but Carolyn Hackel had to settle for fifth in the all-around. She will still compete in the floor and bars individually at state.

“Being a little greedy I would’ve liked to have had another all-arounder in and I wish we could’ve gotten Carolyn in,” Raymond said. “She deserves to be in, she’s an exceptional gymnast and she belongs in the state tournament in every event. She’s in ninth grade and we’ll get her in next year and things will work out.”

The Packers will compete in the Class ‘A’ team state meet Friday at 11 a.m. at the University of Minnesota Sport Pavilion in Minneapolis and Fadness, Bickler, Tischer and Hackel will compete in the individual meet Saturday at 11 a.m.

Austin's Carolyn Hackel goes through her floor routine at the Section 1A meet in Red Wing Saturday. -- Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com

AUSTIN RESULTS

Vault: Sela Fadness (first, 9.500); Abby Bickler (fourth, 9.100); Carolyn Hackel (10th, 8.750); Cassidy Bawek (23rd, 8.475)

Floor: Fadness (first, 9.750); Bickler (second, 9.650); Hackel (third, 9.600); Logan Tischer (fourth, 9.150); Rachel Quandt (fifth, 9.125)

Bars: Fadness (first, 9.150); Bickler (third, 8.675); Hackel (fourth, 8.475); Abby Snater (fifth, 8.275); Ila Anderson (seventh, 8.125)

Beam: Fadness (first, 9.00); Snater (seventh, 8.450); Bickler (eighth, 8.425); Bawek (ninth, 8.375)