The holiday break was an active and productive stretch for Bluejay winter athletics, with the girls basketball, boys basketball, boys hockey, wrestling, and gymnastics programs all competing during the extended break from school.
The girls basketball team traveled to Winona State University on December 26–27 to compete in the Lewiston Auto Holiday Classic. The Bluejays faced strong competition during the two-day event, falling to Lake City by a score of 66–24 and to Plainview-Elgin-Millville, 66–41.
The team returned to action on Friday, January 2, and opened the new year on a positive note by earning its first win of the season. The Bluejays defeated Cleveland 62–45, marking an important milestone for the group as they continue to build momentum. The girls basketball team currently holds a 1–10 overall record and will be back in action this week with games against St. Clair and Worthington.
The boys basketball team competed in the Myron Glass Holiday Tournament at Rochester Lourdes High School. On December 29, the Bluejays opened tournament play with an 81–54 victory over the Lourdes Eagles. The following day, the Jays continued their strong play, defeating the Randolph Rockets 81–61 to claim the tournament championship.
The boys basketball team currently holds a 5–4 overall record and enters the week riding a five-game winning streak. The Bluejays will return to action this week with contests against St. Clair and Worthington.
The boys hockey team played twice over the holiday break in highly anticipated non-conference matchups designed to strengthen their schedule this season. On Saturday, December 27, Waseca skated to a 3–3 tie with Minneapolis following overtime. On January 2, the Bluejays returned home and earned a 5–2 victory over the Southwest Christian Stars.
The boys hockey team currently sits at 6–4–1 overall and is in first place in the Big South Black Division with a 3–0–0 conference record. The Bluejays have a busy week ahead, traveling to conference rival New Ulm on Tuesday before taking on Redwood Valley on Thursday.
The Waseca gymnastics team competed on Saturday, January 3, at the Martin County Area Invite, held at the Fairmont Armory. As a team, the Bluejays finished third out of four teams with a total score of 129.575. Waseca athletes turned in strong individual performances across all events:
Layla Keith finished 2nd in the All-Around with a score of 34.625.
Ellie Clark notched a personal best in the All-Around with a 32.175, good for 6th overall.
On vault, Clark finished 4th with a score of 8.65.
On bars, Keith placed 3rd with an 8.725, while Hannah Parks tallied a 7.925 for 6th overall.
On beam, Keith finished 4th with an 8.275.
On floor, Keith finished 2nd with a 9.075, and Clark placed 6th with an 8.35.
The Bluejay wrestling team also competed on Saturday, January 3, at the Norwood-Young America Invite, turning in a strong overall performance with multiple placewinners:
At 107 pounds, Kole Nelson finished in fifth place, posting a 2–2 record on the day.
Deven Parpart went 2–2 and earned fourth place in the 133-pound bracket.
At 145 pounds, Jacob Knutson went 2–2 and placed sixth.
Braxton Nelson had a strong showing at 152 pounds, finishing 3–1 and taking third place.
At 160 pounds, Sam Selthun also went 3–1, earning a third-place finish.
Slade Barnett was dominant at 172 pounds, going 3–0 on the day and winning the championship in his weight class.
At 189 pounds, Alex Bethke finished fourth after a 2–2 performance.
Lucas Selthun went 2–2 at 215 pounds and placed fourth.
At heavyweight, Matthew Veroeven went 3–0 with all three victories coming by pinfall to claim the championship in his weight class.
The wrestling team will remain busy this week, hosting a home triangular with New Ulm and Tri-City United beginning at 5:00 p.m. On Saturday, January 10, the Bluejay grapplers will travel to Marshall to compete in the Big South Conference Individual Wrestling Tournament.
All five programs will look to build on their performances from the holiday break as conference and section play continues in the weeks ahead.