Waunakee/DeForest gymnastics take on team and individual state

The Waunakee/DeForest gymnastics Co-op team kept plenty busy over the weekend.

On Friday, March 6, and Saturday, March 7, Waunakee/DeForest competed in both the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) Division 1 Team State and Individual State Championships at Lincoln High School in Wisconsin Rapids.

Competing at team state for the first time in 16 years on Friday, Waunakee/DeForest placed fourth out of 10 teams in attendance in team scores, scoring a total of 139.7499 points, according to the WIAA.

Arrowhead won the D1 state title with 144.0164 points, while Franklin Co-Op finished runner-up with a score of 143.35. Verona Co-Op earned third-place honors with a team score of 141.0832.

As a team, Waunakee/DeForest scored its highest total on the vault, scoring 35.6501 team points. That effort was fueled by a first-place finish from junior Annika Lee, who scored a 9.4667, followed by a fourth-place finish from sophomore Claire Strayer, who scored a 9.3667.

Claire Strayer finished first in all-around scoring at team state with a total of 36.6166 points, while Lee finished third in all-around scoring with a score of 36.5666 points. Strayer scored over a 9.0 or better in three of her four events — the vault, the bars and the beams.

Waunakee/DeForest sophomore Claire Strayer competes on the balance beam during the Division 1 team competition on Friday at the Wisconsin State Gymnastics Championships in Wisconsin Rapids. Waunakee/DeForest placed fourth with a team score of 139.7499.

Other notable finishes from Waunakee/DeForest at team state include an all-around score of 33.4667 from freshman Autumn Falb. Notably, the freshman scored an 8.5500 on the floor and an 8.3500 on the bars to finish third for Waunakee/DeForest in all-around scoring.

Wrapping up the totals for Waunakee/DeForest in all-around scoring at team state includes a 16.4833 from freshman Kaci Ugalde, a 16.15 from Katelyn Soderling, an 8.4167 from Addi Blackburn, an 8.4 from Adrianna Iordachescu, an 8.25 from Jordan Misterek and a 7.65 from Aynsleigh Hying.

Annika Lee and Claire Strayer take on individual state

24 hours later, the Waunakee/DeForest gymnastics team had two of its own represent their program, this time, at the WIAA D1 individual state meet on Saturday.

Annika Lee and Claire Strayer were among the two athletes who punched their ticket to individual state — and both left Wisconsin Rapids with podium finishes and plenty of hardware to take home.

For Annika Lee, the junior earned two first-place finishes, winning state titles on the vault and on the floor. Lee scored a 9.6667 on the vault and a 9.7167 on the floor to score gold twice.

It marks the first time in Lee’s illustrious career that she earned first-place honors at individual state. According to Sean Davis, sports reporter of the Wisconsin State Journal, Lee combined for six previous top-three finishes in her first two state appearances as a freshman and as a sophomore.