MHS Gymnasts Start Season With High Floor Score

The Milbank Area gymnastics teams opened their 2025-2026 season at the Sisseton Triangular on Tuesday, December 2. The team welcomed back six varsity letter winners: junior Macyn Dunnihoo, sophomore Raina Untalan, freshmen Aria Prasnicki and Jada Leigh Wellnitz, and eighth graders Marley Pinkert, Nuria Rodriguez, and Timbree Spors. 

Starting out strong on the Floor, the Lady Bulldogs had five of their six scores make the top eight. “New jumps and tumbling helped them to score personal bests and a high floor score of 35.0,” commented head coach Kelly Wollschlager.

Macyn took first place with her score of 8.9. “She added in a layout full for the first time along with a new dance passage of Strug wolf full to help increase her difficulty,” Wollschlager noted.

Nuria earned second place with a clean routine. She scored  8.85 for a personal best. Jada Leigh tied for fourth place and forged  a new personal best at  8.65.  According to Coach Wollschlager, Jada Leigh added in a new dance passage along with a layout one-half  to fulfill her event requirement of a one-half twisting element in a tumbling pass.. 

Raina placed sixth with her score of 8.6. She added in new jumps to get a full bonus. Aria took 13th place at  8.0.

Marley scored a personal best of 8.50 – eclipsing her former personal best  by over .75 points. Wollschlageer noted, “Marley cleaned up her jumps and added in her layout one-half for the first time.” 

In the Vault competition, increased speed and blocking helped the team score a 33.55. Raina performed a handspring full for the first time to score a new personal best at 8.6 She tied with Macyn for third place. Jada Leigh tied for eighth place with her score at  8.25. Aria and Nuria were right behind Jada Leigh. They  tied for ninth place at 8.1.  Marley completed her first varsity vault. She scored a 7.7 to take 13th place.

Macyn led the team on Bars with a 7.2 . She earned fifth place. Jada Leigh performed a clean routine to take sixth place at  6.95.  Aria  connected her two long hang kips to add some bonus to her routines. She scored a 6.45 to take seventh place. Nuria made her varsity bars debut by completing a long hang kip. She scored  6.25 to land in eighth place. Raina completed a solid no-stop clean routine to take 10th place at 6.1. Marley also made her varsity debut on bars. She collected 11th place with a clean routine at 5.75.

“First-meet nerves led to the team counting five of seven falls in the Balance Beam competition,” Wollschlager said.  “Nuria started us out strong making her first varsity beam debut with a beautiful solid routine scoring a 7.45 to take fifth. Raina was right ahead of her with a solid tumbling pass – a cartwheel-roundoff.”  Raina  scored a 7.6 to tie for third place. Marley scored a 7.2 to take seventh place. “

Macyn added in a new dismount – a cartwheel gainer.  She scored 6.75 for 10th place, Jada Leigh performed her flight front walk-over for her flight element. She scored  6.55 to take 11th. Aria also added a round-off in her flight. She scored  6.3 to take 12th. 

In the All-Around division; Macyn took second place at 31.45. Raina was fourth with a 30.9. Nuria took fifth at 30.65. Jada Leigh earned sixth at  30.4. Marley was eighth at 29.15. Aria took 10th at 28.85.

Milbank finished with a team score of 124.4. They claimed second place behind Sisseton, who scored 129.85 points. Breckenridge-Wahpeton took third place with 92.6 points

What’s next? The meet in Vermillion on Saturday, December 6, was postponed. A new date has not been set. The Lady Bulldogs travel to Aberdeen on Thursday, December 11.

JV Gymnastics Team Wins First Meet of The Season

The Milbank junior varsity gymnastics team began their season on Tuesday, December 2, at Sisseton. Although the girls had fewer practices due to  the weather and the Thanksgiving holiday, Coach Kelly Wollschlager said, “It did not show in their performances.”   In the team competition, Milbank won first place with a score of 105.7.  Sisseton JV trailed behind with a score of 98.45. 

Three seventh-grade gymnasts made their JV debut: Khloe Barnett, Isabelle Karels, and Kinleigh Brandenburger. On the Beam, Khloe scored a 4.4. Isabelle and Kinleigh followed with no-fall routines .Isabelle scored 4.95 and Kinleigh scored 4.25. 

Veteran JV gymnast Tenley Bohn added some upgraded jumps to her routine this year and scored 6.85, despite suffering a couple of falls. Abigail Benike, also a veteran JV gymnast, finished the team’s Beam event with a no-fall routine. She tied for first place.  

In their Floor exercise routines, Abigail and Tenley each included a back tuck. “Tenley added some beautiful dance to her routine and came away with a score of 8.55 and an outstanding first-place finish. This was a personal best for her,” Wollschlager noted. Abigail took second place at 7.65.  “Khloe had some nice tumbling in her routine, and she took third place with a 7.55. Isabelle took sixth place with a score of 7.05.  Kinleigh was close behind with a score of 6.85 in eighth place,” Wollschlager recapped.

Khloe started the Lady Bulldogs off on the Vault with her half handspring. She scored a 7.3.  Isabelle followed with a handspring vault for a score of 7.1. Kinleigh scored a 7.45 on her half handspring and took fifth place.  Eighth graders Abigail and Tenley also competed on the vault.  Abigail completed a handspring vault and scored 7.6 for fourth place. Tenley’s half handspring vault scored 7.85 and earned her a second place finish. 

“Elise Graham is coming off of an injury, but was able to compete on the uneven bars.  She added a kip to her routine and had a personal best score of 4.0,” Wollschlager said. Wollschlager also highlighted some of the Lady Bulldogs’ latest moves. “Khloe tried a new half-twist dismount from the high bar, and she had a very clean routine. She scored a 4.8 and received fourth place.  Isabelle also tried a new dismount and scored a 4.1.  Kinleigh completed a new clear underswing dismount and scored 4.5.”  Abigail scored a 5.8 to  earn second place. Tenley scored 5.95 for first place and a personal best. 

The Milbank team claimed five of the top six places in the all-around competition.  Tenley had a strong showing in her first meet of the season with a 29.2 and a first-place finish.  Abigail also had a nice showing with a 28.5 and a second-place finish. Khloe scored 24.05 for fourth place, Isabelle scored 23.2 for fifth place, and Kinleigh scored 23.05 for sixth place.

“The girls had a great first meet and I look forward to seeing their progress in the next couple of weeks,” Wollschlager stated.  

What’s next? The Lady Bulldogs travel to  the Hub City meet in Aberdeen on December 11. Milbank will be at home for the middle school gymnastics meet on Friday, December 19.  The JV and Varsity teams also compete at home on Saturday, December 20.