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Besides scoring a season of firsts the Dodgeville-Mineral Point gymnastics team had its best ever showing at the WIAA Division 2 state meet.
The Dodge-Pointers scored the first ever conference title in the history of the co-op along with the first sectional title. Their seventh place showing at state is their best---so far. Optimism is high for next season as all the girls return.
Freshman Miah Lemanski made the podium three times for the Dodge-Point squad. finishing fourth on vault, sixth on the balance beam and fifth on all-around.
River Valley's Caroline Iausly also reached the podium with a sixth place in floor. She was the lone participant for the Blackhawks and her story follows.
D/MP coach Julia Oellerich comments on both days
"The support from the community was overwhelming! Looking up into the crowd to see a sea of orange was so awesome!
"For a young team, they handled the pressure of competing with the best in the state very well. We improved from last year placing to 7th in team state. Tessa Bockhop had a no fall routine on beam, scoring one of her highest scores of the year. Sasha Paiva had one of her best routines on bars, with one of her highest scores this season.
"This is such a talented young team. They will grow from this state experience and continue their success. We are so proud of the team."
Saturday
"We had three individuals competing in the individual competiton to rank with the best of the state. Alyssa Belling returned as the only Dodge-Point gymnast with experience at the state individual meet. Alyssa had a strong bar routine and had a no fall beam routine. Tessa Bockhop had a very strong bar routine placing 8th in the state just missing the podium.
"Miah Lemanski had a very strong day as she was the first gymnast to place in the top 6 in the state since Sateash (Berg) Hime for Dodge-Point. All Around, Miah was strong placing 4th on vault and 6th on beam. Miah stuck all of her routines, especially her vault, which she greatly improved from the team competition the day before. The all around competition is the most sought after award. Miah placed 5th in the state behind elite upperclassmen gymnasts like Ally Yurkowitz from Whitefish Bay and Sam Krueger from River Falls. Miah, as a freshman, placed among those elite gymnasts. It gave Miah the confidence to grow on her successes and come back even stronger next year.
"As coaches, we are extremely fortunate to work with several talented gymnasts in the Dodgeville-Mineral Point area and will work hard to improve for next year.
"Thank you for all of the support this community has given this team, especially the Dodgeville Fire and Police Department for the warm welcome back to Dodgeville on Saturday and the parents of the gymnasts who helped throughout the year so we as coaches could focus on coaching. "
River Valley coach Julie Kuhse comments on Caroline Iausly
"Caroline Iausly competed in her third state gymnastics tournament, qualifying on floor, beam, vault, and all-around.
"Caroline got the cast off her wrist just a few days before sectionals, so even though she qualified to compete all four events at state, she was focusing on floor and beam. These are her stronger events.
"We had the same rotation as sectionals, which works well for Caroline. We started on bars and although it would count towards her all-around score, there was no pressure. She had a solid routine and stuck her landing.
"She competed beam in the next round. While she hadn't been able to do her back handsprings on beam while casted, the rest of her routine was spot on. A fall in her tumbling pass took her out of medaling position.
"Floor was our third rotation. This was her event, what her main focus was. She was the last competitor in the round, so a lot of waiting and watching. She had prepared. She was focused. She performed the best routine of her season. Her tumbling was the best I've seen this year, nearly sticking every pass. She scored a 9.267 but we weren't sure it would be enough to put her on the podium. There were two more rotations with some high level gymnasts yet to perform. Either way, she had done the best routine we could have asked for.
Caroline: "I had a good idea of the type of competition I was up against at this year's state meet. On floor I focused on sticking my passes and delivering a clean routine, because getting a spot on the podium has been a goal of mine for a long time."
"Caroline's final event was vault. She hadn't flipped her vault for over a month but was determined to finish the competition with her tsuk. She landed her second vault. Even though it wasn't her best, it was an accomplishment just to throw it.
"We hadn't been able to catch all the floor scores throughout the day, so we really didn't know where she sat place wise. But her dedication and hard work paid off as we heard her score and name announced for the 6th place position."
"It took her all of 30 seconds before she said, "Next year there will be more."
Thoughts by Miah Lemanski
While the Dodgeville freshman student is nearly 15 she is a 10 year veteran of gymnastics. She has been a member of the TBT gymnastics club and plans to continue. Gymnastics is her only sport as a participant.
"I love it," Miah says. "It is a big part of my life."
She showed how big a part it is when she helped her team to a seventh place finish at the D2 state meet and reached the podium three times as an individual. She was sixth on the balance beam and fifth all-around. That meant she had to do her complete routine two days in a row.
"Our team is young but experienced with many competing in club," Miah said. "We knew what we had to do and worked together well to get it done. We made history this year with the conference and sectional titles and making state the second time."
Miah plans to return to club competition after taking some time off to let the injuries she sustained this season heal. She currently has a problem with one of her hips an some ankle tenderness.
"It really is a dangerous sport," Miah said. Every year some gymnasts sustain sprains and broken limbs.
But the pain goes away when a team gets to state and it was quite and experience for the young freshman.
"We had great support from the community with signs and cheering for us when we returned," she said. "And it was great to see all the orange in the stands at Wisconsin Rapids."
Also competing as individuals were Alyssa Belling and Tessa Bockhop.
Team members who competed were junior Alyssa Belling, sophomores Lily McDonald, Sasha Paiva, Katlyn Yingst and freshmen Miah Lemanski, Tessa Bockhop and Elle Honerbaum.
TEAM STATE RESULTS
WIAA DIVISION 2
1. Whitefish Bay 140.7833
2. River Falls 139.4667
3. Mount Horeb 139.3500
4.West Salem/A/B 138.3500
5. Ashland 135.1000
6. Jefferson 129.2500
7. Dodgeville/MP 128.8667
8. Waupun 128.3667
9. Antigo 128.1500
10. Vir/Cash/NC 125.8333
DODGEVILLE/MP RESULTS
Balance Beam
Tessa Bockhop 8.333
Miah Lemanski 8.300
Alyssa Belling 7.850
Lily McDonald 6.833
Elle Honerbaum 6.650
Floor Exercise
Miah Lemanski 8.917
Alyssa Belling 8.483
Elle Honerbaum 8.433
Tessa Bockhop 8.033
Katlyn Yingst 7.783
Uneven Bars
Tessa Bockhop 8.300
Miah Lemanski 8.283
Alyssa Belling 7.600
Sasha Paiva 7.300
Elle Honerbaum 7.233
Vaulting
Miah Lemanski 8.567
Alyssa Belling 8.000
Katlyn Yingst 7.833
Tessa Bockhop 7.767
Elle Honerbaum 7.467
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Balance Beam
D/MP
6-Miah Lemanski 8.950*
22-Alyssa Belling 7.950
NQ-Tessa Bockhop 7.283
RV
17-Caroline Iausly 8.317
Floor Exercise
6-Caroline Iausly 9.267*
7-Miah Lemanski 9.183
NQ-Tessa Bockhop 8.267
Uneven Bars
8-Tessa Bockhop 8.783
25-Alyssa Belling 7.883
NQ
Miah Lemanski 8.500
Caroline Iausly (RV) 7.750
Vaulting
4-Miah Lemanski 8.967
28-Caroline Iausly (RV) 7.967
NQ-Tessa Bockhop 8.467
All-Around
5-Miah Lemanski 35.600*
22-Caroline Iausly (RV) 33.300
23-Tessa Bockhop 32.800
* made the awards podium
NQ-competing for all-around but not as an event