MEDFORD-COLBYGYMNASTICS - Krause sets new vault mark; team just misses Ashland team win

MEDFORD-COLBY GYMNASTICS

The Ashland Valentine’s Invitational has become a record-setting place for the Medford-Colby gymnasts the last couple of years and senior Kyla Krause added another Saturday during the team’s secondplace finish there.

Krause’s winning score of 9.45 on the vault pushed her past her old record of 9.4 and was one of two event victories she earned during the meet. The Raiders very nearly won the meet, scoring 131.425 points to fall just behind the rising Bloomer-Colfax squad, who earned 131.75 points.

The meet is an annual favorite for coaches because it allows for six entries per event compared to the typical five per event. Medford-Colby head coach Andrée Brushaber said Saturday stood out because of the fight the girls showed in some cases.

“Our girls had some rough moments skill-wise throughout the meet, but overall I am very proud of them,” Brushaber said. “I just hope they feel empowered and psyched for the conference meet this Saturday in Rhinelander because they have worked so hard through adversity this season. As the girls say, ‘we are family,’ and it is a beautiful thing to be a part of.”

Medford-Colby outscored Great Northern Conference Large Division rival Stevens Point (130.875) to get the secondplace spot. The Ashland Co-op (125.1) and Antigo (122), two of the team’s upcoming sectional opponents, were fourth and fifth.

Bloomer-Colfax was in the Antigo sectional last year, but was moved to the West Salem sectional this year.

With her 9.45 on the vault, Krause was solidly ahead of Bloomer-Colfax’s Olivia Price (9.0) and Ella Nelson (8.825). Raider Raylin Rothmeier was part of a threeway tie for fifth with a solid score of 8.6. Veronica Mateer tied for 16th with her 8.2, Shayla Radlinger tied for 18th at 8.15, Kaileigh Mientke tied for 20th at 8.1 and the sixth entrant, Ellison Carbaugh earned a 7.95.

“I love this meet because it allows us to have six girls get judged from a varsity level standpoint (two judges per performance),” Brushaber said. “I wish we did it at our Hot Cocoa meet.”

Brushaber said Krause is now rounding back into her form as one of the state’s top vaulters at the right time of the season.

“She had a better form with her chest that allowed it to look more open,” Brushaber said. “She had great height in it too. She is just really coming back full force now. I think she could break her own school record again.”

Medford-Colby’s team score on the uneven bars was the highest of the meet at 31.55. Krause again led the way there with a winning score of 8.65. She was 0.3 points ahead of Stevens Point’s Chloe Gresl, while Price was a distant third at 7.95. Back in action in most events after resting an ankle injury, Delaina Meyer was fifth for the Raiders with a 7.8, while Radlinger tied for ninth at 7.6. All six Raiders made the top 20. Bridget Cloud tied for 11th at 7.5, one-tenth off her season-best, Rothmeier tied for 16th at 7.4, 0.15 off her best, and Mateer was 20th at 7.3.

“Kyla actually tried something new on bars to see how it would go over,” Brushaber said. “I think she may rethink the configuration of things and clean it up a bit. I am very happy with her strength and courage to pursue her goals this year. She has worked very hard to not only improve for herself, but she helps others by suggesting things and sharing her knowledge of the sport to give our team the best chances of winning.”

The Raiders’ floor exercise score of 32.425 but them just behind Point (32.725) for the best of the day.

Meyer tied her season-best of 8.2 and placed sixth, while Mateer was eighth at 8.15. Rothmeier was 12th with her 8.05, just ahead of Krause’s 8.025, which tied for 13th. Mientke was 24th at 7.5 and Radlinger tied for 25th at 7.4. The Grantsburg Co-op’s Abby Rombach won with an 8.5, just ahead of Antigo’s Ginny Praslowicz (8.45).

Brushaber said the floor was where some of the team’s best moments were, outside of the scores.

“Veronica has a new tumbling pass but chose to stay with her original passes because the floor was not similar to ours,” Brushaber said. “It was a smart decision. Kaileigh put together a floor routine in two days and slayed it in Ashland. The team was brainstorming collaboratively on Thursday to help build her routine. I am so proud of this team. Ellison was by her side on Friday making sure she could run through it a few times on floor by helping her with choreography and playing the music.

“Kaileigh’s performance was amazing and I almost cried after witnessing it,” she added. “ She had not performed floor for two seasons after seriously injuring her ankle. This was a big moment for her and the team, from a mental standpoint and was emotionally uplifting. She went outside her comfort zone and really put herself out there. It was an example of what I live for as a coach. You see an athlete beat a mental block or go outside their comfort zone to accomplish a new goal and it is heartwarming.”

On the balance beam, Mateer’s 8.65 was her best of the season. She was part of a three-way tie for sixth place, while Rothmeier was ninth at 8.6.

“Veronica’s nickname is ‘beam queen,’” Brushaber said. “She is solid, graceful, powerful, and added a jump to her series that gives her additional points. She did so well in Ashland. I hope she is proud of her performance because I know we are.”

Krause and Cloud were part of a threeway tie for 15th with their 7.9s, Radlinger earned a 7.35 and Mientke received a 6.85. Price, Ashland’s Tessa McFarlane and Bloomer-Colfax’s Lauren Ruff tied for first with 8.9s.

The rest of the team scores had the Grantsburg Co-op in sixth place with 121.55 points, followed by Superior (119.475), Rhinelander (109.9) and Lakeland (95.25).

This Saturday’s GNC meet in Rhinelander starts at 10 a.m. Medford-Colby is probably out of the running for the team championship in the Large Division as it trails Marshfield and Wisconsin Rapids in the standings, but individual awards are there to be won and it’s a chance to work on improvements before the WIAA Division 2 Antigo sectional, set for Friday, Feb. 23.

Kaileigh Mientke