USA Gymnastics

Haley Hentrich will be the first to admit that she let her nerves get the best of her during her first three trips to the WIAA state gymnastics meet.

"I always got so nervous at state," the Lancaster senior said. "I never placed higher than third, because I couldn't control my nerves."

This year was different. In her final trip to Wisconsin Rapids, Hentrich remained poised and focused and found herself at the top of the podium not once, but on two different occasions.

Hentrich claimed individual state titles in the balance beam and floor exercise, earning Platteville/Belmont/Lancaster's first-ever gold medals.

"I couldn't have been happier with how I did," said Hentrich, who also placed fourth in the vault and seventh in the all-around. "This was my last year, and I knew I had to make it count."

Hentrich's final road to state was perhaps her most difficult, suffering a mid-season injury that forced her to miss several meets.

"I was doing a bar dismount during practice and I landed on my head," Hentrich said of the injury. "I strained the muscle that connects my sternum and ribs, and it took a few weeks to recover from it. It was so hard sitting out, because I wanted to be out there competing as much as I could."

Once Hentrich received the go-ahead to return to the mat, she continued on with her successful ways. After winning the floor and vault at the Southwest Wisconsin Conference meet, she won the floor at sectionals, as well as a second-place finish in the all-around.

"Haley is a very hard worker," Platteville/Belmont/Lancaster coach Jessica Hill said. "She has put in a lot of time, and it is great to be able to see her succeed at the state level."

Hentrich said she has been participating in gymnastics since the young age of 3, following in the footsteps of her older sister, Danielle.

"I've really been in gymnastics for as long as I can remember," Haley said. "I've always wanted to do whatever Danielle did."

Danielle, who was a state runner-up in the vault and all-around during her high school career, now serves as an assistant coach under Hill.

"It's great having my sister around," Haley said. "She's my best friend, and she is always there supporting me."

Hentrich, who also participates in volleyball and track and field, said that a lot of time and effort was needed to stay in shape for the gymnastics season.

"There is a lot of training involved, and being involved in the other sports really helped with that," she said.

Earning a gold medal has been a lifelong dream for the gymnast, who said she couldn't have asked for a better ending to her high school career.

"It's always been a goal for me to make it to the top of the podium," she said. "I can't even describe how happy I was to finally get there."