MEDFORD-COLBYGYMNASTICS - Several seconds, Rothmeier vault win lead to second-place finish

MEDFORD-COLBY GYMNASTICS

Lots of second-place finishes individually, plus one first, were the driving forces behind a second-place team finish for the Medford-Colby gymnastics team in Saturday’s seven-team Snowflake Invita-tional hosted by the Rhinelander Hodags at the YMCA of the Northwoods.

The Raiders compiled 127.975 team points in Saturday’s meet to fall just behind Marshfield, who won the meet with 129.7 points.

The Raiders are going to get well-acquainted with the Tigers, seeing them in four of their first five meets, and they closed their gap on the Tigers in one week’s time. On Dec. 2, Marshfield won the Medford Invite by 5.2 points over the Raiders.

The teams will see each other again on Jan. 11 in a pivotal Great Northern Conference dual meet in Medford that will go a long way toward determining this year’s Large Division title.

“I was very pleased with our results Saturday,” Medford head coach Andrée Brushaber said. “The girls were thrown into a different environment again which made it two out of three places we’ve competed at being completely new to them. We were so close to beating Marshfield, which is a great motivator for the girls on our team to keep building and fine tuning their skills. As we get stronger, so will Marshfield, so we need to keep at it.”

Freshman Raylin Rothmeier added another strong outing to an impressive first week of competition, finishing as the meet’s second-place all-around gymnast with 32.75 total points, her new high for the young season. She tied for first on the vault and finished second in the floor exercise and the balance beam. Senior Kyla Krause picked up the Raiders on the uneven bars, posting a strong score of 8.5 to add another runner-up finish for the team.

“In beam, floor, and vault, Raylin scored her personal best of the season. That tells me she is fine tuning things each week,” Brushaber said. “She will continue fine tuning things and correcting some form in the coming weeks. She is an intrinsically motivated person and knows what event to focus on first to make the most improvement for herself which then helps the team.”

On the vault, Rothmeier tied Marshfield’s Alyvia Dietsche for the top spot at 8.7, boosting her score from the Dec. 5 dual at Stevens Point by another two tenths. Nearly every Raider got into the eights as the team totaled 32.9 points in the event. Delaina Meyer and Veronica Mateer were part of a five-way tie for sixth place with their 8.1s. Shayla Radlinger tied for 10th at 8.0 and Ellison Carbaugh was 13th at 7.95.

“I see more flipping vaults coming,” Brushaber said. “I think they have it in them, and I think they just put them on the shelf to be ready for the start of the season. They were being smart, staying healthy, and now they can dedicate some time to those other vaults. I see some fine tuning with the twisting vaults too.”

Dietsche won the beam at 8.75, but Rothmeier wasn’t far behind with her 8.55, which was a half-point ahead of Krause, who remained limited in this meet but tied Antigo’s Virginia Prasolowicz for third with her 8.05. Raider senior Kaileigh Mientke was part of a three-way tie for ninth place at 7.65, sophomore Bridget Cloud was 14th at 7.525 and Radlinger was 15th at 7.35. Medford-Colby scored 31.775 team points on the beam.

Marshfield’s Serenah Tippett was the floor exercise champion, earning a score of 8.925 from the judges. Rothmeier got second at 8.45 up 0.05 points from her last meet, while Meyer tied Antigo’s Alexia Rank for fourth with her season-best 8.2. Radlinger got her new best score for the season at 8.15, which got her in a threeway tie for sixth. Mateer stayed right in her range for the season thus far by taking 10th at 8.075. Freshman Lindsey Kauffman got a solid 6.95 in her first varsity routine. The Raiders scored 32.875 floor points, their best mark so far.

“Our floor needs a little fine tuning so we have consistency and confidence,” Brushaber said. “With beam, some need to just practice certain elements but others will build more into their routine. I am very excited for us to have some time to support one another, build our routines and enjoy the sport before we hit the competitions hard again.”

Krause’s fine effort on the bars was beaten only by Marshfield’s Solenne Lonsdale, who got an 8.65. Radlinger’s season-best 7.75 put her in fifth place. Mateer was 11th at 7.125, Rothmeier was 15th at 7.05 and Meyer was 16th at 6.775. As a team, the Raiders nudged ahead to a new best score for the young season with 30.425 points on bars.

“Kyla has so much more in her tank but she was instructed to be cautious,” Brushaber said. “She had a solid high level dismount this time around that she could feel comfortable with.”

Dietsche won the all-around competition with 33.65 points. Radlinger was a varsity all-around for the first time this season and finished sixth with 31.25 total points. A highlight for the Raiders was being able to get all nine gymnasts in at least one varsity event.

“With the injuries we had sustained, it put two amazingly talented gymnasts on pause from all the events,” Brushaber said. “They are coming back at a decent pace so having the opportunity to give everyone a spot at this varsity invitational was a wonderful opportunity that presented itself. It felt like the right thing to do since we are all very close in scores, so it made sense. It is nice to go as one team and all contribute.

“I have to give a shout out to Lindsey Kauffman,” Brushaber added. “That girl put together a routine with new music and competed it in two days. Freshman or not, that took amazing determination, focus and guts. Kaileigh Mientke was the last to perform on beam when all the other competitors were finished at the meet. Nobody else was competing at that time, with no music and all spectator eyes on you. It really puts on pressure and a spotlight. Although it was nerve wracking, she did not question my judgment when I shared the line up. Her beauty and grace on the beam was obvious to all. Also rolling with changes is Shayla Radlinger. That powerhouse has confidently risen to each challenge she is given and volunteered for first slot on floor while Kyla was out. She also respectfully accepted being fourth on vault. Our settings on vault are different for some girls, so I wanted to streamline the changes while at competition. She does not let order shake her confidence as she was only two tenths away from tying her personal best.”

The rest of the team scores showed the Ashland Co-op in third place with 122.1 points, followed by Antigo (118.1), Rhinelander (104.225), Mosinee (79.55) and Lakeland (67.7).

The Marshfield dual meet on Jan. 11 starts at 5:45 p.m. at Medford Area Elementary School. The Raiders and Tigers will also have another meaningful matchup in Rhinelander Feb. 17 when the teams compete in the GNC’s 2023-24 championship meet.