General

Kwik Trip Athletes of the Week - March 31

MADISON, Wis.--Following are the WIAC Kwik Trip Athletes of the Week.

BASEBALL
Position
Andrew Rajkovich, Senior (Madison, Wis./La Follette), Outfield of UW-La Crosse
Rajkovich hit .714 (10-of-14) with five home runs, 11 runs, 13 RBI, three walks, one double and one stolen base in UW-La Crosse's four-game sweep of UW-Stout on March 27-28. He hit home runs in all four games, while recording four multiple-hit contests and scoring at least two runs in all four contests. Rajkovich went 5-for-7 with six runs, eight RBI, three home runs, one walk and one stolen base in a doubleheader March 27 and finished 5-for-7 with five runs, five RBI, two home runs, two walks and one double in a doubleheader on March 28. Rajkovich recorded a 1.857 slugging and .765 on-base percentage. He finished with 26 total bases for the four games series.
 
Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Nick Shiu, Senior, Outfield, Gurnee, Ill. (Warren Township)
UW-River Falls, Tanner Hraby, Freshman, Infield, Medford, Wis. (Medford)
UW-Stevens Point, Kamden Oliver, Junior, Infield, Viroqua, Wis. (Viroqua)
UW-Stout, Leyten Bowers, Junior, Shortstop, Mineral Point, Wis. (Mineral Point)
UW-Whitewater, Aaron Holland, Sophomore, Catcher, Wheaton, Ill. (North)
 
Pitcher
Connor Brinkman, Senior (New London, Wis./New London), Lefthanded Pitcher of UW-Oshkosh
Brinkman pitched a complete game shutout on March 27, during the Titans’ series sweep of UW-Platteville. In UW-Oshkosh’s 4-0 WIAC-opening win over the Pioneers, he threw the ninth complete game and fourth shutout of his career, while recording six strikeouts and allowing just three hits.
 
Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Owen Deprez, Junior, Lefthanded Pitcher, New Franken, Wis. (Luxemburg-Casco)
UW-River Falls, Aidan O’Brien, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Red Wing, Minn. (Fergus Falls)
UW-Whitewater, Jack Hagen, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, San Clemente, Calif. (San Clemente)
 
 
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
Offense
Peyton Murphy, Senior (Austin, Texas/Westlake), Attack of Colorado College
Murphy led the Tigers to a 3-0 weekend against Chapman University (Calif.), Hamline University (Minn.) and College of Saint Benedict (Minn.). She racked up 17 points, eight goals and nine assists. Murphy had a hat trick against Chapman, a career-high five assists against Hamline and followed it up with her second hat trick of the weekend against CSB. She is second on the team with 25 goals and tied for first with 43 points.
 
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Reegan Werner, Junior, Midfielder, Farmington, Minn. (Farmington)
UW-River Falls, Murphi Specht, Freshman, Midfielder, Green Bay, Wis. (Bay Port)
UW-Stevens Point, Aubrey Keeping, Freshman, Attack, Moorhead, Minn. (Moorhead)
UW-Stout, Mai Nou Vang, Senior, Midfielder, Green Bay, Wis. (Preble)
 
Defense
Emilia Bullock, Freshman (Delafield, Wis./Kettle Moraine), Goalie of UW-Stout
Bullock made 18 saves in two games to help UW-Stout to their best start in program history. She had 8 saves in a 15-4 win over Mount Mercy University (Iowa) and 10 saves in a road loss at UW-La Crosse. 
 
Also nominated:
Colorado College, Evelyn Baher-Murphy, Senior, Defense, Mountain View, Calif. (Los Altos)
UW-Eau Claire, Alexie Romanelli, Senior, Midfielder, Naperville, Ill. (Central)
UW-River Falls, Annelise Rommeck, Freshman, Goalie, Okemos, Mich. (Okemos)
 
 
SOFTBALL
Position
Melissa Dietz, Junior (Reedsburg, Wis./Reedsburg), Thirdbase of UW-Platteville
During the Pioneers’ week at The Spring Games, Dietz went 12-for-16 (.750) across six games played, slugging 1.125 and recording a 1.925 OPS. She finished with six RBI, four doubles, a triple, four walks, and four runs scored. Dietz had four multi-hit games, including two 3-for-3 performances and a 4-for-4 performance. She went 4-for-4 with two doubles in a 4-0 win over Kalamazoo College (Mich.) on March 24. Dietz wrapped up the week by going 8-for-8 across the final three games, adding five RBI, three runs scored, and a pair of walks in a trio of wins.
 
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Kenna Strunsee, Senior, Outfield, Waukesha, Wis. (South)
UW-La Crosse, Lindsay Steien, Sophomore, Outfield, Taylor (Blair-Taylor)
UW-Oshkosh, Haylie Wittman, Junior, Infield, Kaukauna, Wis. (Kaukauna)
UW-River Falls, Kelly Aultman, Senior, Infield, Plainfield, Ill. (North)
UW-Stout, Stephanie Kuhn, Sophomore, Outfield/Firstbase, Apple Valley, Minn. (Eastview)
UW-Whitewater, Claire Kohnle, Senior, Outfield, Tisch Mills, Wis. (Kewaunee)
 
Pitcher
Carlie Jo Brownlee, Junior (Muscoda, Wis./Riverdale), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-Platteville
Brownlee pitched 16.2 innings during the week, helping the Pioneers go 4-1 across her five appearances. She posted a 1.68 earned run average, allowing just four earned runs on seven hits and nine walks. She struck out 30 batters, and only one of seven hits she allowed went for extra bases. Brownlee threw five shutout innings with 10 strikeouts against Kalamazoo College (Mich.) on March 24, and added another five shutout innings with 10 more strikeouts in a complete game against Union College (N.Y.) on March 27.
 
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Jacie Schultz, Senior, Lefthanded Pitcher, Lake Crystal, Minn. (Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial)
UW-La Crosse, Kaeley Niemiec, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Menomonee Falls, Wis. (Menomonee Falls)
UW-Oshkosh, Sydney Nemetz, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Marinette, Wis. (Marinette)
UW-Stout, Anna Blanford, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Elmwood, Wis. (Elmwood)
UW-Whitewater, Rhiann Dick, Senior, Lefthanded Pitcher, Palatine, Ill. (Palatine)
 
 
MEN’S TENNIS
East Division - Singles
Harrison Maitland-Carter, Junior (Toronto, Ontario/Saddlebrook Prep - Fla.), of The College of New Jersey
Maitland-Carter dominated in his lone match of the week, defeating Gijs Fidler of Ithaca College (N.Y.) 6-3, 6-2 at No. 1 singles to help the Lions post a 5-2 victory.
 
Also nominated:
No other individuals were nominated.
 
East Division - Doubles
Harrison Maitland-Carter, Junior (Toronto, Ontario/Saddlebrook Prep – Fla.) & Asa Wong, Junior, Johns Creek, Ga. (William & Reed Academy)
Maitland-Carter and Wong pulled out a tiebreaker over Gijs Fidler and Siddharth Desai of Ithaca College (N.Y.), 7-6 (3), to give The College of New Jersey the doubles point and propel the Lions to a 5-2 victory.
 
Also nominated:
No other individuals were nominated.
 
West Division - Singles
Steven Benoy, Senior (Stoughton, Wis./Stoughton), of UW-Stevens Point
Benoy won at No. 1 singles against Concordia University (Wis.), 6-2, 6-2, on March 30. Against Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.), he forced a super-breaker, but came up short, 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (7).
 
Also nominated:
UW-Whitewater, Theo Billson, Sophomore, Lindfield, England (BHASVIC)
 
West Division - Doubles
Reuben Giorgio, Senior (Perth, Western Australia/Applecross) & Theo Billson, Sophomore (Lindfield, England/BHASVIC), of UW-Whitewater
Giorgio and Billson went 2-0 at No. 1 doubles for the Warhawks during their annual Spring Break Trip. The pair, ranked No. 7 nationally, opened the week with a 7-5 win against the doubles pair for Chapman University (Calif.). Later in the week, they faced the No. 23-ranked doubles squad from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (Calif.) and Giorgio and Billson won that match 6-4.
 
Also nominated:
No other individuals were nominated.
 
 
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Track
Grant Matthai, Junior (Wauwatosa, Wis./East), of UW-La Crosse
Matthai placed third (13:56.79) in the 5,000-meter run at the Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) Distance Carnival on March 27. He broke Ethan Gregg's school record of 13:58.36 set in 2023. Matthai's time ranks 12th in NCAA Division III history.
 
Also nominated:
UW-Stevens Point, Logan Murphy, Sophomore, Sheboygan Falls, Wis. (Sheboygan Falls)
UW-Whitewater, Gunner Schlender, Senior, Brillion, Wis. (Brillion)

Field
Jacob Balcome, Sophomore (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria), of UW-River Falls
Just one week after being crowned NCAA Division III indoor champion in the heptathlon, Balcome wasted no time continuing to make history. Balcome placed first overall in the men’s decathlon at the Klein-Nwaba Combined Events in Santa Barbara, Calif., scoring a program-record 6,915 points. He took first-place finishes in long jump (6.73m) and high jump (1.96m), while placing as runner-up in 100-meter dash (11.27 seconds), shot put (11.94m), 400-meter dash (50.07 seconds), 110-meter hurdles (15.32 seconds), and discus (33.59m). Balcome’s score of 6.915 points is the current top mark in all of Division III by over 400 points.
 
Also nominated:
UW-Stevens Point, Gavin Fujino, Freshman, Crystal Lake, Ill. (Crystal Lake)
UW-Whitewater, Logan Frey, Freshman, Brookfield, Wis. (East)
 
 
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Track
Kelly Huerta, Freshman (McHenry, Ill./McHenry), of UW-Whitewater
Huerta won the 100-meter dash and was the runner-up in the 200-meter dash at the North Central College (Ill.) First Chance Invitational. She crossed the line in 12.04 seconds to win the 100-meter dash by nearly three-tenths. That mark is 16th in NCAA Division III and tops the WIAC this season. In the 200-meter dash, Huerta posted a time of 25.02 seconds.
 
Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Lucile Duchac, Junior, Lisbon, Wis. (Hartland Arrowhead)
 
Field
Annika Gunderson, Junior (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake), of UW-River Falls
Gunderson, UW-River Falls’ record holder in both indoor and outdoor pole vault, wasted no time getting the 2025 outdoor season off in strong form. She cleared 12-6 (3.81m) at the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University Optimistic Meet, placing first overall. Gunderson’s mark was just 3.75 inches shy of her program record in outdoor. Her score currently ranks seventh in NCAA Division III and first in both the North Region and WIAC.
 
Also nominated:
UW-Stevens Point, Lindsey Taylor, Sophomore, Mukwonago, Wis. (Mukwonago)
UW-Whitewater, Kenni Czarnecki, Senior, Muskego, Wis. (Muskego)
 
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