Medford’s Small Division dominance shows with awards sweep

ALL-GNC GYMNASTICS

The Medford Raiders’ dominance this season in the Small Division of Great Northern Conference gymnastics was demonstrated by their ability to be the first team in the division’s 11-year history to sweep all 15 of its individual awards.

The Raiders took the the first-team, second-team and honorable mention spots in the vault, uneven bars, balance beam, floor exercise and all-around competitions. Those awards were determined at the conference’s championship meet, held in Antigo on Saturday, Feb. 19.

By winning the all-around competition, Makala Ulrich was named the Small Division’s Gymnast of the Year for the second straight season. Medford’s Steve Cain was later voted the Coach of the Year for the division. He and firstyear assistant Jaylene Lannet led the Raiders to their fifth Small Division title in six years and fourth straight, a third straight WIAA Division 2 sectional championship, a fourth straight team berth in WIAA Division 2 state competition and a 4-0 record in dual meets.

The Raiders won invitationals in Medford, Valders and Ashland during the regular season and set a school record team score of 135.175 at that Ashland meet on Feb. 12.

Ulrich earned 34.55 all-around points at the conference meet behind winning scores of 9.2 on the floor and 8.65 on the balance beam that gave the senior a total of three of the five All-GNC first-team spots. Ulrich got the second-team spot on the vault with an 8.75 and the third-place honorable mention spot on the uneven bars with her 7.95.

Ulrich’s Gymnast of the Year award last winter came with an all-around score of 34.85 which stood as Medford’s school record for a little more than a year.

Junior Kate Malchow and sophomore Kyla Krause were the other first-team award winners. Krause won the vault title with a score of 9.3 that was onetenth off her school record of 9.4, while Malchow won the Small Division uneven bars competition with an 8.625.

Krause took three of the second-team spots with runner-up finishes on the floor (8.8), on the bars (8.2) and in the all-around competition (34.25). Malchow took the second-team spot behind Ulrich on the beam with an 8.05.

Malchow added two honorable mention awards with her third-place finishes on floor (8.75) and in the all-around competition (33.375). Medford junior Avery Purdy claimed her first-ever All-GNC award by placing third on the beam with an 8.0 and sophomore Ellison Carbaugh got her first All-GNC honor by taking third on the vault with an 8.45.

Marshfield’s Ellie Jensen was the Large Division Gymnast of the Year by scoring 34.2 all-around points. The Tigers also won the Large Division team championship.

Medford won the four-team Small Division championship by going 3-0 in the dual meets and by scoring 135.15 points in the GNC meet. The Raiders easily outscored Rhinelander (107.6), Mosinee (104.15) and Lakeland (101.2). Chequamegon did not field a team this year.

The Raiders won the sectional meet at Antigo with a team score of 134.925 and placed seventh at the March 4 state meet in Wisconsin Rapids with a score of 134.384. Malchow was the sectional’s allaround champion and set a school-record score of 35.275. She won sectional titles on beam (9.2) and bars (8.4) and set school records in both events this year with a 9.25 on beam an 8.85 on bars at state. Krause was the sectional vault champion (9.35) and Ulrich was the sectional floor champion (9.25). Malchow qualified individually for state on vault, Krause qualified as an all-around and on the bars and Purdy qualified for state with a fifthplace sectional finish on beam.

Mosinee’s Avery Ahles was the Small Division’s only other state qualifier. She placed 20th at state on the vault.