Excellent start on bars and vault propels gymnasts to a win at Mosinee

MEDFORD GYMNASTICS

Holding steady in the 131-point range, the Medford gymnastics team completed a 3-0 run through the Great Northern Conference Small Division dual-meet portion of its schedule Thursday with a 131.425-118.1 win at Mosinee.

Kyla Krause earned a 9.1 to win the vault competition, Kate Malchow’s 8.5 won the uneven bars and Makala Ulrich tied Mosinee’s Avery Ahles for first place in the floor exercise with an 8.6. Krause, Ulrich and Malchow were second, third and fourth in all-around competition.

The Raiders were in the 131-point range for the fourth straight meet, dipping a little from their previous meet in Antigo on the balance beam, but picking up those lost points with a small spike upward on the floor.

“The girls are still doing a very solid, solid job where they weren’t going to go to Mosinee and saying, ‘well let’s just get this one out of the way,’” Medford head coach Steve Cain said. “They were intent on doing a job and doing it well. None of them went out on an event without being all-in 100%.”

In Cain’s opinion, the top highlight of the night came right away in Medford’s first event, the uneven bars. The Raiders took five of the top six individual spots but, to him, the scores don’t reflect how well he thought his girls performed.

“We’ve talked before about how sometimes you can’t weigh how your performance really truly is on the score,” Cain said. “This was a performance on bars that was pretty strong.”

Malchow’s 8.5 was a season-best and Krause followed up her personal-record tying 8.5 at Antigo with an 8.2. Cain said that routine really stood out to him as one that could’ve scored higher.

“To me, Kyla’s performance showed a personal record performance,” Cain said. “The score didn’t reflect it. I can’t focus on that score.”

Ulrich was third with her 8.075, Shayla Radlinger set a personal-best with a 7.8, good for fifth behind Ahles (8.0) and Avery Purdy got a 7.4. The team’s total of 32.575 points was just off their Jan. 29 season-best of 32.6.

“Shayla’s coming up a little bit more each time,” Cain said. “Same thing with Makala’s score. Her score too does not refl ect what she actually did. Kate’s didn’t either. Avery has been working on some things. You’re talking about a girl with perfect form, perfect arms, straight body and perfect flow.”

Krause’s 9.1 on the vault easily beat Mosinee’s Ahles (8.5) and Brianna Chellberg (8.35). The score came on her second pike Yurchenko attempt.

“Her second one was another one where you said to yourself that score has to rock,” Cain said. “It’s almost got to be breaking her own record (9.4).”

Ulrich was fourth with a solid 8.25, Veronica Mateer and Ellison Carbaugh tied for sixth with 8.0s and Malchow was eighth with a 7.7, but got closer to hitting her tucked Yurchenko on her second attempt.

“She landed down on the mat, like a fall, but she did flip it and landed it,” Cain said. “She just didn’t quite open up where she should have been.”

The Raiders scored 33.75 floor points led by Ulrich’s 8.6. Malchow was right behind Ulrich and Ahles with a seasonbest 8.5 and Mateer set a personal-best with her 8.5. Krause was fifth at 8.15 and Radlinger was seventh at 7.7.

“Veronica is a girl who hasn’t plateaued yet,” Cain said. “She kind of keeps climbing a little bit.”

After two straight solid outings on the balance beam, including a season-high 34.05 points in Antigo, Medford stumbled a bit on Thursday with seven falls in varsity competition knocking the Raiders down to 31.75 points.

Ahles won the event with 8.45, followed by five Raiders –– Malchow (8.05), Ulrich (8.0), Krause (7.85), Mateer (7.85) and Purdy (7.5).

Ahles led the field with 33.55 all-around points, just getting her by Krause (33.3), Ulrich (32.925) and Malchow (32.75).

Medford won the JV portion of the meet 62-28.2. Purdy tied her personal record while winning the floor exercise with a 7.9, while Bethany Jokiel was fourth at 5.7. Carbaugh won the balance beam with a 7.4, Radlinger was second at 6.4 and Jokiel was fourth at 5.8. Radlinger (8.0) and Jokiel (7.0) were the only vaulters and Mateer (7.0) and Carbaugh (6.8) were the only competitors on bars. Mateer set a personal record on bars by half a point.

“There’s one girl in each of these categories that are right on that fine line,” Cain said. “We will not end up shy on our events going into any of the big meets because the girls following behind the varsity are right there.”

The home stretch

The Raiders begin the home stretch of the regular season tonight, Thursday, with their second and final home meet of the season, a GNC crossover dual with Wisconsin Rapids. The Parents’ Night, Senior Night and Youth Night meet starts at 5:45 p.m. at Medford Area Elementary School.

After a one-day break the Raiders go to the Ashland Invitational. That meet is the final tune-up before the Great Northern Conference championship meet Feb. 19 in Antigo.