Medford/Colby take ninth at state finals

By Nathaniel Underwood

To still be competing in March has become a staple of the Medford/Colby gymnastics team over the past several seasons. After winning their fifth straight team sectional meet the week prior, the co-op squad made their way to Wisconsin Rapids this past weekend for their sixth state team competition in as many years. The team took ninth overall following Friday’s Division 2 team competition, posting a final score of 133.5832.

The Elkhorn Area team grabbed first place with a final score of 140.6835, followed by the second place West Salem co-op, which posted a score of 140.2335. Medford/ Colby was narrowly edged out by eighth-place West Bend West, which finished with a team score of 133.5998.

Colby junior Veronica Mateer and sophomores Delaina Meyer and Bridget Cloud have not had a season that did not end in Rapids. The trio combined to compete in all four events during the team competition on Friday and Mateer and Cloud joined teammates Kyla Krause and Raylin Rothmeier in the individual tournament finals held on Saturday.

During Friday’s team finals, the Medford/Colby coop’s best event was the vault, where they had the fourth best overall score with a final total of 34.9499. This was an improvement over the team’s 34.1250 performance in the sectional meet and put them right with the upper echelons of the team tournament. All five of the Medford/Colby athletes posted scores of 8.000 or better in the event, with Krause and Rothmeier leading the way with scores of 9.2833 and 8.8333. Meyer improved on her sectional performance, putting up a score of 8.3833, only a tick below her 8.417 from her 2023 team state appearance.

The team also saw a slight improvement over their sectional score in the uneven bars, earning a 32.2666 in Rapids. Both Mateer and Meyer were given the exact same score in the event, putting up 7.8333 for their routines. The performances from the pair of Colby athletes were trending in the right direction, as Meyer had put up a score of 7.767 her freshman year in the event while Mateer had not participated in the event at state. She also improved from her sectional performance, where she had posted a 7.525.

The co-op took steps back in the other two events when compared to their sectional results, however, that kept them from a potential top five finish. Scores of 33.4500 and 32.9167 in the balance beam and floor exercise events were a bit off-pace from both the other top teams as well as the squad’s early performances.

The sectional judges appeared to respond more favorably to Medford/Colby floor routines as all five members of the co-op squad saw their scores drop on Friday. Meyer had the team’s third best score, posting a 8.1667 while Mateer tied with Rothmeier as both earned scores

See STATE GYMNASTICS/ Page 16

ACROBATICS ON THE BEAM - Bridget Cloud eyes her landing after a leap during her balance beam event at the state meet in Wisconsin Rapids.

STAFF PHOTO/MATT FREY

VAULTING TO SUCCESS - Delaina Meyer takes on the vault during one of her three events at the team state competition.

STAFF PHOTO/MATT FREY State gymnastics

Continued from page 9

of 7.6667.

The judges were also slightly more harsh in their assessments on the balance beam, though both Mateer and Krause finished with better scores than the week prior in Antigo. Mateer finished with an 8.6333, an improvement both over her 8.600 from the sectional meet and the 8.050 she had earned in the 2023 state meet. Cloud, meanwhile, had a final score of 7.8500 in the team event, but came back on Saturday with her best state performance to date.

Both Mateer and Cloud competed in the individual balance beam competition the day after the team events. The pair of Colby gymnasts places 15th and 22nd respectively in the event, with Mateer earning scores of 8.60, 8.40 and 8.55 to put up a score of 8.5333 and Cloud getting 8.15, 8.10 and 7.95 from the trio of judges for a final average of 8.0667.

While the team may have hoped for slightly better overall results, Krause managed to put up a very impressive finish in her final individual all-around competition. The senior earned third place with a final all around score of 36.0999.

With the final competition of the WIAA season coming to a close, the Medford/Colby squad will now have to look towards the 2024-25 season. They will have to contend with the fact that they will be missing the services of Krause and fellow seniors Ellison Carbaugh and Kaileigh Mientke, though they will have a good number of potential returners. Mateer, Meyer and Cloud as well as Rothmeier and junior Shayla Radlinger were all key parts of this season’s state bid and are all set to lead next year’s squad as they attempt to continue the program’s success.

STRIKING A POSE - Veronica Mateer hits her mark during the floor exercise event at Friday’s team competition in Wisconsin Rapids. She also competed in the balance beam and uneven bars at the state meet.

STAFF PHOTO/MATT FREY