A quality end to another big season
WIAA DIV. 2 STATE GYMNASTICS
BY MATT FREY
SPORTS EDITOR
The stellar 2021-22 season for Medford’s gymnastics team ended Friday with one new school record, four new personal records and some near-misses on other goals during a seventh-place finish at the WIAA Division 2 state gymnastics in Wisconsin Rapids.
The one school record everyone wanted, the team score record, eluded them, but Medford’s score of 134.384 still ranked as the team’s fourth-best of the year, was just 0.791 off its season-best and school-record of 135.175 and included a season-best team score of 33.967 on the uneven bars.
Junior Kate Malchow added her third individual school record of the season, leading the charge on bars with an 8.85, breaking the mark of 8.75 held by senior teammate Makala Ulrich and 2004 graduate Maria Kiselicka. “We had a very good meet,” head coach Steve Cain See GYMNASTS on page 8
Kate Malchow dismounts to end her uneven bars routine that earned a school-record score of 8.85 Friday at the WIAA Division 2 state gymnastics championships.
MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS Raider gymnast Veronica Mateer gets her push off the vault table and earns a 7.633 on her first attempt during the WIAA Division 2 state meet at Wisconsin Rapids Friday afternoon.
said. “We didn’t break the school team record score, which I know as a team they were kind of hoping for, but they weren’t very far away from it. They wanted to do the best they could.”
Malchow’s 8.85 on the bars put her in ninth place out of 26 individual competitors in the event. Kyla Krause was part of a three-way tie for ninth place on the vault with a score of 9.017.
In the team standings, Medford finished ahead of Reedsburg (133.582), the Dodgeville Co-op (131.786) and Antigo (127.883). Whitefish Bay won the school’s 12th state championship with 143.15 points, just enough to beat Mount Horeb’s 142.951. Nicolet (138.65) edged out Sparta (138.266) for third place. Elkhorn (136.6) got by the West Salem Co-op (135.752) for fifth.
Solid start
Medford opened the meet on the vault, where only Malchow set a personal record, yet the Raiders still posted a team score of 34.5 points that put them on a strong opening pace toward reaching a school record.
Krause led off and got her 9.017 on her second Yurchenko attempt. Malchow landed her Yurchenko for the second week in a row and got her 8.85 on her first attempt to place 14th in the individual competition.
Krause, who holds the school record at 9.4, had a step back on her landing, which Cain said probably was the only thing that held her back from challenging that score.
“I would say the step back was big enough for a couple tenths, maybe more,” he said. “Also where she was positioned when she landed. Probably all together four to five tenths where she was deducted. The rest of it going into the vault was pretty decent. It was just that little on the end and I think that would’ve given her a new school record. If she would’ve hit a 9.4, she would’ve been the vaulting champion.”
Sparta’s Ella Hemker won the vault title with a 9.383, just ahead of Mount Horeb’s Sydney Stoenner (9.217).
Malchow nudged past the 8.8 she got at the Antigo sectional meet on Feb. 25.
“She flipped it and she earned herself that 8.85,” Cain said. “For the first time doing it at state, she should be commended for that.”
Also for Medford in team competition, senior Makala Ulrich threw her tsuk vault and landed one in her second attempt that was good enough to earn an 8.483. That came after she voided her first attempt. Sophomore Ellison Carbaugh’s first attempt got her an 8.15 and freshman Veronica Mateer got a 7.633 on her first attempt.
“Makala knew she had to do the second one and, under pressure, she did the best she could,” Cain said. “It’s not something she has practiced a lot. She tried, she did some. When she did practice them, they were pretty good. They were meet ready. I think she did great.”
Medford shifted to bars next and hit it big. Ulrich nearly equaled her record, getting an 8.733 from the judges that would’ve placed 11th if she was in the individual competition. Malchow was next and was nearly flawless with her performance.
Junior Avery Purdy was next and a smooth routine gave her a personal-best 8.267 and sophomore Shayla Radlinger finished it off with a personal-best 8.117.
“Makala came so close,” Cain said. “Kate, she was on fire at sectionals and she kept it up going into this meet. New school record and broke her PR. Avery and Shayla they rocked it. Both of them had 7.9s for PRs, so for both of them to get what they got and jump up that much at state, that’s remarkable.”
Krause added a 7.983 that placed 25th individually. An unfortunate landing on the dismount just cost her.
“She fell because she tried a double back. She has never done that before,” Cain said. “She had practiced them. Because of where she opened up and her form and the landing. It could have been as much as seven tenths. If it wasn’t for that and maybe a couple of little breaks in her form. She could have broken her PR or school record too.”
Elkhorn’s Gabby Dixon (9.267) won the event, while Nicolet’s Cassi Hansen and Reedsburg’s Emily Craker tied for second with 9.05s.
Not quite as hoped
Medford went to the balance beam next and got off to a good start with Krause and Ulrich being rock steady with routines that got each a score of 8.517.
“They were good,” Cain said. “They were right up there. No broken records there, but they were really good. With them, they just had a few form breaks. They hit their requirements, they got their series, they got their high levels and low levels and advanced high superiors.”
Malchow’s momentum from the first two events, unfortunately, was broken on a fall off her second back tuck. She finished 23rd in the individual standings with an 8.033. Purdy came off the beam twice and came in 25th at 7.333. Mateer had a solid effort and earned an 8.067, just off her season-best of 8.15.
“Kate actually threw her first back tuck nice and quick, which was great,” Cain said. “I didn’t think she was going to fall on the second one. After that I could just see she was not happy and that it was causing her to be a little off with her skills. Avery, unfortunately, with all of the success she had going into state, she had two falls. She didn’t get her cartwheel. Without the falls, she would have had about an 8.5. Veronica had a couple of form breaks and that would have put her at a PR. It was just that close.”
Medford’s beam team score was 33.134, still nearly a point above its season average. Craker was the state champion with a 9.533, just ahead of Mount Horeb’s Lexie Weier (9.5).
At that point, Medford had 101.601 points and the school record was still within reach going into the floor exercise, which is typically one of the Raiders’ best events. But some bobbles and tough judging left them at 32.783, its lowest score in the event since late January.
Ulrich closed her outstanding career with an 18th-place score of 8.7 in the individual standings. Malchow got an 8.383, Krause earned a 7.933, Mateer got a 7.767 and Radlinger earned a 7.2.
“Makala hit her first tumbling pass with her twisting,” Cain said. “She had a little stumble at the end. Not bad. She got deducted a couple of tenths there. Just with form breaks and that stumble, it would’ve probably put her up above a 9, close to her PR (9.25).”
Whitefish Bay’s Kate Graham (9.367) and Anneh Britz (9.3) were the top two finishers on floor.
Though Ulrich wasn’t officially in the all-around competition, she totaled 34.433 points, just off her season-best of 34.575. Malchow was 21st out of 24 scoring allarounds with 34.116 points, while Krause was 22nd with 33.45. Hansen won the all-around state title with 36.566 points, while Mount Horeb’s Sydney Stoenner was second with 36.418.
The state trip was Medford’s fourth in a row as a team. The Raiders won their third straight WIAA Division 2 sectional title and have won five of six GNC Small Division conference championships. Ulrich is the only senior the team loses to graduation and things continue to look positive for the program.
“All of the girls were trying to make (Friday) their best,” he said. “It’s the last meet of the season. Break personal records, break the school record it didn’t matter. I guess in the coaches’ eyes they broke records because of that intent.
“They did finish as a family,” Cain added. “There was a combination of a lot of things –– talent and support and successes –– that I hope can carry into next season. I’m looking forward to going into next season. We have some freshmen coming in to watch out for too.”
Medford’s lone senior, Makala Ulrich, nearly equaled her personal-best and school record of 8.75 on the uneven bars during this routine, which got an 8.733.
Sophomore Ellison Carbaugh tries to control her landing at the end of her first vault attempt during Friday’s state meet. This vault was her best one, earning a score of 8.15.
Raider Shayla Radlinger pulls herself up on the high bar Friday during a state routine that results in her personal-
Medford’s Kyla Krause focuses on her landing point as she flips over the balance beam during a strong routine that earned an 8.517 from the event’s three judges.
Medford’s Avery Purdy transitions from the low bar to the high bar during her personal-best routine that earned a score of 8.267 Friday.best score of 8.117.
