Jackie Bergeron had gotten close more than once, but despite numerous state-meet opportunities, the St. Michael-Albertville gymnast had never reached the top of the podium.

This year, her senior year, the stated goal was a gold medal.

"I just wanted to win one event. Just one. It didn't matter which one," she said.

How about nearly sweeping them? In the final competitive meet of her gymnastics career, the Class 2A state championships, Bergeron went out with a flourish. She won the vault, balance beam and floor exercise events and took home the biggest prize of them all, winning the all-around competition with cumulative score of 38.6.

"It was a shock and a surprise," said Bergeron, who added an 11th-place finish in the uneven parallel bars. "I didn't expect it. But it was such a good time."

Her victory led to her being named Miss Minnesota Gymnastics, an award presented this year for the first time by the Minnesota Girls Gymnastics Coaches Association.

Now she's the Star Tribune's 2024 Metro Gymnast of the Year.

A great way to go out, to be sure, but upon reflection she said the memories she made and the people and coaches she met stand out most.

"It was great getting to the top of the podium, but what I'll always remember are the coaches and teammates that helped me get there and so many good people I met there," Bergeron said. "It was just such a cool experience."

After 14 years of tumbling, flipping and soaring, Bergeron is on to new heights. After graduation, she will trade her leotard for track cleats. She's headed to Wisconsin-La Crosse, where she's been recruited to be a pole vaulter. She finished fourth in the Class 3A state meet last spring.

"I've only been pole vaulting for four years. It's still new and exciting," she said. "It's similar to gymnastics in a way, but also very different. And it's so much fun when I come down and land in that big, soft pit."