GREAT WORK--In addition to competing on Saturday, when Antigo claimed the Division 2 state championship, these five Red Robin gymnasts participated in Friday's individual title race. From left are Jenna Schroeder, Miranda Ojala, Tanya McKenna, Lacey Zimmerman and Jenna Kegler. Photo courtesy of Patrick Blood |
Antigo gymnastics team brings home Division 2 state championship March 3, 2008 The Antigo High School gymnastics team brought home the hardware Saturday — and it was nothing less than extraordinary.
Scoring its highest mark of the 2007-08 season, the Red Robins won the Division 2 championship title, making it the only female squad to earn the state’s top honor in the history of Antigo High School.
“This is beyond excitement, beyond emotional,” coach Christina Berens said. “These girls will never forget this.”
Coming just one day after Antigo sent five athletes to the state individual competition, the Robins made it to the podium as a team by whipping past runnerup Ashland by a full five points — 141.6 to 136.55.
In a sport where every bobble can mean the difference in success and failure, it was an advantage nearly unheard of in the season’s peak where every team brings their very best.
The early favorite, Antigo decimated defending champion River Falls which took fourth with a score of 135.83. Whitefish Bay came in third at 136.06.
Holmen rounded out the top five at 135.8 followed by Southwestern/Cuba City in sixth at 135.31. West Salem/Aquinas was seventh at 133.61, Reedsburg took eighth at 127.98, Mount Horeb was ninth at 127.86 and Port Washington, 10th at 121.48.
For seniors Brittany Lucht, Tanya McKenna, Lacey Zimmerman and Jenna Schroeder, it was a goal they had from the start — and proof that hard work really does pay off.
Advancing to the state championship round four previous times, Antigo had never finished higher that fifth — but this year was different.
“We started out on floor which is typically our strongest event,” Berens said. “Everyone hit their routines and from there, the girls couldn’t be stopped,” Berens said.
With three of its athletes finishing with a 9.3 or higher, Antigo posted a team score of 37.33 on the floor exercise — the highest total of the entire meet in either Division I or II.
Schroeder and Miranda Ojala tied for the top spot with a 9.46 followed by Jenna Kegler with a 9.33. Brittany Lucht was next in line at 9.067 followed by Tanya McKenna at 8.983.
Antigo also won on beam — its most difficult event —with a score of 34.283. Schroeder put up an impressive 9.117 while Zimmerman scored an 8.717. Rounding out Antigo’s totals were Lucht, 8.283, Kegler 8.176; and Brei Schneider, 7.817.
Thrilling the crowd on vault, Antigo scored a 36.183 to beat the runnerup Whitefish Bay by a full point. Schroeder scored a 9.217 followed by Ojala at 9.1. Schneider earned a 8.983 for her leap followed by Kegler at 8.883 and McKenna, 8.433.
Schroeder scored a 9.08 on uneven parallel bars to lead the team which once again beat the competition with a 33.8. Kegler scored an 8.58, McKenna earned an 8.38, Ojala received a 7.7 and Zimmerman posted a 7.75.
“It’s hard to put into words how much this means to us,” Berens said. “It was just incredible. It’s been a long time since any Antigo team has won a state title and we can’t wait to put our name on the wall.”
In Friday’s individual championships, Schroeder took second in the all around while Kegler placed 14th. Ojala, Zimmerman and McKenna also competed as individuals in the title meet. Details of that meet were printed in Saturday’s Antigo Daily Journal.
2008 State Gymnastics
Division 2
Team Championships
1. Antigo 141.6. 2. Ashland 136.55. 3. Whitefish Bay 136.0667. 4. River Falls 135.8333. 5. Holmen 135.8. 6. Southwestern/Cuba City 135.3167. 7. West Salem/Aquinas 133.6167. 8. Reedsburg Area 127.9833. 9. Mount Horeb 127.8667. 10. Port Washington 121.4833.
ANTIGO
Balance Beam: 34.283 (Schroeder 9.117; Lucht 8.283; Zimmerman 8.717; Kegler 8.167; Schneider 7.817.)
Floor Exercise: 37.333 (McKenna 8.983; Ojala 9.467; Lucht 9.067; Kegler 9.333; Schroeder 9.467.)
Vault: 36.183 (Ojala 9.1; McKenna 8.433; Schneider 8.983; Schroeder 9.217; Kegler 8.83.)
Uneven Parallel Bars: 33.8 (Ojala 7.7; Kegler 8.583; Schroeder 9.083; Zimmerman 7.75; McKenna 8.383.)
ASHLAND
Balance Beam 32.4; Floor Exercise 35.5; Vault 34.933; Parallel Bars 33.717.
WHITEFISH BAY
Balance Beam 32.083; Floor Exercise 34.9; Vault 35.567; Parallel Bars 33.517.
RIVER FALLS
Balance Beam 33.6; Floor Exercise 35.35; Vault 34.833; Parallel Bars 32.05.
HOLMEN
Balance Beam 33.633; Floor Exercise 33.6; Vault 34.883; Parallel Bars 33.683.
SOUTHWESTERN/CUBA CITY
Balance Beam 32.967; Floor Exercise 34.467; Vault 34.55; Parallel Bars 33.333.
WEST SALEM/AQUINAS
Balance Beam 34.117; Floor Exercise 34.2; Vault 32.2; Parallel Bars 32.1.
REEDSBURG
Balance Beam 30.617; Floor Exercise 32.6; Vault 34.5; Parallel Bars 30.267.
MOUNT HOREB
Balance Beam 31.017; Floor Exercise 33.45; Vault 33.03; Parallel Bars 30.367.
PORT WASHINGTON
Balance Beam 30.367; Floor Exercise 29.017; Vault 32.433; Parallel Bars 29.667.
DIVISION I
1. Waukesha West/No/So 147.33; Arrowhead 145.71; Waterford 145.33; 4. Franklin/Muskego/Oak Creek/Whitnall 143.61; 5. Middleton 141.78; 6. Eau Claire Memorial/North 139.03; 7. West Bend West 138.25; 8. Stevens Point 137.13; 9. Hudson 133.75; 10. Janesville Craig 132.18.
|
|
|
