Special Olympics team advances to state

Paynesville's Special Olympic full-court basketball team took first place in their division at the Area 7 basketball competition at Elk River in March and qualified for the state competition, which was held over the weekend in Monticello.

Team members this year (pictured) were: (front) Annie Liedman, Crystal Rudy, Erica Wander, and Yvette Lounsbury; (back) coach Otto Naujokas, Josh Sturtz, Michael Naujokas, Matt Bayer, Missy Everson, coach Romi Hentges, and coach Jane Hjelle.

Paynesville's team competed against 12 full-court teams and took first place in their division, earning blue ribbons. Paynesville lost its first game to a team from Elk River but won their second game against another team from Elk River. Their winning streak continued with a victory over Cambridge in their third game.

Special Olympics is a volunteer organization. For more information about the local program, contact Hjelle at the Paynesville Area Elementary School.

Contact the author at editor@paynesvillepress.com • Return to Sports

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