While the WIAC may already be an underrated conference in the grand scheme of college gymnastics—it no doubt has stars of its own. But even the shiniest stars rely on the dark backdrop of the night sky to be seen. The dark horses may seem to come from nowhere, but brick by brick they are laying the foundation of their teams’ successes. These underrated athletes may be on the outer edge of the spotlight for now, but they have been preparing to come back stronger than ever and proudly represent their team in 2026.
Taylar Schaefer – UW-Stout
Schaefer has already made great strides of success while competing for the Blue Devils, keeping in step with the program’s top performers in 2025, Gillian Cummins and Jaime Beatty. Schaefer has the chops for all-around competition, as shown by her appearing more consistently in bars and floor lineups in 2025. On vault already, Schaefer posts incredibly steady scores, deviating no more than two and half tenths between her season high and low this past season. If she can produce similarly consistent scores on bars and can bring it all together at once, Schaefer has the capacity to reach new heights with the Blue Devils.
Ella Montgomery – UW-Eau Claire
Ella Montgomery made the Blugolds proud as one of two competitors to represent Eau Claire at 2025 nationals, following a stellar freshman year. While the early season had some dips, Montgomery absolutely found her stride in February on beam, which was enough to propel her to an individual nationals qualification on the event. Montgomery also showed up consistently on uneven bars for the Blugolds. Montgomery’s steady performance as a freshman may be an indicator for an explosive collegiate career: she is well-prepared to hit the ground running in 2026.
Grace Edwards – UW-La Crosse
Edwards slotted in smoothly to the Eagles’ floor roster in 2025, becoming a regular player on the event in her debut collegiate year. She posted steady scores for the most part, with a slight upward trend in the second half of the season. Edwards’ hit her season best at nationals, where she posted a 9.825 and contributed to the Eagles’ season-high floor score and a successful run for the team national title. With such valuable experience already under her belt, Edwards can use the momentum to become a young leader for the Eagles on floor.
Taylor Magierka – Winona State
Winona State’s Taylor Magierka has run some tests and they’ve all come back positive: yes to bars, and YES to floor. The junior excels especially on floor, with a season NQS of 9.665 in 2025 and the consistency to prove it. Magierka’s overall contribution to the floor lineups helped her best event be the Warriors’ best as a team. If she were to return to bars this coming season, Magierka’s score ceiling has the potential to lend a noticeable boost to the Warriors’ performance. We’re greatly looking forward to what she will bring in 2026.
Cailey Price – Hamline
With top program contributors Brianna Weikel and Julia Cheely having graduated, the Pipers will be looking for the next cohort of leaders to pull the lowest-ranked WIAC team out of the mud. Sophomore Cailey Price has the opportunity to take the helm. Price competes across three events apart from bars, and appeared in quite a few lineups as a first-year. Her scoring consistency on leg events is an asset to the Pipers, with season highs on each reaching 9.400. While she can’t go at it alone, if Price can build upon her experience and keep up the quality of her routines, she can initiate the push for a new Pipers era.
Jay Ratkowski – UW-Oshkosh
The Oshkosh junior Jay Ratkowski certainly proved her ability to climb the Titan ranks this past season. After continually improving upon herself during her freshman floor campaign, Ratkowski added beam to her repertoire in 2025 and became a lineup staple. On each of her events, Ratkowski posted reliable scores throughout the season and showed positive scoring trends. Now in the role of an upperclassman, Ratkowski has the potential to act as a keystone on her two events. The Titans have their work cut out for them in the fight to win back the national title, and Ratkowski will doubtlessly contribute her best to their effort.
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Article by Frances Leadman
