• Wildcat Riley Claude

Wildcat senior Riley Claude competes in the floor exercise at the River Falls Gymnastics Invitational Saturday at the high school. Claude earned a score of 8.175 and took first on the uneven bars to help the Cats to a second place team finish. Bob Burrows photo
• Wildcat Karlie Place

Wildcat junior Karlie Place competes on the uneven bars at the River Falls Gymnastics Invitational Saturday at the high school. Place posted a score of 7.6 in the event and the Cats totaled a high-score of 33.475 in the event on their way to a second place finish in the Gold Division.

Talk about it

The Wildcat gymnasts fielded two teams at the 16-team River Falls Gymnastics Invitational Saturday, Jan. 12 at the high school taking second place in the Gold Division and fifth in the Silver Division.

The Wildcat varsity competed in the Gold Division and posted a total team score of 133.05, second only to Rice Lake/Cumberland’s 133.925, while the junior varsity totaled 118.475 to take fifth in the Silver Division. Stewartville (Minn.) took first in the Silver Division with 127.475.

Senior Riley Claude earned the only individual title in the Gold Division, taking first on the uneven parallel bars with a score of 9.25. Sophomore Karin Sollom also medaled in the event with a fifth place score of 8.575.

Sophomore Kelly Maier contributed a score of 8.05 and junior Taylor Rose and junior Karlie Place both scored 7.6 to help the Cats to a team total of 33.475 on bars, the highest of any team at the tournament.

Place earned a pair of third place finishes -- in the vault with a score of 9.125 and the floor exercise with a 8.675, while Rose was third on the balance beam with a score of 8.85. Rose was also the Cats’ highest finisher in the all-around with a ninth place score of 32.25.

Junior Kinsy Sylla tied for eighth on the balance beam with a score of 8.3.

In the Silver Division, junior Reilly Myklebust led the Wildcats with a sixth place score of 8.275 in the floor exercise. She also took ninth in the vault with a score of 8.35 and tied teammate Page Huppert for 11th place on the uneven bars with a 7.4 on her way to an eighth place medal in the all-around with a total of 30.625.

Sophomore Morgan Ista posted the Cats’ highest score on the balance beam -- 6.8 -- to finish 13th in the Silver Division. Ista also scored 8.2 in the vault, 7.2 on the uneven bars and 6.8 on the balance beam to finish 10th in the all-around with a total of 29.6.

The Wildcats will compete at the Rice Lake Invitational this Saturday and host Hudson in a Big Rivers Conference dual meet Tuesday, Jan. 22, at 6:30 p.m. at Meyer Middle School.

Gymnastics club registration

Registration for the Winter Session of the River Falls Gymnastics Club will be open to the public Monday, Jan. 21. Visit www.riverfallsgymnastics.com to view the schedule and to register or call 715-425-6007 for more information.

Tags: sports, prep, gymnastics, wisconsin