Win at Mosinee puts Raiders in GNC three-peat position

Anna Wanke won the all-around competition and the floor exercise, while Makala Ulrich and Kyla Krause shared a victory on the balance beam and won an event outright in the Medford gymnastics team’s 131.525-112.15 win at Mosinee Tuesday.

The Raiders rolled to their fifth dual meet win of the season and went to 4-0 in the Small Division of the Great Northern Conference in a meet that was postponed Thursday due to last week’s winter storm and moved to Mosinee.

The Medford Area Elementary School gym will be the site of this weekend’s Great Northern Conference championships, which will be a two-day event this year. The Large Division –– Stevens Point, Marshfield, Antigo, Ashland and Wisconsin Rapids –– will compete Friday at 5 p.m.

Medford aims to complete a championship three-peat in the Small Division when it faces Lakeland, Rhinelander, Mosinee and Chequamegon starting at 10 a.m. Rhinelander went 3-1 in the duals, Mosinee was 2-2, Chequamegon was 1-3 and Lakeland went 0-4.

In the Large Division, Stevens Point enters Friday’s meet atop the GNC standings with a 4-0 record after narrow dual wins over Marshfield (131.775-131.225) and Ashland (131.4-128.3). Marshfield (3-1), Wisconsin Rapids (1-2), Ashland (0-2) and Antigo (0-3) round out the current standings.

In Tuesday’s meet, the Raiders earned a modest four personal-best scores in varsity competition, but they weren’t far off from several more as they continued to build momentum toward the conference and sectional meets.

Wanke’s 9.0 on the floor was the highest score for anyone in any event in the dual and wasn’t far from her seasonbest of 9.075 and personal-best of 9.133. Raiders Kate Malchow and Krause were second and third at 8.45 and 8.2, respectively. Avery Purdy took sixth at 7.6 and sophomore Kiarah Behling set a personal best with her 7.05, which was good for eighth. The Raiders outscored Mosinee in the event 33.25-29.65.

Medford’s highest-scoring event was the vault. The Raiders held a 33.8-31.85 scoring advantage over the Indians in that event and were led by Krause’s winning score of 8.7, which was just 0.05 points off her personal best. Malchow did get a personal best, pushing her score up 0.05 points to 8.5 and earning second place. Wanke was third at 8.35, Ulrich tied Mosinee’s Avery Ahles for fourth at 8.25 and Kennedy Bilz placed sixth at 8.2.

Ulrich and Krause both earned 8.55s to share first place on the balance beam, where the Raiders scored 33 points compared to Mosinee’s 27.3. Wanke (8.25) and Malchow (7.65) were third and fourth. Purdy came in seventh at 6.65.

The Raiders outscored Mosinee by a wide margin on the uneven bars, 31.475-23.35. Ulrich was the winner there with a solid 8.2, just ahead of Wanke’s personalbest 8.175. Malchow edged Ahles 7.7-7.6 to take third place. Purdy placed fifth with her 7.4, just ahead of Krause’s 7.25.

Wanke totaled 33.775 points, Krause was second in the all-around competition with a new best total of 32.7 points and Malchow took third with 32.3 points. Ahles was fourth for Mosinee with 31.2.

JV results

Medford’s JV scores continued to rise in that team’s 108.75-57.3 win on Tuesday, which clinched a 4-0 record in GNC Small competition. The Raiders finished 4-1 for the year in JV duals.

The Raiders swept the top five scoring spots on the balance beam and the floor.

On the beam, Bilz set a personal-best, shooting up more than a point to a 7.45. Ellison Carbaugh was a tenth of a point off her personal best with a 7.1, as was Kaileigh Mientke with her 6.9. Brooke Wegerer was fourth at 6.8 and Behling got a 6.7.

Senior Megan Wanke competed on floor for the first time this winter and won it with a 7.8. Bilz set a new high with her second-place score of 7.45, which was followed by Mientke’s personal-best 6.9, Carbaugh’s 6.8 in her floor debut and Wegerer’s season-best 6.7.

Wanke won her second straight bars competition with a 6.4, edging Carbaugh by two tenths. Mientke tied her seasonbest with a 4.5 and Behling was fourth with a 4.4. Wegerer was sixth with her 3.0.

Medford scored 30.1 points on the vault by sweeping the top four places. Carbaugh won it with an 8.1, just ahead of Mientke’s 7.9. Behling earned a 7.1 and Purdy got a 7.0.