January 30, 2017 at 2:09 p.m.
Hodag gymnasts get on podium in Antigo
Hodag gymnasts get on podium in Antigo
Raven Sturtevant reached the podium in two events and in the individual all-around and the Hodags placed three gymnasts in the top five on the floor exercise.
But a lack of depth hurt the Hodags once again, as they were without twin sisters Stephanie (illness) and Makayla (concussion) Kuester. Mikayla Evenstad and Emily Radke were also scratched from the lineup due to illness. As a result, the Hodags competed short in three events and finished with a team score of 89.5 points.
"We have not had a full team at a meet yet this season and we're more than halfway through," RHS gymnastics coach Heather Sturtevant said. "We could not field a team. We had three girls on vault and bars and floor. Beam was the only thing where we actually had five on, and that was throwing some JV on there just to have bodies."
Floor exercise was the highlight of the day for Rhinelander. Raven Sturtevant finished third in the event (7.95), Alyssa Mitchell was fourth (7.65) and Harlie Zimmermann finished fifth (7.55).
"They just really were solid, stuck everything," Heather Sturtevant said. "They're becoming more comfortable in their routines now so they're being able to put a little more showmanship in. They're getting there jump combinations more solid."
Raven Sturtevant also finished second on the uneven bars (6.8) as she placed third in the individual all-around (29.85). Mitchell finished eighth in the all-around (27.05).
Heather Sturtevant said it was an up-and-down day for the team, particularly on balance beam, but said she was proud of the team's resolve in the event.
"Beam is always our nemesis or seems to be," she said. "We had a lot of falls, but at the same time, the girls kept getting back up and would do the next jump and they would land that one. Or they would maybe fall two times and then they would do a beautiful dismount and totally stuck it. They really worked through that process."
All five GNC Small schools were grouped in the White Division as the 12-team invite was flighted based on scores throughout the season. Medford won the division with a score of 115.2 points. The Raiders are undefeated at 3-0 in the GNC Small and have a chance to secure first place in the division heading into the conference meet if they can defeat the Hodags Tuesday night in Medford.
The Hodags are 2-0 and still can have a big say in the Small Division race. Sturtevant said the team used Saturday's invite as a way to gauge itself against the competition.
"The big thing going into today's meet, we knew we weren't going to be going for team scores, so each girl was really trying to work on their individual skills and individual routines as a warmup really for Tuesday, to see where they stacked up with the girls from Medford and really just themselves trying to better their routines, trying to personally gain some momentum," she said.
Of course, the result of Tuesday's dual may come down to the Hodags' health. Sturtevant said the team has its "fingers crossed" that the Kuester twins can perform on Tuesday, even if it's in a limited capacity.
"That's going to significantly improve team scores because they can throw up some very solid scores, especially in vault and bars, without a lot of practice," she said. "The days off won't affect them quite as much hopefully."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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