The Austin High School gymnastics team became the first in school history Saturday to advance to the state meet.

The squad placed first at the Section 1A tournament in Stewartville, topping the nine-team field with a score of 143.400. East Ridge was second with 141.600.

“It feels really good to know that the hard work the girls put in this season paid off,” Austin head coach Mark Raymond said. “We’re happy that we were able to peak when we needed to.”

In addition to a state berth for the team, Sela Fadness (37.050) and Sabrina Snater (36.700) placed second and third in the all-around standings to earn individual berths.

The state team competition will be held Friday, with the individuals on Saturday.

Both events take place at the University of Minnesota, with the top two teams in the eight-team field taking home trophies.

At the section meet, the Packers turned in an impressive effort on floor.

Breanna Wehner made a comeback from a midseason back injury to score a 8.575; Katie Jorgenson followed it up with a 8.95, while Abby Bickler scored a 9.25 before Snater and Fadness scored a 9.575 and a 9.6 repsectively.

Collectively, the team scored a 37.3, a season high.

“We were on tonight on floor,” Raymond said. “The girls were excited and cheering loud, and they fed off of each other’s energy.”