Monday night proved to be a not-so-subtle reminder for the Austin girls' gymnastics team that the balance beam and the uneven parallel bars have been glaring weak spots for the team this season.

Host Byron/Kasson-Mantorville swept the top three spots on the bars and had the top two finishers on the beam in a 131.38 to 119.6 Austin dual loss Monday in Byron. The Packers' most consistent performer -- junior Danielle Chapek -- also sustained a slight knee injury that kept her from helping the team to her utmost abilities.

Byron's final team score, however, would likely have beaten Austin at its near-best. All-around competition winner Kara DeCook won three events for Byron/Kasson-Mantorville.

"Tonight was another reminder for us that we need to be spending a lot more time on both the uneven bars and balance beam," said Austin first-year coach Billie Jo Wicks. "Those are two areas that are hurting us the most. We will be concentrating our efforts there this next week and see how it pays off for us in our regular-season ender at Waseca."

Austin (3-6) visits Waseca next Tuesday, Jan. 28, for its final regular-season meet. The Packers host the Big Nine Conference competition on Feb. 8, and Sections are Feb. 14 in Winona.

Highlight's to Austin's trip to Byron included Whitney Johnson's second-place finish on the vault and Bethany Larson's runner-up performance on the floor exercise. Chapek also placed third on the vault before injuring herself during on the uneven parallel bars.

"It affected her beam performance slightly," Wicks said of Chapek's knee injury. "We also missed her on the floor.

"I was very pleased with Bethany Larson's floor routine. It was one of the best I've seen her do all year. She did an excellent job of combining both grace and power to put forward a really nice routine."

Results:

Vault -- 1. Courtney Wagner (BKM) 9.2; 2. Whitney Johnson (AUS) 8.15; 3. Danielle Chapek (AUS) 8.45, Brooke Geary (BKM) 8.45.

Bars -- 1. Kara DeCook (BKM) 8.7; 2. Wagner 8.55; 3. Geary 7.9.

Floor -- 1. DeCook 8.78; 2. Bethany Larson (AUS) 8.43; 3. Geary 8.38.

Beam -- 1. DeCook 8.73; 2. Wagner 8.53; 3. Johnson 7.78; 4. Geary 7.55; 5. Chapek 7.53.

All-around -- 1. DeCook (BKM) 34.45; 2. Wagner (BKM) 34.48; 3. Geary (BKM) 32.28; 4. Johnson (AUS) 30.48; 5. Jade Sinclair (BKM) 30.25; 6. Larson (AUS) 29.3.