General

Kwik Trip Athletes of the Week - September 21

MADISON, Wis.--Following are the WIAC Kwik Trip Athletes of the Week for the week of Sept. 14 - 20.

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Owen Clark, Junior (Arbor Vitae, Wis./Lakeland), of UW-La Crosse
Clark finished seventh out of 212 runners at the University of Minnesota Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 18. He was the top NCAA Division III runner and completed the 8,000-meter course with a time of 24:05.5, beating his personal best by :33. Clark helped UW-La Crosse place third as a team.
 
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Daniel Lewis, Freshman, Brookfield, Ill. (Nazareth Academy)
UW-Oshkosh, Alex Peterson, Senior, Oconto Falls, Wis. (Gillett)
UW-River Falls, Ryan Pierson, Junior, Butterfield, Minn. (Butterfield-Odin)
UW-Stout Polytechnic, Julian Van Antwerp, Senior, Algonquin, Ill. (Algonquin Jacobs)
UW-Whitewater, Conner Murphy, Senior, Sheboygan Falls, Wis. (Sheboygan Falls)
 
 
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
Julia Zalewski, Junior (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial), of UW-La Crosse
Zalewski placed 34th out of 240 runners in helping lead UW-La Crosse to a fifth-place finish at the University of Minnesota Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 18. The Eagles were the top NCAA Division III team. Zalewski was the top NCAA Division III runner, completing the 6,000-meter course with a personal-best time of 21:07.5, beating her previous best by :29.
 
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Rachel Gregorich, Sophomore, Waunakee, Wis. (Waunakee)
UW-Oshkosh, Lehna Mitchell, Sophomore, Oshkosh, Wis. (Oshkosh North)
UW-Platteville, Julianna Moran, Sophomore, Beloit, Wis. (Janesville Craig)
UW-River Falls, Laina Viere, Senior, Richmond, Minn. (Rocori)
UW-Stout Polytechnic, Claudia Lasiowski, Senior, Park Falls, Wis. (Chequamegon)
UW-Whitewater, Abi Anderson, Sophomore, Janesville, Wis. (Janesville Craig)
 
 
FOOTBALL
Offense
Jaxson Garbisch, Senior (Appleton, Wis./Kimberly), Wide Receiver of UW-Platteville
Garbisch tied a UW-Platteville single game record with four receiving touchdowns in a 37-14 win over Springfield College (Mass.) on Sept. 19. He finished with six receptions for a career-high 175 yards in addition to the four scores. Garbisch opened the scoring with a 10-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter before adding a 25-yard touchdown early in the second frame. He scored from six yards out on UW-Platteville's first drive of the third and concluded his day with a 75-yard catch and run touchdown late in the fourth quarter to put the Pioneers ahead by 30.
 
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Paxton Rothmeier, Sophomore, Running Back, Medford, Wis. (Medford)
UW-La Crosse, Nolan Wulf, Junior, Wide Receiver, West Bend, Wis. (West Bend West)
UW-Oshkosh, Demir Ashiru, Sophomore, Quarterback, Plainfield, Ill. (Plainfield North)
UW-River Falls, Trevor Asher, Junior, Running Back, Elmwood, Wis. (Elmwood-Plum City)
 
Defense
Taylor Sussner, Sophomore (Chaska, Minn./Chaska), Defensive Back of UW-River Falls
Sussner helped lead a dominant defensive effort in UW-River Falls' 31-14 win over No. 6-ranked Wartburg College (Iowa), totaling six tackles, one sack, a forced fumble and two pass breakups. His fourth-down sack and forced fumble ended a Wartburg possession deep in Falcon territory. The UW-River Falls defense limited Wartburg to 212 total yards, including just 35 rushing yards, and held the Knights scoreless in the second half.
 
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Brady Puls, Junior, Defensive Line, Lodi, Wis. (Lodi)
UW-La Crosse, Jack Wesolowski, Sophomore, Defensive Line, New Berlin, Wis. (New Berlin West)
UW-Oshkosh, Bryce Manders, Senior, Linebacker, Brown Deer, Wis. (Brown Deer)
UW-Platteville, Gavin Humphrey, Sophomore, Defensive Line, Ankeny, Iowa (Centennial)
UW-Stout Polytechnic, Sophomore, Inside Linebacker, Mahtomedi, Minn. (Mahtomedi)
 
Special Teams
Anthony Lefebre, Freshman (Green Bay, Wis./Bay Port), Running Back of UW-Stevens Point
Lefebre sparked the Pointers to a non-conference finale win over Pacific University (Ore.) on Sept. 19. He ran the opening kickoff back 95 yards to put UW-Stevens Point up, 7-0, 15 seconds into the game. UW-Stevens Point beat the Boxers 48-13.
 
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Madden Mahr, Freshman, Wide Receiver, Stanley, Wis. (Stanley-Boyd)
UW-La Crosse, Cooper Mueller, Sophomore, Punter, Franklin, Wis. (Franklin)
UW-Platteville, Benjamin Younker, Senior, Punter, Genoa, Ill. (Genoa-Kingston)
UW-River Falls, Jeffrey Freund, Sophomore, Punter, Juneau, Wis. (Beaver Dam)
UW-Stout Polytechnic, Brady Preive, Junior, Punter, Randolph, Wis. (Randolph)
 
 
WOMEN’S GOLF
Julia Imai, Junior (Brookline, Mass./Brookline), of UW-Stout Polytechnic
Imai secured a victory at the St. Catherine (Minn.) Fall Invitational with a total score of 8-under 136 (66-70). Her 6-under 66 in the opening round broke her own school record for the lowest single-round score and established a new school record for a two-day tournament total. Earlier in the week, she also tied for seventh place overall at the Maverick Fall Brawl with a score of 155 (78-77).
 
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Tally Schlindwein, Sophomore, Wausau, Wis. (Wausau East)
UW-Platteville, Chloe Chappell, Junior, Lake Geneva, Wis. (Lake Geneva Badger)
UW-Stevens Point, Avery Meek, Sophomore, DeForest, Wis. (DeForest)
 
 
MEN’S SOCCER
Offense
Owen Backus, Junior (Elkhorn, Wis./Elkhorn), Midfield of UW-Eau Claire
Backus helped lead the Blugolds to a 1-0-1 week, scoring four points on two goals across two matches. He scored the game-winning goal in UW-Eau Claire’s 1-0 victory over Macalester College (Minn.) before finding the back of the net in the 85th minute against Colorado College to help the Blugolds earn a 2-2 draw.
 
Also nominated:
UW-River Falls, Victor Vancauteren, Senior, Forward, Antwerp, Belgium (OLVP Bornem)
UW-Stevens Point, Jaxon Buckley, Sophomore, Forward, Kingsford, Mich. (Kingsford)
UW-Whitewater, Hayden Saul, Senior, Forward, Iowa City, Iowa (Liberty)
 
Defense
Luke Hogle, Senior (Lee’s Summit, Mo./Lee’s Summit West), Defense of UW-Platteville
Hogle helped the Pioneers post a 2-0 victory over Wartburg College (Iowa) on Sept. 16, to extend their winning streak to three. The senior and the rest of the defense held the Knights to just two shots on goal in earn the shutout. Hogle also scored one of the team's two goals in the game, after cleaning up a rebound to give the Pioneers a two-goal lead.
 
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Baylor Denu, Junior, Midfield, Beloit, Wis. (Beloit Memorial)
UW-Whitewater, Liam Treacy, Sophomore, Defense, Frankfurt, Ill. (Lincoln-Way East)
 
 
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Offense
Christa Borchardt, Junior (New Berlin, Wis./New Berlin West), Forward/Midfield of UW-Stevens Point
Borchardt recorded her second career hat trick in UW-Stevens Point's 7-0 win over Buena Vista University (Iowa) on Sept. 18. She also had an assist in the contest for a career-best seven points in the match. For the week, she put seven of her nine shots on goal.
 
Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Amaya Thesing, Junior, Midfield, Onalaska, Wis. (Onalaska)
UW-Platteville, Sarah Liljestrand, Senior, Forward, Lombard, Ill. (Glenbard East)
UW-River Falls, Abby Drontle, Senior, Forward, Freedom, Wis. (Freedom)
UW-Stout Polytechnic, Tia Rubow, Freshman, Forward, Rochester, Minn. (Dover-Eyota)
UW-Whitewater, Rachel Cvikel, Junior, Midfield, Franklin, Wis. (St. Thomas More)
 
Defense
Marguerite Mueller, Senior (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook), Goalkeeper of UW-Platteville
Mueller went 1-0-1 in goal during the week, including a shutout over Wartburg College (Iowa) on Sept. 16. She made three saves in that win and added another three saves in UW-Platteville's 2-2 draw with Illinois Wesleyan University on 19. 
 
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Abby Beal, Sophomore, Defense, Minnetonka, Minn. (Wayzata)
UW-La Crosse, Allison Steeno, Senior, Defense, Appleton, Wis. (Kimberly)
UW-Oshkosh, Ryley Meenk, Junior, Defense, Waukesha, Wis. (Waukesha West)
UW-River Falls, Courtney Bain, Sophomore, Goalkeeper, Sussex, Wis. (Sussex Hamilton)
UW-Stevens Point, Sophia Ryan, Sophomore, Defense/Forward, Orland Park, Ill. (Victor J. Andrew)
UW-Stout Polytechnic, Kristen Silenzi, Senior, Goalkeeper, Carpentersville, Ill. (Harry D. Jacobs)
UW-Whitewater, Anna Gunderson, Senior, Defense, Mukwonago, Wis. (Mukwonago)
 
 
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Singles
Brooke Boland, Freshman (Pine City, Minn./Pine City), of UW-Eau Claire
Boland was victorious at No. 6 singles over UW-Whitewater's Ella Alcalde to help the Blugolds secure their fourth and final point to beat the Warhawks for the first time since 2006. As the final match of the afternoon and despite falling in the opening set, 4-6, Boland stormed back with victories of 6-2, 6-2 to earn UW-Eau Claire the win and snap a 27-match losing streak to the Warhawks. 
 
Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Shelby Roth, Senior, Neenah, Wis. (Neenah)
UW-Stevens Point, Chloe Regal, Sophomore, Stewartville, Minn. (Stewartville)
UW-Stout Polytechnic, Braenna Stampf, Freshman, Sun Prairie, Wis. (Sun Prairie East)
UW-Whitewater, Abigail Weaver, Junior, Wakarusa, Ind. (Mishawaka Marian)
 
Doubles
Abigail Weaver, Junior, Wakarusa, Ind. (Mishawaka Marian) & Ava Andrae, Sophomore, Cedarburg, Wis. (Cedarburg), of UW-Whitewater
Weaver & Andrae went 2-0 against conference opponents during the week. The Warhawk pair opened the week with a 6-3 victory over UW-Oshkosh's Olivia Pethan & Brianna Owens, helping the Warhawks to a 7-0 sweep. Against UW-Eau Claire on Sept. 19, Weaver & Andrae didn't lose a game with a 6-0 victory at the No. 1 doubles flight against Reese Keller & Magdalena Kristo.
 
Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Maia Samuelson, Senior, New Berlin, Wis. (New Berlin Eisenhower) & Lauren Lindow, Senior, East Troy, Wis. (East Troy)
UW-Stevens Point, Chloe Regal, Sophomore, Stewartville, Minn. (Stewartville) & Annie Wierzbicki, Sophomore, Mukwonago, Wis. (Mukwonago)
 
 
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Offense
Brooke McCune, Senior (Osseo, Wis./Osseo-Fairchild), Outside Hitter of UW-Stout Polytechnic 
McCune led the Blue Devils to a perfect 5-0 week, averaging 4.53 kills and 4.83 points per set. Across 15 sets, she amassed 68 kills, while hitting .392, recording double-digit kills in every match. Key performances included a .550 hitting percentage against Mount Mary University (Wis.), a .519 mark against Hamline University (Minn.), and a double-double with 15 kills and 11 digs in a road win at (RV) College of Saint Benedict (Minn.). Additionally, she hit .484 with 16 kills at Ripon as the team swept the Red Hawks Invitational without dropping a set. She also surpassed the 1,000 career kills milestone during the week.
 
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Mya Cinnamo, Senior, Outside Hitter, Rosemount, Minn. (Rosemount)
UW-La Crosse, Ali Dehnicke, Freshman, Outside Hitter, Andover, Minn. (Andover)
UW-Oshkosh, Lauren Grier, Senior, Middle Blocker, Fond du Lac, Wis. (Fond du Lac)
UW-Platteville, Brooklyn Radecke, Junior, Outside Hitter, Stoughton, Wis. (Stoughton)
UW-River Falls, Adebisi Blessing, Senior, Middle Blocker, White Bear Lake, Minn. (White Bear Lake)
UW-Stevens Point, Carly Thomka, Senior, Middle Blocker, Muskego, Wis. (Muskego)
UW-Whitewater, Abbie Dix, Senior, Middle Hitter, Brodhead, Wis. (Brodhead)
 
Defense
Lauren Grier, Senior (Fond du Lac, Wis./Fond du Lac), Middle Blocker of UW-Oshkosh
Grier anchored the net for No. 1-ranked UW-Oshkosh during a 4-1 week, totaling 30 blocks across 17 sets for an average of 1.71 blocks per set. She opened the week with seven blocks, including two solo blocks, in a sweep of Carthage College (Wis.) before adding seven block assists in a sweep of Edgewood University (Wis.). Grier added two solo blocks and a dig as the Titans held St. Catherine University (Minn.) to a .098 hitting percentage, then recorded five block assists in a sweep of University of Northwestern-St. Paul (Minn.). She capped the week with a season-high nine blocks, including one solo block and eight block assists, in a five-set match against Juniata College (Pa.). Grier finished the week with five solo blocks and 25 block assists while helping the Titans record four consecutive sweeps before its five-set loss to Juniata.
 
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Hannah Thole, Junior, Setter, West Des Moines, Iowa (Waukee)
UW-La Crosse, Megan Jasperson, Junior, Libero, Zumbrota, Minn. (Zumbrota-Mazeppa)
UW-Platteville, Kennedey Barber, Junior, Libero, Peoria, Ill. (Limestone)
UW-River Falls, Audrey Petersen, Junior, Defensive Specialist/Libero, Glencoe, Minn. (Glencoe-Silver Lake)
UW-Stout Polytechnic, Emma Barton, Senior, Middle Blocker, Stevens Point, Wis. (SPASH)
UW-Whitewater, Natalie Lawton, Sophomore, Libero, Elmhurst, Ill. (IC Catholic Prep)
 
# # # # #