THE CHAMPIONSHIPS:The 47th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Gymnastics State Championships will take place Friday and Saturday, March 3-4, at Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. The team championships will begin Friday at 2 p.m. The individual competition will begin at 11:10 a.m. Saturday. Ticket prices for the championships are $6 per session and are available at the door.
CHAMPIONSHIPS FORMAT:Ten teams will compete for the Division 1 and Division 2 team titles. The top two teams from each of the five sectionals in each division qualify for the meet. The top five individuals in each event and the top five all-arounds at each sectional qualify for the State Individual Championships.
COMPETING TEAMS:There are 10 teams that compete for the team State championship in both divisions. The teams qualifying in Division 1, with the number of times the programs have qualified for the team competition in parentheses, are Arrowhead (12), Brookfield East/Central (3), Chippewa Falls (3), Franklin/Muskego/Oak Creek/Whitnall (10), Kenosha Bradford/Indian Trail/Tremper/Westosha Central (2), Madison Memorial (20), Manitowoc Lincoln (6), Middleton (21), Stevens Point (22) and West Bend West (6). The 10 teams competing in Division 2 are Antigo (13), Ashland (16), Dodgeville/Mineral Point (2), Jefferson (1), Mount Horeb (30), River Falls (27), Viroqua/Cashton/North Crawford (2), Waupun (2), West Salem/Aquinas/Bangor (1) and Whitefish Bay (22). There were 80 teams in the Tournament Series this year, including 40 in Division 1 and 40 in Division 2.
TEAM TOURNAMENT HISTORY:The WIAA has sponsored the State Gymnastics Championships since 1971. The event featured one division from 1971 through 1977. The State Tournament Series competition was divided into two divisions in 1978. Waukesha West/North/ South and Whitefish Bay, which doesn’t include two titles with Shorewood as a co-op, has won the most team championships with seven. River Falls is next with six. The Franklin/Muskego/Oak Creek/Whitnall co-op, Brookfield Central, De Pere and Mount Horeb have five titles. Nicolet and Southwestern/Cuba City have won four championships. Beth Weber of Whitefish Bay/Shorewood has won the most individual championships in meet history with 10. Gina Piazza of Fall River is next with eight and Jenny Donar of Southwestern/Cuba City with seven.
LAST YEAR:Franklin/Muskego/Oak Creek/Whitnall co-op won its seventh Division 1 team championship with a team score of 149.3167. The Kenosha Bradford/Indian Trail/Tremper/Westosha Central co-op placed runner-up with a score of 147.6. Individually, Molly O’Boyle of Kenosha Bradford/Indian Trail/Tremper/Westosha Central won the all-around competition with a score of 38.167. O’Boyle also claimed the titles in the vault and floor exercise with scores of 9.90 and 9.517, respectively. Amanda Pennow of Brookfield East/Central won the uneven bars with a score of 9.467. Taryn Sherman of Arrowhead captured the gold medal on the balance beam with a score of 9.45. In Division 2, Whitefish Bay won its seventh team championship with a score of 140.5667. River Falls was runner-up, finishing with a score of 135.8833. Individually, Aly Yurkowitz of Whitefish Bay won the all-around competition with a score of 37.15. Sam Krueger of River Falls claimed the title on the vault and in the floor exercise with scores of 9.383 and 9.55, respectively. Jessee Lerud of Grantsburg/Luck/Unity won the uneven bars with a score of 9.35, and Shelby Rust of Ashland won the balance beam competition with a score of 9.43.
RETURNING CHAMPIONS:Three events in Division 1 will feature a former champion returning to contend for another crown. Senior Molly O’Boyle of Kenosha Bradford/Tremper/Indian Trails/ Westosha Central captured two events and the all-around last season. She earned the gold medal on the vault and in the floor exercise in 2016. She returns with sights on another title in each of those events and in the all-around competition. Junior Tia Dorshorst of Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln looks to return to the top of the award stand in the balance beam competition. In 2015, she tied for the title, and was fourth last season. In Division 2, there are three events that are highlighted by the return of former champions to the field. The floor exercise features a pair of former champions, including senior Sam Krueger of River Falls, who was last year’s gold medalist and a silver medalist in 2015. In addition, senior Aly Yurkowitz won the event as a freshman in 2014. She placed second last season. Yurkowitz won the all-around competition last year despite not winning an individual event. She was runner-up in the floor exercise, uneven bars and balance beam. Senior Shelby Rust of Ashland returns to the balance beam where she found glory a season ago after placing 11th in 2015. She returns attempting to become the first gymnast in Division 2 to win back-to-back titles in the event.
OTHERS TO WATCH:Based on a number of performances at the sectionals last week, a number of talented gymnasts that haven’t won titles previously should contend for individual titles and the all-around championship this week. In Division 1, sophom*ore Brynn Tackett of Manitowoc Lincoln won three events to win the all-around at the Kaukauna Sectional. Caitlin Locante of Brookfield East/Central won two events and came away with the all-around title at the Menomonee Falls/Germantown Sectional. Senior Madeline Pflasterer-Jennerjohn of Middleton won the all-around at the Middleton Sectional. She won one event and was runner-up at two others. In Division 2, freshman Miah Lemanski Dodgeville/Mineral point was the winner of one event and among the top three in two others to win the all-around at the Baraboo Sectional. Junior Krista Taylor of Mount Horeb won one event and finished in the top three in two others to claim the all-around championship at the Mount Horeb Sectional.
FOLLOW STATE MEET ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Receive updates of the State Gymnastics Tournament on the WIAA State Tournament Twitter account @wiaawistate with the hashtag #wiaagym. Also like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram at wiaawi, and add us on Snapchat at wiaawis.
NEED THE QUALIFIERS?:All participants and rotations of qualifying teams and individuals are available on the WIAA website. Access the gymnastics homepage and select the State Tournament Information section in the right column, or log-in to the restricted media area of the site and access the information in the State Tourney Information in the center section.
NEED RESULTS?: The quickest way to attain results will be to access the Tournament Information section from the gymnastics homepage on the WIAA website.
Todd C. Clark
Director of Communications
Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association
5516 Vern Holmes Dr.
Stevens Point, WI 54482
(715) 344-8580
tclark@wiaawi.org
www.wiaawi.org
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