Park gymnastics: Wolfpack beats Hastings, hopes to make late run

Because of a number of serious and nagging injuries, the Park gymnastics team has limped to a 12-3 record this season after finishing as the Suburban East Conference and Section 3AA champions and taking third place in the state as a team last year.

Despite the setbacks, the Wolfpack is beginning to turn things around in hopes of making a late-season run.

Last week, Park scored a 141.3 to beat Hastings, which scored 128.85, in a conference meet on Thursday, Feb. 9. It was the Wolfpack’s highest score since Jan. 5, when Park fell 142.615 to 141.375 to East Ridge – without two of Park’s top gymnasts in Rachel Deephouse and Sarah LaBrosse.

Against Hastings, LaBrosse was back in action, but Deephouse – the state’s third-place finisher in the all-around last year – was still out of commission with a back injury suffered in mid-December.

Park junior Kasondra Tulloch also returned to the mat after missing a few meets and led the way for the Wolfpack in the win over Hastings. Tulloch, who took second in the all-around at last year’s state meet had a 37.40 all-around score against the Raiders. Tulloch earned first place in every event, scoring 9.45 on the floor exercise, 9.025 on the beam, 9.525 on the bars and a 9.4 in the vault. LaBrosse, a sophomore, took second in the all-around against Hastings with a 33.95 score. LaBrosse finished second on the bars with an 8.95, third in the vault with an 8.65, third in the floor exercise with a 9.2 and sixth on the beam with an 8.1. Also, Park junior McKay Zurn had a standout performance in the floor exercise with a 9.3 for second place, while senior Haley Van Pelt took second place on the beam with an 8.75 and sophomore Michaela Thielfoldt earned a second-place finish in the vault with an 8.75.

Next, Park will look to defend its Section 3AA championship title on Thursday, Feb. 16, at Park High School, where the Wolfpack will hope to earn some payback over East Ridge – the slight favorite to win the section title and reach the state meet. On the year, East Ridge is ranked eighth in Class AA with a 142.017 average and Park is ninth with a 141.925 average. Northfield is ranked No. 1 in Class AA with a 149.75 average score.

Tags: sports, gymnastics, park, wolfpack, prep, updates