GMC co-op places sixth at state gymnastics meet

Last year, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau’s Taylor Gallup got to experience state for the first time as part of the individual competition. For the swan song to her successful high school gymnastics career, Gallup once again made it back to Wisconsin Rapids for the state meet. But this time, she got to share the experience with her teammates.

The Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau/Melrose-Mindoro/Cochrane-Fountain City co-op earned a sixth-place finish in the Division 2 team competition at this year’s WIAA state gymnastics meet, held last Friday at Lincoln High School in Wisconsin Rapids.

“We did great today. We were super proud of the girls in general for starting off the season where we did and where we’re at now,” said GMC co-head coach Carley Boos. “They came out and gave it their all and that’s all we can ask for as coaches.”

The GMC co-op, in their first team state appearance since 2020, posted a total score of 135.633 to finish sixth among the 10 competing D2 teams. Rice Lake reigned supreme as the Division 2 state champions with a score of 138.234, ahead of runner-up Monona Grove’s total of 137.517.

As has so often been the case during her career, Gallup helped lead the way for GMC with a stellar all-around performance. Among all the gymnasts competing at Friday’s team meet, Gallup was sixth in the all-around standings (35.433), sixth on the beam (9.067), 10th on the vault (8.717), 11th on the bars (8.583) and 12th in the floor exercise (9.067).

“It was really, really exciting, especially it being my senior year,” Gallup said. “We have a really good team, and I honestly couldn’t ask for a better way to end my gymnastics career.”

Jayden Thill finished with an all-around score of 33.650 that included an 8.633 mark on the bars that was the seventh-best individual D2 score of the day in that event. She also posted scores of 8.600 on the vault, 9.033 on the floor and 7.383 on the beam.

Reesa Beilke had an all-around score of 33.317 that included 8.750 on the floor, 8.417 on the vault, 8.333 on the beam and 7.817 on the bars. Tori Thoma’s all-around score of 33.100 included 8.900 in the floor exercise, 8.367 on the vault, 8.217 on the beam and 7.617 on the bars.

Brielle Hansen’s scores were 8.500 on the vault, 7.117 on the beam and 7.067 on the bars. Myrabelle Pretasky posted a mark of 8.350 in the floor exercise.

“We have a lot of talent that we worked through, and we put some great routines together to get us here,” Boos said. “We have a lot of kids coming up, so this was good motivation. They could see what they could be in a few years.”

Gallup places fourth in individual floor exercise

The day after the team competition, Gallup and Thill stuck around to take part in Saturday’s state individual meet.

Gallup placed 13th in the Division 2 all-around standings with a score of 35.133, headlined by a mark of 9.417 in the floor exercise that was good enough for fourth overall. She was also 16th on the vault (8.900), 20th on the beam (8.450) and 21st on the bars (8.367).

Thill finished tied for 17th on the bars (8.433) and tied for 18th on the vault (8.633).