SoMINN SPRING SPORTS 2026

SoMINN

St. Peter boys track & field

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Keith Hanson, 28 years

Assistant coaches: George Schoenborn, Cory Wiebusch , Melic Thomas , Aaron Smith, Jennifer Friedrich, Brad Guth

ROSTER:

Omari Ahmed 12, Ramiro Alcantara Alvares 12, Erick

Barrientos 11, Laird Bly 10, Wyatt Brown 9, Alexander Bur 12, Odin Christensen 9, Ben

Conlon 9, Timothy Culuris 10, Thomas Dunn 10, Henry Erbst 12, Cyrus Freemo 12, Jaden Forest 10, Demetri Forest 9, Enzo Gazzola 10, Brock Guth 12, Cameron Hatlevig 9, Isaih Hesse 11, Alexander Hill 9, Issak Humphrey 10, Adrian Jimenez 9, Kellen Junso 9, Riley Kamm 12, Linden LeDell 9, Parker Maloney 12, Graham Menning 9, Elijah Mercado 10, Levi Moenck 9, Sakaria Mohamed 11, Hunter Mutzke 9, Henry Nienow 10, Eric Nourie 11, Finley Olson 11, Kyle Otori 10, Ricardo Pacheco-Fugon 12, Jacob Reyes

10, Simon Ribar 9, Ramon Sanchez 10, Zakir Sayidnour 11, Lakale Schaeffer 9, Jayden Sherfield 10, Harlan Sinclair 9, Paul Szybnski 9, Deontre Torres 12, Axten ViessmanKurtenbach 9, Nathan Walter 10, Mason Welch 9, Brody Whipps 11, Jemari Zuniga 12

KEY PLAYERS:

Brock Guth - PV, Sprints, Relays Placed 3rd at the State Meet last year in the Pole Vault, ran on State 4 x 200 M relay Parker Maloney- Throws.

Placed 5th at State last year in the Discus Ramiro Alcantara AlvarezSprints & Relays, ran on both the State qualifying 4 x100 and 4x200 relays

Elijah Mercado - Sprints Relays, Ran on 4 x100 Relay at State Riley Kamm - Jumps, Sprints. He can do about any event we ask him to do and will help out the team wherever needed

Alex Bur- Distance, returns to the track after a year off, had a great CC season and should have continued success on the track

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: Enzo Gazzola- Distance, Had a strong CC season and put in a lot of miles over the winter

2025 RECAP: Conference-5th place

Sections- 7th place

True Team-5th place

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

We would like to improve our placement in the Conference and Section meet.

We are really pushing the team for a good showing at our True Team section meet, it’s probably the toughest in the state and to get a Wildcard Invite to the State Meet would be a good goal

COMPETITION:

Belle Plaine is ranked No. 1 for True Team, followed by Fairmont No. 5, Jordan No. 8. St. Peter was listed as Honorable Mention Anything else?

We have great numbers out, led by 11 Seniors and followed up with 17 Freshman. So we have a lot of competion in some of the events, and just have to encourage some of the newer athletes to try different events to help give us better depth.

St. Peter girls track & field

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Jeff Portugue

35 years (28 as head coach)

Assistant coach: Jennifer Friedrich 1st year with St. Peter

Assistant coach: George Schoenborn 29 years

Assistant coach: Corey Wiebusch 6 years

ROSTER:

Katherine Callahan 12, Keira Friedrich 12, Robin Hibsher 12, Annika Magelee 12, Rowyn Myhra 12, Madison Petersen 12, Macey Portner 12, Kyla Yost 12, Ella Dirks 11, Courtney Domras 11, Andrea Espitia 11,

Renata Garcia-Landa 11, Jocelyn Gutierrez 11, Vivian Hendrickson 11, Maelynn Matias Mendoza 11, Liliana Prunty 11, Kady Thoms 11, Gizelle Hernandez 11, Audrey Menning 11, Jocelyn Gutierrez 11, Lydia Fell 10, Adalie Figueroa 10, Isla Gassman 10, Makayla Guth 10, Adriana Hurias 10, Gregoria Lopaz de la Cruz 10, Avyn Myhra 10, Grace Penner 10, Lucia Penner 10, Abigal Rameriz 10, Paloma Romero 10, Chloe Yauger 10, Jaylin Yost 10, Madison Boon 9, Lauren Christenson 9, Dru Dorow 9, Mulki Jimale 9, Hayden Kolstad 9, Zyiana Kopischke 9, B-Yonka Ortega-Nielsen 9, Ally Peterson 9, Roba Salim 9, Alexa Sowell 9, Jada Sproles

9, Gianna Wurscher 9, Mya Zuniga 9, Brielle Friedrich 8, Mia Gazzola 8, Alexis Ibanez 8, Annika Smith 8

KEY PLAYERS:

Keira Friedrick- Was the AA Cross Country Champion this fall and 1600M State Champion last season and can run very fast in the 400-3200M Ella Dirks- Class AA 800 meter State Champion who is also very quick in the 400M Lydia Fell- High jumper who is also a very competitive hurdler

Rowyn Myhra-Strong Hurdler and High jumper

Annika Magelee- Field Event standout in both

Le Sueur-Henderson track & field

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Tami Burns, 4rd year

Assistant coach: Alex Floersch, 4rd year

Assistant coach: Jeff Schulz, 3nd year

the PV and Discus Sprint relay and field event standouts: Macey Portner, Vivian Hendrickson, Lilliana Pruntry and Alexis Ibanez

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

St. Peter Shot putters and Triple jumpers. These are two events we need to improve upon. We have a few new faces in these

events and need a few to step up. It should be fun watching them grow as the season progresses.

2025 RECAP:

Conference champs, Section 2AA True Team Champions and State AA True Team Champions Third in the section 2AA MSHSL meet East and West placing in the first two spots. Very tough conference

Assistant coach: Sara Rassmussen, 2st year

ROSTER: Logan Abraham 8 Sprints,

Ashlyn Abraham 10 Pole Vault, Sprints, Kamdin Amila 8 Distance, Sophia Anderson 9

and section and I thought we finished the season on a high note with many PRs at both the conference and section meets. Two Individual champions at the State Meet, and Broke two Indoor and 7 outdoor Records during the season.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

I would like to finish in one of the top three spots in both the conference and the section. I realize that might be tough, but I think we might have a bit more depth this season which could help us score a few more points in both meets. I also would like to be in the hunt for the section 2AA True team Title so that we could try and defend our State Championship Title from last season.

COMPETITION:

I would think TCU is one of the conference favorites with St. Peter and Fairmont also in the hunt. East has had a lock on our sections for the past several years and I don’t see that changing this season. East is very well coached and has many outstanding athletes. That is a deadly combination that is difficult to beat. West could make a run at the section title as well but I give East the edge.

BY THE NUMBER:

22 returning letter winners

8-Seniors

12-Juniors

12-Sophomores

13-Freshman

Sprints, Wyatt Boelter 11 Sprints, Izabella Brelje-Davis 7 Distance, Riley Browning 9 Distance, Tyler Bushway 11 Distance, Neysa Campos 7 Pole Vault, Sprints, Lance Christenson 9 Distance, Liam Christenson 11 Sprints, Hurdles, Tristan Colonna 9 Distance, LJ Cornelius 10 Sprints, Long Jump, Nora Doerr 11 Distance, Greta Doerr 7 Distance, Claire Doerr 9 Sprints, Jaden Esparza 10 Throws, Landen Esparza 11 Sprints, Grace Feser 10 Hurdles, Throws, Ashlyn Fischer 9 Sprints, Long Jump, Emma Flores 7 Sprints, Mason Franta 12 Throws, Bentley Frazier 8 Distance, Cheyenne Frazier 8 Distance, Mikenzie Frazier 8 Distance, Grady Graham 11 Sprints, Ashley Grapentine 12 Throws, Luca Greenig 12 Distance, Owen Greisen 12 Distance, Callie Greisen 10 Distance, Evelyn Haemig 10 Sprints, Claire Hathaway 12 Sprints, Throws, Jorryian Henderson 9 Sprints, Throws, Joemarriyon Henderson 11 Sprints, Throws, Finley Hollnagel 8 Sprints, Morgan Holtz 9 Throws, William Husfeldt 10 Pole Vault, Sprints, Triple Jump, Andrew Lansing 11 Pole Vault, Isaac Larson 7 Sprints, Nick Larson 11 Pole

SUEUR-HENDERSON TRACK & FIELD CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

Tri-City United boys track & field

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Boy’s coach: Craig Nordling, 10th year as Head Coach, 14th year

coaching track at TCU

Head Girl’s coach: Brian Fogal, 13th year as Head Coach, 20th year at TCU

Assistant coaches: James Timmermanthrows coach 7th year

Andrew Ruiz - - distance coach 5th year

Macy Gillespie - C Squad (JH) Coach 2nd year

Stephen LeJeunesse - C Squad (JH) Coach 2nd year

Sophie Smith - Pole Vault coach 2nd year

Tri-City United girls track & field

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Brian, 18th year

Assistant coaches: Andrew Ruiz, Jim Timmerman, Craig Nordling, Stephen LaJeunesse, Macy Gillespie, Sophie Smith

ROSTER: Lucy Fleek 12, Eden Krocak 12, Guadalupe Lopez 12, Morgan Meier 12, Lillian Rondorf 12, Hannah Caron 11, Kirra Flicek 11, Kaitlyn Hartwig 11, Louise Stock 11, Baylee Caponi 10, Allison Castro 10, Taylor Engel 10, Natalie Gonzalez 10, Carly Hartwig 10, Jillian Houn 10, Liliana Munguia 10,

Brooklyn Rutt 10, Brooklyn Schley 10, Arianna Devine 9, Hayden Dietz 9, Stella Gregor 9, Adeline Grimm 9, Kaylee Havel 9, Sloane Kelly 9, Mara Livingston 9, Madison Miller 9, Kaylee Rezac 9, Elizabeth Robrahn 9, Nyadak Ruei 9, Paetyn Wallace 9, Tiara Childs 8, Claire Claffey 8, Kiernan Fierst 8, Jaelyn Hanson 8, Cami Hartwig 8, Lydia Holicky 8, Carolyn Houn 8, Kendall Jirik 8, Ella Krocak 8, Lillie Lassahn 8, Lyla Mach 8, Paige Miller 8, Mia Paz Basurto 8, Ema Polnis 8, Hadley Russek 8, Isabelle Russell 8, Sophia Ryan 8, Eliana Sauter 8, Makayla Severson 8, Anna Shippman 8, Elizabeth

ROSTER:

David Black 12, Grant Fitterer 12, Peter Robrahn 12, Corday Freeman 11, Toren Kelly 11, Soren McNamara 11, Nick Mejia 11, Gavin Phelps 11, Keith Sexton 11, Jude Soto 11, Jared Aarre 10, Owen Bauer 10, Eric Borchardt 10, Oliver Grogg 10, Cassen Potthast 10, Colton Velishek 10, Lukas Bisek 9, Caden Brown 9. Keith Chappuis 9, Colton Dorweiler 9, Ian Hart 9, Matthew LeClair 9, Coby Matchinski 9, Taison Nhem 9, Darby Phelps 9, Brenten Poepping 9, Rhys Risto 9, Thomas Sandbulte 9, Dominick Sheffler-Arrigoni 9, Tyson Sladek 9, Jaden Batten 8, Landon Blanco 8, Austin Burk 8, Quinton Crutchfield 8, Patrick Duchene 8, Gavin Espersen 8, Robert Johnson 8, Logan Krocak 8, Noah Oman 8, Daniel Ramirez 8, Gavin Simon 8, Cooper Sladek 8, Samuel Teigen 8, Anson Ulrich 8, Maxwell Velishek 8, Odin Wright 8, Zak Devine 7, Carter Forde 7, Isaiah Laryea 7, Carver Liebelt 7, Keegan Liebelt 7, Caleb Lundquist 7, Jameson Prochaska 7, Daniel Quiroz 7, Orlando Rumbo Banos 7, Layton Sandbulte 7, Thomas Shimota 7, Samuel Utecht 7, Brayden Valek 7, Calvin Vosepjka 7

KEY PLAYERS:

TOP RUNNERS

Grant Fitterer Sr MidDistance / Distance

Soren McNamara Jr 400/800

Gavin Phelps Jr 400/800

Eric Borchardt So 200/400

TOP FIELD ATHLETES

Keith Sexton Jr TJ, HJ

Soren McNamara Jr PV

Corday Freeman Jr Shot

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Keith Chappuis 9th 100/ 200

Lucas Bisek 9th PV

Colton Dorweiller 9th 800m, DIscuss

Colby Matchinski 9th TJ, LJ

Thomas Sandbulte 9th 100 / 200

2025 RECAP:

The 2025 season had many exciting performances. Section 1AA in Track provided great opportunities for our track team.

Corday Freeman set the TCU school record in the Shot Put.

Many of our younger athletes got stronger and had great progress throughout the season.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

Many individuals on the team will contribute heavily in both field events and running events. With the loss of seniors who contributed across events, there are holes that we will need to fill. However, we return a solid group with experience. Many top-five performances were posted last year.

Those athletes returning look to put their names in the TCU Record books. Grant Fitterer will be considered one of the favorites to come out of Section 2AA in the 800, Eric Borchardt will compete for a top spot in the 400m. In field events, Corday Freeman in the throwing events and Soren McNamara in the pole vault, both will look to show improvement and have a great chance to place high in our section.

COMPETITION:

All teams in the conference have strengths in various events. We hope it to have balance throughout the events which will hopefully enable us to push for a top conference finish. Marshall, St. Peter, and Waseca look to be the favorites, but look for TCU to be competitive in the Big South Conference. TCU is set to compete in a “new” section, returning to the Section 2AA after a few years competing in Section 1AA. We have many athletes with the ability to make it to the final races. I look for our team to have a successful Section meet, and hopefully a trip to the State Meet. The road to the State Meet now goes through possibly the toughest section in the entire state and every class.

and 200. She made State last year in the 100, 200, and 4x2. Sophomore, Carly Hartwig runs 200 and 400. She made State last year in the 400, 4x2 and 4x4.

often injured last year. She was an All Conference long jumper and very good sprinter.

Skluzacek 8, Quinn Sloboden 8, Isla Stock 8, Ruby Vosejpka 8, Johanna Zasoski 8, Saharah Bangert 7, Miranda Carston 7, Sumer Duchene 7, Zamora Estrella 7, Victoria Fonseca 7, Amelia Gregor 7, Perez Jaylynn 7, Aubree Jovel 7, Lily Kalis 7, Cori Krenik 7, Nautica Nhean 7, Ava Ohmann 7, Emily Rezac 7, Karen Rodriguez Gon 7, Jaylynn Smisek 7

KEY PLAYERS:

We have six state participants returning from last year. We hope to continue improving on last year’s marks. Junior, Kaitlyn Hartwig runs 100

Senior, Guadalupe Lopez runs 200 and 400. She made State last year in the 4x4. Sophomore, Jillian Houn long jumper, triple jumper and sprints. She made State last year in 4x2.

8th Grader, Cami Hartwig is a sprinter. She made State last year in the 4x2 and 4x4 Freshman, Nyadak Ruei is a jumper. She made State last year in the High Jump.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Junior, Louise Stock was injured most of last year. We are hoping she can be our top pole vaulter and hurdles Senior, Eden Krocak was also

Senior Morgan Meier and Junior Hannah Caron have a lot of experience throwing and we will need them to continue to improve and score points this year.

Junior Kirra Flicek should have a good year sprinting and jumping. She nearly made State last year.

2025 RECAP:

Team was 2nd to State Champion St. Peter last year. We placed 5th in True Team State.

We had our largest group of girls make the State Meet in school history.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: We again should have a strong

team led by our returning state participants. We have elite group of sprinters. We lost a great group of Seniors last year. Hopefully our younger girls can step up and fill some of those spots. Our goals this year are again to win the conference, make it to True Team State, and send a lot of girls to the State Meet.

COMPETITION:

St. Peter will be the favorate again this year in the conference. We should still do very well in both the conference and Section meets. Anything else?

We have our biggest overall team of boys and girls in school history out for track this year. We currently have 130 boys in girls in grades 7-12.

- Throws, Owen Cristoffer - Sprints/Throws, Bennett Foster - Throws, Luke Kortuem - Sprints/Jumps, Micah Lindberg - Sprints, Reece Nelson - Distance, Harry Panagiotakis - Throws, Francis BiererDistance, Griffin Rutz - Distance

KEY PLAYERS:

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Casey Olson, 3rd year

Assistant Coaches: Landon Javens, Bree Meyer, Bernard Jandera, Sean Pickle

ROSTER: Girls

Sam Baker - Sprints, Vivian Hilfer - Sprints/Jumps, Molly Koester - Distance, Sierra McCabe - Sprints, Teya Waagner

- Distance, Miah Bauer - Sprints, Morgan Dimmel - Sprints/ Jumps, Ella Holub - Sprints/ Mid-Distance, Neenah Lassiter

- Throws, Liviana Lee - Sprints/ Jumps, Charlotte Maxfield

- Sprints, Amelia Speckel

- Throws, Aubrey BlaschkoSprints, Kailyn Hecksel - Sprints, Taryn Hecksel - Sprints/

LE SUEUR-HENDERSON TRACK & FIELD

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

Vault, Riley Mader 9 Sprints, Throws, Jemma Maxwell 10 Distance, Lily Mendez 7 Distance, Emmett Mercier 7 Distance, Stella Nelson

9 Sprints, Reese Reehm 8 Pole Vault, Sprints, Kaiden Reinhardt 12 Throws, Ellen Renstrom 10 Distance, Norah Renstrom 12 Distance, Hazel Renstrom 8 Distance, Sophia Sampson 12 Sprints, High Jump, Jasha Saradolla 10 Distance, Harper Simonette 9 Sprints, Ryan Stene 8 Sprints, Landry Straub 8 Sprints, Lauren Stueber 12 Hurdles, Teddy Sullivan 7 Sprints, Khloe Swanson 9 Sprints, Lulu Tietz 7 Hurdles, Daisy Tietz 12 Hurdles, Lily West 10 Sprints, Long Sprints, Kendra Westphal 12 Throws, Sabby Williams 12 Throws, Ashton Williams 9 Throws

KEY PLAYERS:

Norah Renstrom, Sophia Sampson, Ashlyn Fischer,

Jumps, Charlotte KirschnerMid-Distance/Jumps, Jocelyn Kortuem - Sprints/Jumps, Nora Kovaciny - Sprints/MidDistance, Lily Mock - Distance, Lily Phillips - Mid-Distance, Lea Taylor - Mid-Distance, Kailey Campbell - Sprints, Maliah Elias - Throws, Izzy EndresMid-Distance, Kenna Forster - Sprints, Clara Hilfer - Sprints/ Jumps, Hannah Javaherian - Sprints, Allison Jandera - Throws, Emma KortuemSprints/Jumps, Emma McCabe - Sprints, Gisele McCabeDistance, Maya McMichael - Sprints, Charlotte MeyerDistance, Ava Mueller - Throws, Marilyn Schletz - Sprints, Olivia Schletz - Sprints/Mid-Distance, Avaya Schultz - Sprints, Maddy Seiwert - Distance, Emma Vanderberg - Sprints, Rayna Williams - Throws, Riley Quigley - Distance,

Owen Greisen, Kaiden Reinhardt, Sebastian Willaims

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

St. Peter Shot putters and Triple jumpers. These are two events we need to improve upon. We have a few new faces in these events and need a few to step up. It should be fun watching them grow as the season progresses.

2025 RECAP:

Our team delivered excellent performances at the South Central Conference Championship. The boys team finished 3rd while girls finished 4th out of 6 teams. We had a strong sprinter showing with Ashlyn Fischer finishing 1st in the open 100m, 200m and long jump. Sophia Sampson finished 2nd in the 100m dash and 3rd in the high jump. Ashlyn and Sophia were also part of the winning 4x100m relay team along with Sophia Anderson. Ellen Renstrom also had a breakout year winning the 400m and finishing 4th in triple jump. Ellen’s older

Brooks Waagner - Distance

Boys

Mitchell Buboltz - Distance, Brayden Hecksel - Sprints/ Jumps, Soren Kelly - Distance, Hayden Kulas - Sprints/ Throws, Elijah Mons - Sprints/ Mid-Distance, Andrew Tieva - Mid-Distance, Christian Barker - Throws, Jack GreenDistance, Silas Hensel - Sprints/ Mid-Distance, Marshall Jordan - Sprints, Eli Mueller - Throws, Ty Romnes - Sprints/Jumps, Jack Shouler - Sprints/Throws, Tanner Simonette - Sprints, Oliver Starke - Sprints/Throws, Clark Streeter - Sprints, Sam Ternes - Sprints, Henry Andrews - Sprints, Carson FahrforthDistance, Wyatt Krenik - Sprints, Anthony Mai - Sprints, Asher O’Brien - Sprints, Tate RachowSprints/Jumps, Gavin Waagner - Distance, Cameron Barker

Soren Kelly: Returning All-State competitor in the 3200 and will look to return and place at the top of the podium. Already holds the 3200 school record.

Charlotte Meyer: Returning All-State competitor in the 1600 and 3200 and will look to return and place at the top of the podium. Already holds the 3200 school record.

Charlotte Kirschner: Returning State participant in High Jump and will look to return and claim All-State honors this year. Will look to tie or set the school record this year.

Brayden Hecksel: Returning top-5 Section participant in Pole Vault and will look to claim a trip to State this year.

Christian Barker: Will look to compete at the top of the section in Discus.

Marshall Jordan: Will look to return to sections in the short sprints.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Emma Kortuem: Should be a solid contributor to varsity in sprints and jumps.

Jocelyn Kortuem: Brand new to the sport, but has lots of potential in jumps.

Clara Hilfer: Will look to improve rapidly in Pole Vault in her first year on varsity.

Francis Bierer and Griffin Rutz: Both were top-5 contributors in cross country and should make an impact in distance.

2025 RECAP:

Boys were Tomahawk-Valley Conference champions and girls were second place! Boys were 4th at True Team and girls were 6th. Both were 3rd in the subsection, with girls also taking 3rd in the Section. Girls finished T-22 in State with 14 points and boys were T-23 in State with 13 points. We sent 6 athletes to State in 8 events, the most since 2017. We had 5 All-State performances from those 8 events - Maddie Huiras

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

Our goals this year are to remain competitive at the top of the conference and section. We graduated 19 seniors and lost a lot of point scorers from that group, so this season will be a new opportunity for a very promising young core of athletes. We will look to remain in the top half of the section at True Team and I believe it will be possible to equal or top the 6 State-bound athletes from last year. We’re very excited to look forward to the season ahead, and the process it will take to get there!

COMPETITION:

River Valley girls will be expected to repeat at the top of the Conference with JWP and St. Clair girls at the top of the Section. River Valley boys are likely the favorite in the Conference with Maple River, JCC, and Lake Crystal leading the Section.

sister had a strong showing the 800m finishing 2nd against her competition. On the boys side, Owen Greisen had a strong performance winning the 1600m and 3200m. Grady Graham finished 2nd in the 400m and was part of the 4x400m relay finishing 3rd. At the Section 2A meet, we achieved success with six individuals qualifying for the state meet with 2 of them returning (Grady Grahm in the 3rd in the 1600 and 4th in the 3200m.ring the season.

each team member to work diligently to improve their performance and create a supportive environment. We believe our athletes will not only enhance their skills but strengthen their character and determination as well.

COMPETITION:

It’s difficult to predict but we expect strong competition in the second year of our conference this season.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: Our primary goal is for

Faribault boys track & field

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Boys Head coach: Renon Thomas, new head coach

Girls Head coach: Mark Bongers

Assistant coaches: Charlie Fuller – Pole Vault; Christian Harmeyer – High Jump; Abby Stroup – Sprints; John Harris – Hurdles; MacKenzie Klett – Long & Triple Jump

ROSTER:

Alex Dudley; Asher Ferris; Axel Rivera Ramirez; Bitan Gatwech; Brandon-James Boyd; Caden Dokkestul; Carter Brown; Carver Heise; Conner Lockerby; Cullen Cox; Dalton Korbel; Doyun Lee; Eastyn Rivet; Eric Castillo; Erik Flores; Finn O’Connor;

Jasper Christensen; Javonte Connors; Jayden Oliver-Tong; John Westerberg; Joseph Shoop; Khalid Ahmed; Kyle Mason; Landon Thomas; Leo Bunch; Liam King; Liam O’Connor; Liam Petersen; Logan Nelson; Maslah Hussein; Matthew Terronez; Mayson Grob-Drake; Micah Cox; Musab Abdi; Nathan Lockerby; Nathan Rosa; Omar Abdi; Steven Caldera; Surprise Sonpon; Tanner Taghon; Tegan Miller; Thomas Obbink; Tin Truong; Tyler Clark; William Hoisington; William Silver

KEY PLAYERS:

Senior Captain Cullen Cox (FHS) is in his final year with the team and brings vast knowledge of preparation, fortitude, and

leadership to the team. He will be competing in the 100m, 200m, 400m, & Long Jump and is working to make it to State in each of his events.

Junior Asher Ferris (FHS) returns in the Pole Vault and has already “soared” indoors and is looking to “fly” a touch higher outdoors and qualify for State this year.

Juniors, Captain Liam O’Conner (FHS), Erik Flores (FHS), & Thomas Obbink (FHS) will be leading up our Distance Team challenging each other to break into those top positions and make a run at state.

Junior Caden Dokkestul (BA) in the High Jump & Long Jump seeks to break in with

Faribault girls track & field

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Mark Bongers

ROSTER:

Voit, 10; Marin DuChene, 9; Trinity/Kai Fox, 9; Ellie Girard, 9; Charley Green, 9; Jasiel Hernandez, 9; Jaslyne Pogue, 9; Laney Rice, 9; Alyana Slegh, 9; Emmalyn Steinbauer, 9; Raziland Thomas, 9; Lillie Vance, 9; Keisha Cerrillo Reyes, 8; Ruth Coulter, 8; Marcela Garcia, 8; Metta Holmgren, 8; Lauren Kaderlik, 8; Aisley Miller, 8; Jovana Schwartz, 8

qualifying distances and heights.

Senior Captain Nathan Lockerby (FHS) in the Shot Put & Discus along with up and comers younger brother Conner Lockerby (FHS) and fellow sophomore Bitan Gatwech (FHS) are all seeking to punch their ticket to state by meeting the State Standards.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Many of our athletes will be new to varsity and few even to the sport itself. However, our staff works hard to prepare students technically for their events. So we hope to have contributions in many ways and see growth that has the potential to help our younger athletes strive to compete for State.

In Jumps we have 10th grader Caleb Lenway (FHS), 9th graders Doyun Lee (BA),

& Ryan Clark (FHS)

In Sprints we have 9th graders Cullen Cox (FHS) and Logan Nelson (FHS)

Distance/Mid-Distance 9th grader Tanner Taghon (FHS)

All have competed in middle school and few have dabbled with high school, but this year they really get to get their feet wet. I know they’re excited to compete and I’m confident they’re ready.

2025 RECAP:

Last year we were a small team and finished 7th overall as a team at Sections and 9th overall at True Team Section. With almost double the numbers from last year and the returning leaders we hope to make a real showing.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

Our #1 goal as a team is to improve as individuals. If we can do that, we will find success as a team. Individually, several athletes have a real shot at state and standing on that championship podium. As a team, we hope to get back to the prior year’s success.

COMPETITION:

I believe we match up well given our size this year. Last year Stewartville led in points with strong relays and throwers. I imagine the same will be true this year. Winona also made a strong showing along with Waseca and Byron. So we know it’ll be a tough battle, but with consistent preparation and focus we can find success.

KEY PLAYERS: Grace Porter – for high jump and 100

Brynn Beardsley for 800 and the 1600 Grace Porter for high jump and 100

Sivana Schwartz – Long jump

Fiona Voit for disc and shot

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: I think that the 4x800 is close with Keira OConnor, Brynn Beardsley, Claire Wisdo

and Cecelia Hoisington

Also the 4x100 will be close with Grace Porter, Sivana Schwartz, Tavia Korbel and maybe a few others. I say keep an eye on Brooklyn Becker sister, Brylie Becker. Also I believe that Claire Wisdo will have a great year.

Hannah Petersen will have a good year in the 400 and Aubrey Paul is close to going to state in the 300 Hurdles. I also believe Stella Carlin will have a great year in the high jump. Cecelia Hoisington also almost went to state in triple jump and

hopefully this year she will go. Best case is 4x800 going, high jump for Stella and Grace, Triple jump with Cecelia, Aubrey for 300H, 1660 with Claire and Brynn, 4x100 and Fiona with Disc

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: I have a larger team than last year with some great additions.

Northfield boys track & field

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Co-Head coach: Tyler Balow, 9th year

Co-Head coach: Kyle Korynta, 3rd year

ROSTER:

Jason Aldorfer, 12; Fletcher Aylin, 12; William Baragary, 12; Seth Buckmeier, 12; Kyle Bulfer, 12; Oliver Chea Brinkley, 12; Benjamin Flory, 12; Samuel Froehle, 12; Kyle Hausen, 12; Logan Joyce, 12; Henry Keane, 12; Thor Kline, 12; Cole Mathews, 12; Atticus Mayer, 12; Talan Meredith, 12; Landon Mills, 12; Devon Monroe, 12; Kian Morsching, 12; Kayden Oakland, 12; David Orozco, 12; Isaac Schleif, 12; Caden Skluzacek, 12; Weston Sweeney, 12; Cullen Trotman, 12; Devin Wagenbach, 12; Aidan Wallig, 12; Adam Chakladar, 11; Soren Clay, 11; James Connelly, 11; Raheim DeJesus, 11; Khi Derby, 11; Asher Engle, 11; Alexander Fortner, 11; Grayson Gray, 11; Benjamin Heinritz, 11; Leo Hernandez, 11; Nicholas Huang, 11; Silas Leer, 11; Davis Ness, 11; Jacob Peters, 11; Jack Peterson, 11; Gabriel Prensa Aupetit, 11; Alexandre Rein Hagen, 11; Romeo Rocha, 11;

Wyatt Stockdale, 11; McCoy Weitz, 11; Devin Wilborn, 11; Liam Behrens, 10; Nathan Broughton, 10; Jonah Brownlee, 10; Sawyer Bruneau, 10; Max Byler, 10; Tazio Dennison, 10; Hoang Doan, 10; Kaya Dols, 10; Jameson Fisher, 10; Maddix Fredrickson, 10; Marton Hargitay, 10; Nathan Hoekstra, 10; Benjamin Jerdee, 10; Aksel Johnson, 10; Carter Kaslow, 10; Kai Kust, 10; Chase McMillan, 10; Gregg Moore, 10; Liam Oakland, 10; Marco Orozco, 10; Jayden Parence, 10; Zachary Perkins, 10; Pratap Reddy, 10; Gabriel Renderos, 10; Leo Sahlin, 10; Xander Stavenau, 10; Evan Thompson, 10; Jaydien Villanueva Rodriguez, 10; Leo Watts, 10; Quinn Weitz, 10; Luken Weitz, 10; Brady Welin, 10; Jonathan Wierson, 10; Adam Aldorfer, 9; Dylan Barber, 9; Benjamin Barsness, 9; Samuel Borgerding, 9

KEY PLAYERS:

The Raiders return a deep and experienced group of athletes across all event areas, led by a strong senior class. In the distance events, captain Isaac Schleif and fellow senior Jason Aldorfer have been key contributors over the past two seasons. Both earned

FARIBAULT GIRLS TRACK & FIELD

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

We will do better but by how much is a question. We have a great group of captains with Brynn Beardsley,

COMPETITION:

I think we will compete for top 3 this year in the section.

Big 9 Honorable Mention as juniors, with Schleif also qualifying for the state meet in the 800 meters after a runner-up finish at sections. In the throwing events, captain Kian Morsching, sophomore Sawyer Bruneau, and senior David Orozco will lead the way in the shot put and discus. Bruneau returns as the team’s top shot putter, while Morsching and Orozco bring valuable varsity experience in the discus. The sprint group is another area of strength, featuring captains Ben Flory and Seth Buckmeier, along with senior Kyle Bulfer and juniors McCoy Weitz and Jack Peterson. This group brings versatility across the 100m to 400m and has proven to be a reliable presence on relay teams. Weitz is expected to be a top individual contributor in the 200 and 400, while Peterson also stands out in the field events after placing 7th in the triple jump at sections. In the hurdles, seniors Devin Wagenbach and Caden Skluzacek return after making significant progress last season. Wagenbach led the group with a strong finish at the Section 1AA meet, placing 6th in the 110-meter hurdles and 7th in the 300-meter hurdles.

Together, this experienced and balanced roster will be key to the Raiders’ success this season.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Two sophomores who showed a lot of improvement as freshmen were Maddox Fredrickson and Tazzio Dennison. Fredrickson gained varsity experience in the 300m hurdles and as a consistent leg of the team’s 4x400 relay. Dennison could factor into a number of events for the Raiders. He will look to contribute in the high jump, hurdles, and triple jump. Two new members of the team, but familiar faces to Raider athletics fans, are juniors Jake Peters and Davis Ness. These athletic newcomers will look to contribute to the team’s sprint relays and jumping events.

2025 RECAP:

The 2025 season was a memorable one for the Raider boys track and field team, marked by both team growth and historic individual achievements.

The Raiders placed 6th in the Big 9 Conference and 5th in Section 1AA, finishing just short of their team goals but gaining valuable postseason experience. Several athletes advanced to

the state meet, highlighted by a runner-up finish in the pole vault by Stephen Feig and a top-five finish in the 100-meter dash for Savion Severson. The team also saw strong relay performances, with both the 4x100 and 4x200 groups competing at the state meet, including an All-State performance in the 4x200. The season also celebrated a number of record-breaking performances that set a new standard for the program. New school records were established in the 100-meter dash (Severson), pole vault (Feig), and 4x100 relay (Severson, Feig, Weitz, Bulfer). Those accomplishments, combined with multiple state qualifiers and podium finishes at the section meet, made 2025 a significant step forward and hopefully set the stage for continued success in 2026.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

The Raider boys enter the season with high expectations. Competing in a challenging Big 9 Conference, the Raiders are aiming for a top-five finish while also setting their sights on a top-three placement in Section 1AA. With 30 returning letter winners and 25 Seniors, the team has a strong leadership

group that is hungry for success. With a deep roster Northfield looks to build on last year’s accomplishments and continue their run of sending relay teams and individuals to the state meet in June.

COMPETITION:

Mankato East and Owatonna have combined to win each of the last four Big 9 Conference titles and once again enter the 2026 season as favorites. The Raiders proved they can compete with the conference’s best a year ago, finishing just one point shy of a top-five placement. Building on that momentum, Northfield is aiming for an improved finish this spring in what should be a tightly contested conference meet. Section 1AA presents its own set of challenging teams. Winona and Stewartville offer strong competition as the Raiders pursue a top-three team finish and state meet qualifications. Albert Lea could be the section’s dark horse, returning nearly all of its scoring contributors from last year’s team.

Northfield girls track & field

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Janet Smith, 5th year head girls coach, 8th year with the Northfield track & field programs

Assistant coaches: Sean Allen – lead sprints & high jump; Steve Mathre – assistant sprints; Pat Riley – distance; Tim Larsen – throws; Karl Viesselman – pole vault; Tyler Balow – horizontal jumps

ROSTER:

Ruby Byler, 7; Natalie Graham, 7; Coraline Lancaster, 7; Eleanor Lancaster, 7; Savannah Reece, 7; Sunny Rodriguez, 7; Karmen Jagiela, 8; Olivia Livingston, 8; Caroline Thorman, 8; Sarah Carlson, 9; Caitlin Cina, 9; Caylee Crimmins, 9; Allia

Doherty, 9; Leah Edwards, 9; Irie French, 9; Charlotte Handlang, 9; Evelyn Hubers, 9; Lily Jacobson, 9; Everlee Louvar, 9; Addison Malecha, 9; Adela Melby, 9; Peyton Mosley, 9; Lily Nguyen, 9; Brynn Stein, 9; Victoria Stojalowsky, 9; Nyah Tran, 9; Esther Voight, 9; Bella Watne, 9; Elina Ascencio Puga, 10; Brynn Bahler, 10; Hayden Baltazar, 10; Norah Belcourt, 10; Danika Bulfer, 10; Lavina Maria Cabral Nunes, 10; Cecilia Chapp, 10; Madeleine Douah, 10; Raeanna Dulac, 10; Cate Foxhoven, 10; Thisbe Jothen, 10; Maya Klein, 10; Greta Marohl, 10; Isabella Moreno, 10; Carlie Oehler, 10; Avery Parish, 10; Makayah Petricka, 10; Riley Rinaldi, 10; Olivia Stebbins, 10; Nina Torres, 10; Mae Berglund, 11; Hanameel Biruk

Tsegaye, 11; Verenarae Boehne, 11; Bella Christopherson, 11; Megan Cina, 11; Sarah Englert, 11; Miriel Ennis, 11; Claire Forbord, 11; Norah Gottfried, 11; Hollis Holden, 11; Greta Kortuem, 11; Edith Larson, 11; Sydney Livingston, 11; Edythe Malecha, 11; Addison Moyer, 11; Sarai Nunez, 11; Eleanor Olson, 11; Eleanor Otting, 11; Abigail Pape, 11; Elsa Peterson, 11; Peyton Quaas, 11; Madelyn Raabolle, 11; Katerina Stoufis, 11; Kate Wiebe, 11; Izabella Ausmus, 12; Elizabeth Campbell, 12; Megan Carlson, 12; Maggie Dumonceaux, 12; Ella Holleran, 12; Jie-Hsin Lin, 12; Claire Linnemann, 12; Ruth Lippert, 12; Amber Mahal, 12; Samantha Ponciano Enriquez, 12; Rielly Wallig, 12

Kenyon-Wanamingo track & field

KEY PLAYERS:

Here are last year’s returning state qualifiers out of the 1AA section meet: Long Jump AND 100H – Sydney Livingston; High Jump – Amber Mahal; 800 AND 1600 – Makayah Petricka; 4x800 Relay – Peyton Quaas (other members graduated and Clarie Forbord injured); 4x400 Relay – Makayah Petricka, Sydney Livingston (other members graduated)

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: 10th grader Danika Bulfer placed 7th in the 300H last season and 9th grade teammate Norah Belcourt was also dropping time in the 300H at the end of the season. 12th grader Maggie Dumonceaux placed 11th in the discus and 4 seniors will graduate ahead of her in the section. Elsa Peterson is coming back from injury, which she was out for the whole season last year, and we are very excited to have her back in the lineup for short sprints. Ceci Chapp did a variety of events last season and will be returning this year

focusing on the short sprints and potentially triple jump.

7th grader Sunny Rodriguez and 8th grader Karmen Jagiela are both middle school cross country runners who will be joining the team this year and will bring their speedy talents to the distance races (1600, 3200).

I am very excited about the 41 new to the team athletes that are joining (this half of our roster). We have some strong athletes from volleyball, soccer, swimming and hockey who are trying track and field for the first time and you never know who will show some talent and contribute in a big way on this already strong team.

2025 RECAP:

True Team – 1AAA 7th out of 10

Big 9 – 4th out of 12

Section 1AA – 1st out of 12 (We were section champions for the first time in 50 years)

State AA – We sent 11 athletes in 11 events (including two relays)

ROSTER: Holly Carlstrom, 12, 100/4x400/ High Jump; Audrey Haugen, 12, 4x8/800; Sofia Lodermeier, Long Jump/4x1/4x2; Lindsay Short, 12, Shot/Disc/200; Macy Voth, 12, Shot/4x1/4x2; Andre Cortez, 12, 4x8/800/1600; Noel Hernandez, 12, 100/200/4x1/4x2; Myles Thompson, 12, Shot/Disc/ Long Jump; Lila Huschle,

11, 200/400/Long Jump; Emma Koncur, 11, Shot/ Disc; Mari O’Connor, 11, 400/800/1600/4x8; Lillian Raesch, 11, HJ/800/1600; Hadley Wieme, 11, 800/1600/ High Jump; Seth Aldorfer, 11, Long Jump/Triple Jump/4x2; Jeramyah Fox, 11, 100/200/4x1/4x2; Jaxson Hedeen, 11, Shot/Disc; Colten Lohman, 11, 100/200/4x1/4x2/

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

I would love to see our team crack back into the top three teams in the Big 9 Conference and repeat as Section 1AA champions. We will need to find a way to score some points in the field events and short sprints this season to make this possible, but I believe we have the talent and athletes to do it. As always, the goal is to have fun while doing hard work which goes beyond the titles, and individual accomplishments. With a team of 80+ girls, we want to build confidence and life skills while being good teammates and strong young women.

COMPETITION:

The top three teams in the conference last year will be the same teams to beat this season: Rochester Century, Mankato East, and Mankato West. Winona was close to us in points placing 5th, and it will be tough again this year.

High Jump; Blake Robbins, 11, Sprints/Relays; Padrig Vizina, 11, 800/1600; Trey Watkins, 11, 100/200/4x1/4x2; Maddyn Alexander, 10, Disc/ Shot/200/400/4x1/4x2; Payton Valenzuela, 10, 100/200/ Shot/Disc; Jorja Wagner, 10, 4x8/1600/3200; Tyler Amundson, 10, 100/4x1/High Jump; Eli Hanson, 10, 200/300 hurdles; Logan Jarvis, 10, 800/ Shot/Disc; Brody Rapp, 10, Shot/Disc; Bennett Shelton, 10, Long Jump/Disc/Shot; Bailey Arnold, 9, 800/1600; Quinn Hanson, 9, Relays/Throws/ PV; Sylvia Hedeen, 9, Shot/ Disc; Mallory Lindholm, 9, 100/200/4x1/4x2/Long Jump; Aayden Lodermeier, 9, 200/4x2/ Long Jump; Ayva Marklevits, 9, 4x8/3200; Mali Quam, 9, 100H/300H/Long Jump; Kate Wieme, 9, 200/4x1/4x2; Brady Christensen, 9, 400/800/ Long Jump; Abisai Cortez, 9, 4x8/800/300H/High Jump; Braiden Johnson, 9, 4x8/1600; Johnny Luna, 9, 100/200/ Long Jump; William Noland, 9, 100/200/4x1/4x2; Seth Nystuen, 9, 100/200; Zac Potvin, 9, 100/200/relays; Ben

Owatonna boys track & field

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Kevin Stelter, 27th year (35th overall)

Assistant Coaches: Jerry Eggermont (throws), Doug Maine (hurdles), Luke Holt (distance), Ken Ringhoffer (pole vault), Joey Gleason (sprints and horizontal jumps), Debbie Gleason (high jump)

KEY PLAYERS:

Below are the state participants from last spring. We have a very strong group of seniors and underclassmen who will hopefully help us compete for a 5th consecutive section championship.

Dawson Levy - Senior distance runner, competed at state last spring in 4x800

KEY PLAYERS:

Scheffler, 9, 100/4x1/4x2/ Long Jump; Gianna Keller, 8, 100/200/4x1/4x2; Lilly Richards, 8, 100/200/4x1/4x2/ Long Jump; Brynn Ryan, 8, 300 hurdles/400; Landon Jarvis, 8, 100/200/4x1/4x2; Braxton Moeching, 8, 1600/3200; Jace Tuma-Brezina, 8, Long Jump/High Jump; Brooke Betcher, 7, 800/1600; Layla Jarvis, 7, 100/200/4x1/4x2; Kadence Johnson, 7, Relays/ Pole Vault/800/1600; Bianca Lindholm, 7, 100/200/4x1/4x2; Jenna Wieme, 7, 100/200/4x1/4x2; Frederick Johnson, 7, 100/200/400/4x1/4x2/ Long Jump; Joenah Breyer, 7, Shot/Disc; Liam Lodermeier, 7, 800/1600/Disc/Long Jump; Lucas Potvin, 7, Shot/Disc; Freddy Ramirez, 7, 100/200/4x1/4x2

Seniors: Audrey Haugen, Strong athlete and great team leader, part of the 4x800 team at state last year, finished 9th. State entrant in the 1600 8th place and 800 9th place in 2024, Audrey has gone to state two straight years. Andre Cortez, An athlete that is willing to do anything asked of him. Looking to go low in the 800 this year. Noel Hernandez, Our fastest sprinter, great competitor finished 1st place in the 100 regularly during last season, also part of our 4x100 relay team. Myles Thompson, Improving every year in the throws looking for him to have a great senior season.

Juniors: Mari O’Connor, Great work ethic, always pushing herself and others was on the state 4x800 team last year. 3rd year on the team. Emma Koncur, Has become our top girl thrower, in only her first year on the team, her goal is

meter relay and 3200m.

Ayoub Farah - Senior who was injured last spring. State participant in cross country this past fall.

Bryce Haverkost - Sophomore, state participant in 4x800 meter relay last spring.

Cooper Routh - Sophomore, state participant in high jump last spring.

to break school records. Seth Aldorfer, Strong, versatile athlete, runs 200’s, and 400’s, relays and triple and long jumps. Always placed in the jumps last year. Great team leader. Colten Lohman, Strong, quiet athlete good team leader hard worker, willing to fill in wherever needed, placed regularly in the 100 and 200 last season along with being part of the 4x100 relay team. Sophomores: Maddyn Alexander, Second year with us and is a versatile athlete, runs sprints, relays and throws shot and disc. Brody Rapp, Another one of our throwers only in his second

Lucas Ginskey - Sophomore, 6th-place finish at state in the 100m hurdles last spring and also participated in 300m hurdles at state.

Jordan Gleason - Sophomore, runner-up finish at state meet last spring in the 400m.

2025 RECAP:

Section 1AAA champion and

Hanson, one of our more consistent young sprinters and she is also a thrower and pole vaulter. Ayva Marklevits, One of our up-and-coming distance girls, ran CC for Goodhue, a very hard worker, great competitor, was part of the 4x800 team at state last year. 2nd year on the team.

Eighth grade: Lily Richards, An up-and-coming sprinter and long jumper for our program. Willing to fit in anywhere.

Ginna Keller, Ran 100, 200 and relay along with pole vaulting last year. Another strong young sprinter. Braxton Moeching, Our best boys distance runner in only his third year (ran as

4th place finish at state.

Big 9 Conference runner-up.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

Goals would be to win the Big 9 Conference meet and win a 5th consecutive section championship as well as send multiple kids to the state meet again this year.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Padrig Vizina 11th grade, Will help our distance depth for boys, runs 800, 1600 and 4x800, 1st year out.

Jeramyah Fox 11th grade, First year sprinter, seems quick, he looks like he has potential in the sprints.

Jorja Wagner 10th grade, Ran CC for Goodhue looking for her to be able to fill the open spot in the 4x800 and help them get back to state. 1st year with the track team.

Braiden Johnson 9th grade, Distance runner with potential, he will add more depth to our boy’s distance

BY THE NUMBERS:

18 - seniors

26 - juniors

26 - sophomores

31 - freshmen

4 - Captains: Will Halverson, Carter Flatland, Dawson Levy, and Jack Hawkins

the indoor meet Saturday she will add some more depth to our girl’s distance program.

2025 RECAP: Gopher Conference Championship Boy’s 4th place out of 10 teams, Girl’s 2nd place out of 10 teams

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: Team wise: For both teams to equal or better their places in regular season meets, the Gopher Conference meet, Sub-Section and Section meet. Individual Athletes: For our athletes to continue to improve from meet to meet, have more athletes place in

Owatonna girls track & field

COACH:

Head Coach: Rob Winterfeld, 2nd year

ROSTER:

Seniors: Alexis Norbeck, Amal Mohamed, Anna Hilgendorf, Ava Hinchley, Dylann Norrid, Grace Lu, Jamie Fiedler, Jessica Fisher, Kendra Melby, Kendra Miller, Kyleah Miller, Laren Packard, Lauren Thurnau, Lucy Jacobs, Sophia Cook, Teagan Burton Juniors: Aaliyah Edwards, Alexandra Herget, Auden Jensen, Audrey Dowling, Ava Brekke, Ava Cox, Ava Wilker,

Ella Seykora, Gabriella Navarro, Genesis Silva, Grace Mitchell, Harmony Piepho, Isabella Horn, Julia Kess, Kate Cowell, Kelsey Skala, Kilee Hovey, Kiley Waldhouser, Lauren Kollar, Mackenzie Cates, Paisley Jacobson, Parker Ackerman, Patty Procopio, Pearlann

Boetekm, Reagan DeWitz, Sophia Qualley, Sydney Willaert, Yunuen Gutierrez-Tolentino Sophomores: Arya Buttera, Avery Hosper, Blair Kath, Brooke Steel, Brooklyn Reyna, Clara Meier, Clara Sennott, Daijah Trevino, Daphnie Linge, Gracie Randall, Ingrid Oemars, Kenlea Miller, Leah Leckner, Lillian Kotas, Mackenzie Harguth, McKenna Edel, Natalie Lempiainen, Paige

McGrath, Raegann Mitchell, Sofia Medina, Totsiyaa Todd Freshmen: Abigail Thiel, Addison Schuetz, Addyson Willaerty, Alejandra Gonsalez, Camryn Fox, Chloe Eastman, Ella Ryks, Emma Hess, Esther Hunt, Finley Rolloff, Harper Coleman, Kaiya Espinoza, Laura Herget, Megan Skala, Payton Petterson, Presley Schammel

Eighth-Grade: Brooklyn Cummins, Paige Hullopeter

KEY PLAYERS:

Track runners who made it to state for cross country last season: Leah Leckner, Kendra Melby, Sophia Qualley, Gracie Randall, Clara Sennott, Clara Meier, Bergan Rolloff, Kaylin Herman. Other runners will look to make an impact as well. For field events, Kyleah Miller will be the leading returner in throws. Have a lot of solid returners in the jump events and Dylann Norrid and McKenna Edel will look to have another solid season in pole vaulting.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: Many underclassmen who will look to fill holes from last year’s graduates.

2025 RECAP: 6th out of 12 teams in the Big 9 Conference, 3rd out of 8 teams in Section 1AAA. Sent 5 athletes to state as individuals.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: Look to have a solid season and have a solid performance at the section true team meet that will take place in Owatonna.

COMPETITION: Rochester Century should be solid again this season along with Mankato West in the Big 9 and Lakeville South in Section 1AAA.

Medford track & field

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Kevin Werk (25th year coaching, 23rd as head coach)

Assistant Coaches: Jerome Johannes, Dave Bon, and Ernie Lazaro

ROSTER:

Boys:

Seniors: Alex Thurnau, Conor Wilson

Juniors: Drake Stursa, Johnny Cole, Tanner Milewski, Will Grayson

Sophomores: Henry Miller, Madden Kellen, Mason Kolling Freshmen: Connor Pena,

Jacob Hora, Joseph Hora, Luther Johannes, Nic Taylor, Oscar Arana, Sam Bauer

Eighth-Grade: Grant Salazar, Maddox Kolling

Seventh-Grade: William Mullenbach

Girls:

Seniors: Ashlin Havumaki, Libby Sutherland, Olivia Ward

Juniors: Amelia Fitzgerald, Avery Arndt

Sophomores: Aubrie Havumaki, Claire Nagel, Cortney Borwege Freshmen: Analynn Kniefel, Brynn Havumaki, Claire Gibbons, Gabriella SalazarSharp, Grace McAdams,

Haylee Eul, Julia Anhorn, Katherine Capello

Eighth-Grade: Adley Arndt, Elliana Warner, Emma Smith, Hannah Nagel, Kylah Conway, Luna Peralta, Nazayeh Kellis, Olivia Lannoye, Paige Milewski, Peyton Kolling, Rowyn Norton

Seventh-Grade: Amelia Westphal, Elizabeth Ahlman, Jazmin Mejia, Kennedy Eul, Kenya Robles, Leona Malecha, Morgan Gibbons, Nyamouch Kang Ashik

KEY PLAYERS:

Boys:

Henry Miller – section qualifier in the shot put and discus

Conor Wilson – shot put and discus

Will Grayson – shot put and discus

Tanner Milewski – long jump and triple jump

Johnny Cole – long jump and triple jump

Girls:

Cortney Borwege – hurdles

Julia Anhorn – pole vault and 800m

Rowyn Norton - sprints

2025 RECAP:

Boys – 9th place in the conference and 8th place at sub-sections.

Girls – 9th place in the conference and 7th place at sub-sections.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

Boys – Our varsity numbers are a little lower than normal. We will have a hard time filling a complete line-up. The good thing with track is it isn’t all about the team, it is an individual sport as well. I am excited to see how our individuals do this year.

Girls – Our numbers are a little better on the girls’ side, especially in our junior high. I am hoping for a better year than last.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Boys:

19 - total athletes

4x800 relay team (section qualifier) – Alex Thurnau, Drake Stursa, Jacob Hora and Joseph Hora

Joseph Hora – distance (3200)

Girls:

Amelia Fitzgerald – section

Blooming Prairie track & field

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

ROSTER: Boys: Eli Anderson, Tyler Anderson, Dante Creighton, Isaac Fort, Noah Graves, Gavin

Hubly, Weston Johnson, Braxton Le, Kingston Lee, Mason Peterson, Christian Quail, Andrew Schwarz, Joey Schwarz, Isaac Stoen, Bricyn Thompson, Evan Wetphal.

Girls: Shainnah Cooke, Jaspher Doocy, Evie Emanuel, Sawyer Emanuel, Sophia Esplan, Payton Esplan, Daisy Heimer, Khloe Hein, Gloria Hernandez, Addison Hjelmen, Cassidy Jones,

qualifier in the discus Libby Sutherland – section qualifier in the shot put Olivia Ward - sprints

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: Boys:

Eva Magnuson, Haley McIntosh, Kinsley McKee, Kazaiya Miller, Addison Mongeau, Ayla Mueller, Emerson Nelson, Lanie Osmon, Amerlia Pauly, Bella Romeo, Haley Schlichter, Elaine Schwarz, Claire Staloch.

KEY PLAYERS:

For the girls squad, Gloria Hernandez will make a significant impact our team. She finished 5th in the 800m and 6th in the 1600m at the section track meet last year. She has also competed twice in the state cross country meet. Bella Romeo and Haley McIntosh also both made it to the section meet in the 400m. Sophia Esplan competed in the 3200m at the section meet. Jasper Doocy competed in the 300m hurdles at the section meet. I also expect Emmerson Nelson, Elaine Schwarz, Addison Hjelman, Haley Schlichter, Eva Magnuson, Evie Emanual, and Lanie Osmon to make impacts for us as they had significant varsity time last year.

For the boys squad, we are returning no section meet qualifiers. I believe we have a lot of boys with solid experience who will excel this year, including Tyler Anderson, Kingston Lee, Andrew Schwarz, Joey Schwarz, Isaac Fort, Braxton Lee, Christian Quail, Mason Peterson, and Evan Westphal.

7 - returning letter winners

2 - seniors

Girls:

34 - total athletes

5 - returning letter winners

3 - seniors

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Some new athletes for the girls include Addison Mongeau, Sawyer Emanual, Payton Esplan, Ayla Mueller, and Kazaiya Miller. Some new athletes for our boys include Dante Creighton, Gavin Hubly, Weston Johnson, Isaac Stoen, and Bricyn Thompson.

2025 RECAP:

Both our boys and girls finished 6th in the conference last year. Our girls finished 18th in the section last year and our boys finished 9th in the section.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

Our goals this season are to continue building on the progress we’ve made as a team, push each other to new personal bests, and stay competitive at every meet. The expectation is that every athlete puts in the work, supports their teammates, and represents our school with pride and determination. It’s all about staying focused, healthy, and giving it everything we’ve got each time we compete.

COMPETITION:

We hope for top finishers amongst both the section and the conference.

honorable mention in throws. Sent 3 athletes to the state individual tournament.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

I expect we are going to have strong performances in the individual distance and field events. We are still looking for those sprinters to show up. Staying healthy is always key to the success of a season. When we can get multiple point scorers in events, that will give us the best chance at being competitive within the conference. The younger and new team members will have to discover and excel in their roles to help the team be successful.

COMPETITION:

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Co-Head Coaches: Larry Nydegger (12th year overall) and Kim Schlaak (4th year overall)

Assistant Coaches: Eric Olson, Bailey Madden, Theresa Buendorf

ROSTER: Returning boys letter winners:

Lavon Jewison, Gavin Lewison, Charlie Fuller, Brendan Schmidt, Trevor Selover, Jacob Karl, Wyatt Tuttle, Nathan Haggar, Colton Conroy, Noah Weller.

Returning girls letter winners: Sierra Fish, Julieann Wobbrock, Gabby Schlaak, Kylie Olson, Chloe Riewer, Peyton Frye, Ella Jeno, Holly Bartness, Clara Buendorf, Anika Ladlie.

KEY PLAYERS:

Lavon Jewison - School record holder in HJ.

Jacon Karl - Coming off strong cross country season.

Julieann Wobbrock - Coming off strong cross country season.

Gabby Schlaak and Anika Ladlie - both HJ state Qualifiers in 2025.

2025 RECAP:

Julieann Wobbrock (1600m) and Jacob Karl (1600m) were Gopher all-conference last year.

Gabby Schlaak, Anika Ladlie, and Lavon Jewison were allconference honorable mentions in the high jumps and Brendan Schmidt was an all-conference honorable mention in pole vault and Trevor Selover was an

I consider JWP as having the top conference teams on both the Boys and Girls side. I think our girls and boys can finish in the top half of the conference this year. I believe our high jumping group is among the best in the section. Last year, Anika, Gabby and Lavon all cleared state qualifying standard for 2026. Jacon and Julieann are coming off very successful cross-country seasons and should challenge for top conference times and perhaps even greater things.

- mid distance, jumper state entrant in 2025

Junior Titan Rahe - sprinter

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Our juniors and seniors are going to need to have a good year for us this season and we have good numbers in our sophomores and freshmen athletes that we will need to step up and fill some roles for us.

2025 RECAP: 6th in Big South Conference last year, 3rd place at Section meet.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Dave Abel (sprints, jumps) 21st year (30th total)

Assistant Coaches: Brad Wendland (throws) 19th year, Grant Popp (distance) 8th year, Saiveon Williamson (sprints) 3rd year

KEY PLAYERS:

Senior Jordan Johnston

- sprinter, state competitor in 2025

Senior Brady Tlougan - sprinter

Senior Will Mansfield

- sprinter, pole vaulter state medalist in 2025

Senior Malechi Noble - sprinter

Junior Owen Rupe - thrower

Junior Jonah Workejumper, sprinter

Junior Tovin Grannis

We have 13 returning letter winners and a good mix of athletes. We have 40-plus guys out for track, which is a great number. We should be able to find some gems in the group to fill the needed areas on the team. We need to find some depth in the short sprints, long jump and the hurdles. We will need to improve in the long distances as well. Our season goals are pretty consistent year in and year out. We expect to compete for the conference championship, qualify for True Team state and move as many athletes on to state as we can. We are going to be able to compete well in the sprints and the throwing events. We have good top of the line guys in the pole vault, 100m, high jump and discus. We will need to find some guys to fill the other spots to really score well as a team.

COMPETITION:

Conference: the usual suspects - Fairmont, Marshall, St. Peter will be decent as well.

Section 1AA: All of the following will be good:

Waseca girls track & field

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Dave Abel (sprints, jumps) 21st year (30th total)

Assistant Coaches: Brad Wendland (throws) 19th year, Grant Popp (distance) 8th year, Saiveon Williamson (sprints) 3rd year

KEY PLAYERS:

Senior Kelsey Draeger - distance

Senior Vivian Mader - hurdler

Sophomore Stella Omtvedt - distance, state competitor in 2025

Sophomore Angelica Lopez - sprinter

Sophomore Savanna Vagts - jumper

Freshman Maren

Schimming - distance, state competitor in 2025

Freshman Reese Rodriguez

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Samuel Schruin, 4th season

Assistant coaches: John Kaplan, Liz Kvebak, Andrea Kronbach, Emily Olson, Mike Richards, Brandon “Schruin’s Assistant” Goebel, Cory Immerman

Volunteers: Tim Johnson, Mike Cahill, Katie Cahill

Managers: Aubrey Adams

ROSTER:

Girls

Seniors: Kwynn Krause, Neveah Weimert, Emma O’Brian, Alenka Jans, Addison

Condon, Grace Norton, Jaelyn Wilmes, Katie Olson

Juniors: Emma Huelsnitz

Sophomores: Clare Groh, Anne Adams, Sarah Bulman, Kayleigh Donner, MaKenzie Westphal, Miley Anderson, Isabelle Bauer, Raelyn Eich, Kierstin Amundson

Freshman: Ashlynn Wolff, MaKaela Westphal, Avery Bronk, Hailey Heinz

8th Grade: Ryder Britton, Catherine Manthe, Norah Welvaert, Aubrey Anderson, Rachel Mielke

7th Grade: Jacelynn Mulder, Natalie Rohwer, Lydia Bjortomt, Emma Bittner, Kyla Schlingmann, Annalise Rysdam, Addison Johnson, Miranda Bonnifield, Stella Myhr, Victoria Appel, Alese Wolff, Kylee Nusbaum, Magdalen Rauenhorst, Adelaide Splett

Boys

Seniors: Daulton Bauer, Charles Adams, Auston Holicky, Grady Grohman

Juniors: Gavin Weedman, Jason Wheelock, Aidan Rider, Dawson Slechta, Trey Richards, Wyatt Jans, Ethan Einertson, Gavin Atherton, Cash Wenker, Mason Denis, Aiden Gruber

Sophomores: Leighlan Harris, Quinn Anderson, Brennan Welvaert, Tyson Kronbach, Samuel Roth, Cole Bartz, Freshman: Gavinn Kaiser,

Christian Reyes, Logan Swalve, Teagan Mulder, Parker Smith, David Mielke, Wesley Heinz, Charlie Denis

8th Grade: Demian Reyes, Ryan Eder, Peyton Throne, Grayson Einertson, Nate Cofield, Blake Schlie, Douglas Amundson, Levi Possin

7th Grade: Crue Burke

KEY PLAYERS:

Boys

Gavin Weedman- 800m All Conference, Academic All State, Most Improved Team Award, Academic All Conference

Daulton Bauer- Triple Jump

All Conference, 4x100m (8th Place in State), Academic All State, Team Field Dawg Award, Academic All Conference

Tyson Kronbach- 4x800 All Conference, Academic All State, Academic All Conference

(WEM) Gavin Atherton- 200m All Conference, 200m State Participant (5th Place), 400m State Participant (4th Place)

- long sprinter

Eighth-Grader Ellie Kopischke - distance, state competitor in 2025

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

We have a fair number of new athletes and young tracksters. We will see what they can do.

2025 RECAP: 5th in Conference Finish last year, 7th place at Section meet.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

11 returning letterwinners should anchor this group. We should be strong in the distance and we have a nice group of hurdlers. We have only 25 girls out for track, which is low for us. We had some good athletes elect not to return to the team and some incoming 9th-grade former JH track athletes decided not to

come out. It will be a challenge to fill all the events and still compete well. We need to find some athletes in the short and long sprint groups, improve in the triple jump, long jump, throws and find some vaulters. Our distance group is a team strength. We will need some girls to step up and create the depth we will need to really score well as a team. Our season goals are pretty consistent year in and year out. We expect to compete for the conference championship, qualify for True Team state and move as many athletes on to state as we can.

COMPETITION:

Conference: the usual suspects - Fairmont, Marshall, Belle Plaine.

Section 1AA: Winona, Northfield, Stewartville, Byron and TCU.

Triple Jump All Conference, 4x100 State Participant, Long Jump State Participant (15th Place), Triple Jump State Participant (11th Place) (WEM) Rachel Mielke4x100m All Conference, 4x100 State Participant

2025 RECAP:

Girls - 2025: 1st Place State Meet, 1st Place Section 2A Meet, 1st Place Subsection 2A South Meet, 1st Place Section 1A True Team Meet, 6th Place True Team State Meet, 1st Place Gopher Conference Championship Boys - 1st Place Gopher Conference Championship

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

“Today we’ll do what others won’t so tomorrow we can do what others can’t”

(WEM) Wyatt Jans1600m All Conference, 3200m All Conference (WEM) Grady Grohman- Shot Put State Participant (10th Place)

Girls

Nevaeh Weimert: 200m All Conference, 4x100m State Participant (2nd Place in State), 4x200m State Participant (4th Place in State), 4x400m State Participant (2nd Place in State), Academic All State, “Flip of Fate” Team Award Winner, Academic All Conference

Ashlynn Wolff: 800m All Conference, High Jump All Conference, 4x400 All Conference, 4x800m State Participant , 4x400m State Participant (2nd Place in State), Academic All Conference

MaKaela Westphal: 4x400 All Conference, 4x200m All Conference, 4x800 State Participant (22nd Place), Unsung Hero Team Award Winner, Academic All Conference

Katelynn Olson: 4x200m All Conference, Long Jump State Participant (20th Place), 4x100m State Participant (2nd Place in State), 4x200m State Participant (4th Place in State), Academic All State, Grogu Team Award Winner, Academic All Conference

Kayleigh Donner: 4x200m All Conference, Academic All State, Academic All Conference

MaKenzie Westphal: 800m *State Champion*, 4x400 All Conference, 4x800m State Participant, Academic All State, Unsung Hero Team Award Winner, Academic All Conference

Kwynn Krause: 4x800 State Participant , Academic All State, Unsung Hero Team Award Winner, Academic All Conference (WEM) Addison Condon4x100m All Conference,

The expectation for this season is to commit each day to improving and becoming better than the day before. One of our greatest strengths is our culture. While it may sound cliche, our team truly operates like a family. One where everyone feels welcome, supported, and challenged to become their best self. Our athletes are highly driven, bring a strong work ethic, remain coachable, and show up each day with a positive attitude. Another major strength is our coaching staff. We are fortunate to have a knowledgeable and dedicated group committed to the social, emotional, and physical development of our athletes. This year, having a coach assigned to every event group is a tremendous advantage. It provides our athletes with specialized guidance and support across all areas of track and field.

Owatonna boys lacrosse

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Scott Seykora (23 years total, 19 years in official MSHSL)

Assistant Coaches: Dustin

Thorson (18 years), CW Wolfe (16 years), Andrew Hopkins (11 years), Trent Gahm (4 years), Noah Brandt (3 years)

ROSTER:

Seniors: Cooper Aul (midfield), Calden Durand (defense), Trey Hiatt (midfield), Jayden Jirele (midfield), Wyatt Macy (attack), Logan Risser (defense).

Juniors: Kade Hullopeter (midfield), Brennan Kath (midfield), Jared Laiho (attack), Brennan Schlie (defense).

Sophomores: Gavin Fitch

Owatonna

girls lacrosse

(midfield), Ryan Lewis (attack), Sam Monson (attack), Brecken Schwichtenberg (defense), Brayden Spindler (midfield), Oliver Wottreng (defense).

Freshmen: Riley Callahan (midfield), Lucio Grijalva (defense), Riley Holtermann (midfield), Milo Jensen (defense), Jack Mitchell (midfield), Quinn Mohs (attack), Liam Monson (midfield),

Mason Ortega (defense), Kaleb Schumacher (defense), Landon Wencl (midfield), Carson Whalen (midfield).

Eighth-Grade: Liam Lewis (goalie)

KEY PLAYERS:

Wyatt Macy - Senior attackman who led the team in goals last year.

Logan Risser - Senior midfielder, will be a leader on defense.

Cooper Aul - Senior midfielder, very physical player and plays a

Chloe Heim (A/M) Freshmen: Kaia Swenson (M), Amelia Moran (M), Avery Born (A/M), Isla Torabpour (M/D)

KEY PLAYERS:

Senior Addy Schroht - Led the team in goals (37), assists (34), and points (71) last season. Also led the team in assists and total points in her sophomore season. Recovering from a volleyball season-ending injury from the fall and is set to play both lacrosse and volleyball at the College of St. Benedict.

Senior Nora Marshall - Has been

huge role in the transition game.

Brennen Schlie - Long stick midfielder, is a physical force with great stick skills.

Jared Laiho - Midfielder/ attacker, has put a lot of work in and will be a big contributor on offense this year.

Ryan Lewis - Midfielder, has a great lacrosse IQ.

Even though he is a 10thgrader, he is a great leader on the field and understands the game really well.

Brennan Kath, Kade Hullopeter, and Jayden Jirele all had varsity experience last year and look to be big contributors this year.

Liam Lewis - 8th-grade goalie split time on varsity last year and will look to be the goaltender full time this year.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Brayden Spindler, Brecken Schwichtenberg, Oliver Wottreng, and Gavin Fitch look to break into the varsity scene as more of a predominant role this year and it will be exciting to see their contributions to the team. There are some good underclassmen players and there are some that will possibly earn their way as the season progresses.

2025 RECAP: 4-2 in the Big 9 for 2nd-place. 6-8 overall final record.

Our strength of schedule was pretty tough last year and the players competed well with some

College after high school. Freshman Amelia Moran - Tied for 2nd on the team in goals last season along with then-senior Lauren Busho. Set to be a force in the next four seasons.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Gabby Padgett, Alexis Noble, Sawyer Born, and many other underclassmen.

2025 RECAP: 11-4 overall, 8-2 in conference. Finished as the Big 9 runnersup behind Rochester Century. Nearly beat the Century Panthers in a 9-8 thriller at home during the regular season.

Beat Northfield for the third time during the season in the first round of the Section 1 playoffs before falling to Southwest Christian int he quarterfinals.

of the top teams in the state.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

We look to regain the title of conference champions this year nd hope to make a deep run into sections. The schedule is very competitive again this yer and we see a few new teams in Moorhead and Shakopee. We will play every team in our section this season except for Lakeville South, so it will be a good measure during the season how we stack up against Section opponents.

COMPETITION:

The Big 9 should be fairly competitive this year with Northfield or Owatonna being the pre-season favorites. The section probably has a heavy going to Farmington. Lakeville South is a greatly improved team and will be a force as well, and you can never count Lakeville North out of the conversation as they have had dominance in Section 1 for two decades.

BY THE NUMBERS:

4 - Captains (Wyatt Macy, Logan Risser, Cooper Aul, and Trey Hiatt)

6 - Seniors

4 - Juniors

6 - Sophomores

11 - Freshman

1 - 8th-Grade

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: Have holes to fill from last season’s graduates but should improve as the season goes on and compete for the Big 9 title.

COMPETITION: Century should be good again this year and will look to repeat as conference champions. We will look to reclaim the title after winning it in 2023 and 2024. Section 1 is tough as always. Lakeville South has won it the past five seasons and we will open the season against them at home.

the starting goalkeeper since her freshman year. Had a .644 save percentage last season, the best in her three years. Will continue lacrosse career at Benedictine College.

Senior Ella Marshall - Will bring great leadership and experience to the team as an attacker. Will play at Hamline

Northfield boys lacrosse

​Neither Northfield lacrosse team responded to our survey requests so this summary is using best available information

COACH: Head Coach: Jeff Wright

ROSTER: Not finalized as of publication

KEY PLAYERS: George Petersonsenior, attackman

Garrett Hoernke- senior, defenseman

Grant Selchow- senior, midfield

2025 RECAP: 8-6 record ending in the Section 1A quarterfinals.

COMPETITION:

A trip to Eagan to open the season in addition to always challenging Big 9 play should be battle each and every night.

Northfield girls lacrosse

​Neither Northfield lacrosse team responded to our survey requests so this summary is using best available information

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach: Rachel Morrison, first year

ROSTER: Not finalized as of publication

2025 RECAP:

The Raiders went 1-13 on the year, picking up the season’s only victory over Rochester John Marshall/Lourdes in the first game of the year. An 9-8 loss in the rematch and a 8-7 loss to Mankato were other close moments over the course of the year.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: Northfield will look to take the next step as a program and get back into the form the Raiders had in 2022 when Northfield won six games over the course of the season.

Garrett Hoernke will serve as a team captain for the Raiders’ boys lacrosse team in 2025. (File Photo — NorthfieldNews.com)

St. Peter softball

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Heidi Niemeyer, 26th year at SPHS, 13th as Head Coach Mackenzie Brey - 3nd at SPHS, 2nd year as Varsity Assistant, Tanner Nadeau - 4th year

coaching at SPHS, JV Coach

RETURNING PLAYERS:

Auden Anderson 12 P, Devyn Welp 11 P, Courtlynn Spessard, 10 C, Piper Winters 11 OF, Tiara Torres, 11 IF, Lily Filand, 12 OF, Megan Graham, 12 OF/

(Pitcher), Devyn Welp (Pitcher), Lily Filand(OF), Tatum Kennedy(IF), Megan Graham (OF/IF), Piper Winters (OF), Tiara Torres (IF), Macey Portner (IF) and Courtlynn Spessard (C).

of our team and personal goals beginning from the first day of practice and are excited to get some games under our belts.

that compliment each other. Courtlynn Spessard - C Courtlynn played on the varsity team last year as a freshman. She caught and played in the outfield. Courtlynn’s strength is her offense. She is strong and fast.

2025 RECAP: 12-11-1 overall 11-2 in the Conference

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

Tatum Kennedy, 11 IF

KEY PLAYERS:

As the new softball season kicks into high gear, all eyes are on a talented group that promises to be the backbone of the team’s success: Auden Anderson

Le Sueur-Henderson softball

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Eric Lewis year 27

Assistant coaches: Anne Lewis

14 years, Emily Wentzlaff

19 years, Lauren Berndt 4 years, Zoe Thomson 1 year

ROSTER:

D’Lisa Flores, senior, centerfield, Ruby Fritz, freshman, pitcher/1st base, Abby Lewis, sophomore, 3rd base/2nd base,

McKenna Andresen, Junior, Outfield, Teagan Graham, Junior, Shortstop, Violet Schaffer, Freshman, Catcher/ Utility, Victoria Hutton, Junior, Pitcher/1st base, Anyssa Christ, Senior, Outfield/Catcher, Sallie Nesbit, Sophomore, Infield, Bella Bemmels, Freshman, Utility, Alaina Hutton, Freshman, Utility.

KEY PLAYERS: We return 8 starter from a year

ago: Victoria Hutton, Ruby Fritz, D’Lisa Flores, Teagan Graham, Abby Lewis, Anyssa Christ, McKenna Andresen and Violet Schaffer. Some of these girls have multiple years of varsity experience, and we look for all of them to continue their improvement from last year.

2025 RECAP: Last year we finished 3rd in the Section, and 2nd in the South Central Conference. Our overall

With a strong group of returners including two pitchers, the team has all the pieces in place for a successful season. As the season progresses, the key to the team’s success will be maintaining consistency and minimizing errors. The team’s strong bond on and off the field will be essential as we look to lead the team through a challenging schedule and deep into the playoffs. We are talking about all

Auden Anderson – Pitcher Auden demonstrates excellent control under tough pressure situations. She has been the top pitcher for our team for 4 years. She also bats in the meat of the line up and is a threat at the plate.

Devyn Welp – Pitcher Devyn is the other pitcher in our rotation of aces. She and Auden share the workload well and they both have their own strengths

record was 14-12, which was 2 games better than the 2024 season with a record of 12-12.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: We feel good about the group we have, a mix of veterans and youth. Having 8 returning starters with 4 of them having playoff experience back to the 2022 and 2023 State Tournament. The girls got a good sense of what playoff softball is during last years playoffs. They all made improvements over

the off season and are ready to get back to work as a team.

COMPETITION : Our conference has the two-time defending Section

We are going to be a young new team with a handful of returners coming back to lead us this season. I am excited to see what the look of our team will be and who will step up into the spots that were left by our graduating seniors last year. We will be strong again in the circle with returners Auden Anderson and Devyn Welp and a couple other pitchers who may help with the workload. We need to work hard in all things beginning from Day 1 at practice. As always our goals will be to be at the top of our Conference and Section.

BY THE NUMBERS:

9th-12th graders: 24

Returning Letter Winners: 13 Seniors: 4

Champion in Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial and it always seems that Section 2 is as good a Section as there is in the state. With teams like Fairmont, Belle Plaine, St. James, Randolph, Cannon Falls, TCU, and LCWM our Section will be very tough at the end of the year. We goal would be by the end of the year that we are ready for playoff softball.

Tri-City United softball

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Justin Lerfald, 4th year

ROSTER: Mya O’Brien 8, Mya Amy 9, Morgan Kalina 9, Noela Korolewski 9, Layla Sycks 9, Myla O’Malley 9, Eydie Fleek

9, Ellie Adams 10, Lexi Berger 10, Grace Harmeyer 10, Camryn Holicky 10, Madelyn Hoefs 10, Lily Schmiesing 10, Hallie Holicky 10, Annika Meier

Cleveland softball

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: April Thompson, 2nd Year

Assistant Coach: Matt Thompson, 2nd year and Madisyn Schrom, 1st year

ROSTER:

Keira Schipper 11, Natalie Flowers 8, Taylor McCabe 11, Delaney Thompson 11, Kiya Sohn 10, Brooke Bosse 9, Kaityln Flowers 11, Kylie Wobbrock 8, Addison Sandhurst 8, Taylor Wolf 11, Anistyn Dauk 8, Hadley Thompson 8, Cecelia Gair 10

KEY PLAYERS:

Delaney Thompson- Delaney is a dynamic leader and key player for our team this season.

Returning as our pitcher, she broke the single-season school record for strikeouts, anchoring the circle with confidence and dominance. As our lead-off hitter, she led the team in stolen bases in 2025, using her speed and instincts to create opportunities. As a team captain, she leads by example, inspiring her teammates with her work ethic and competitive spirit.

Kaitlyn Flowers- Kaitlyn is a key leader and starting shortstop for our team. She led the team in home runs in 2025 and was our clean-up hitter, providing power and consistency in the heart of the lineup. As a team captain, she sets the standard with her skill, competitiveness, and leadership. Keira Schipper- Keira is our

10, Bree-Ann Blaschko 10, Emme Beer 11, Elaine Fink 11, McKenzie Ressler 11, Emma Germscheid 11, Isabella Jones 12, Cristina Cruz 12, Caleigh Hoefs 12, Lily Traxler 12, Emily Kuchinka 12, Ella Schmiesing 12, Claire Hoefs 12, Laynee Blaschko 12, Taylor Haecherl 12

KEY PLAYERS:

Caleigh Hoefs - Solidified herself as a starting pitcher and looks to show more this season. Honorable Mention All-Conference last year.

Cristina Cruz - Cristina had a solid season for the Titans and will continue to show her experience at and behind the plate. All-Conference last year.

Claire Hoefs - Pitched very well last season in a starting role and looks to be a bigger contributor this season. Honorable Mention All-Conference last year.

Laynee Blaschko - breakout season at short stop last year and one of the team’s better hitters at the plate. All Conference last year.

game and athleticism make them exciting young players to watch.

2025 RECAP:

The 2025 season was a strong and promising year for Cleveland Softball, finishing with an overall record of 16-7. The team went

3-3 in the Valley Conference and tied for 5th place in Section 2A.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

The outlook for the 2026 season is focused on continued growth and building off the solid foundation established

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

We have not set rosters yet, but we have some very talented players at each level. I have no doubt some underclassmen will help our varsity this season.

2025 RECAP:

Overall 14-6, 9-4, 2nd Place in conference, 1-2 Section, 8th

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: 1-0 each game. We have standards that have been set and expectations for a solid season. We want to compete each and every game and we believe that will lead to success.

COMPETITION:

We have experience versus this conference now. Our section is always one of the toughest in the state. We have the traditional favorites and there is always a surprise or two. All we can control is how well we play.

ANYTHING ELSE?:

This is a great group of seniors that have been with me for my Head Coaching career. I am very humbled at how hard they work and dedication they have to one another and this sport.

last year. With a very young team and no seniors, this group will look to gain experience while competing at a high level. Strength in the circle will be a key factor, giving us confidence in every matchup, while our lineup brings strong bats that can consistently produce runs. As the season progresses, the goal is to develop, compete, and continue elevating our program.

COMPETITION:

We expect to be competitive within both the conference and Section 2A this season. While we are a young team, we have the talent and ability to compete with anyone on our schedule. Our section remains strong, highlighted by the 2025 State Champion USC, who will be a tough opponent. Overall, we look forward to the challenge and the opportunity to compete at a high level throughout the season.

standout catcher and a team captain who leads the field with intelligence and poise. She led the team in RBIs in 2025 and is a consistent offensive threat in the lineup. Behind the plate, her strong arm and quick instincts keep opponents hesitant to steal, while her ability to call the game and direct the defense makes her one of the smartest players on the field.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Eighth graders Natalie Flowers and Hadley Thompson join the varsity roster this season and are expected to make an immediate impact. Both are versatile players who can contribute anywhere on the field and bring strong bats to the lineup. Their knowledge of the

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown softball

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Crystal Lamont, 13th year

Assistant coaches: Kelsey Bauer, Madysson Dufault

ROSTER:

Liza Baker, senior, 3B; Robynn Schwichtenberg, senior, catcher; Miley Roemhildt, senior, IF; Alix Velzke, junior, P; Meghan Krystosek, junior, OF; Brooklyn Novak, sophomore, OF; Ellie Lamont, sophomore, IF; Madalyn Miller, sophomore, IF/P; Paetyn

Judd, sophomore, utility; Kalyn Novak, 8th grade, IF/P

KEY PLAYERS:

Alix Velzke, junior, P – Alix improved her location and consistency last year. She threw strikes and gave our defense a chance to make plays. Offensively, she was one of our top hitters and gave us speed on the bases. She is a team leader and we look for her to help lead us to more team success this season.

Robynn Schwichtenberg, senior, catcher – Robynn is our top

offensive weapon and does a nice job behind the plate. Robynn has a great swing and is a threat to hit the gaps every time she comes to the plate. Defensively she is smart and does a great job blocking and framing pitches.

Liza Baker, senior, 3B – Liza is an athletic player who will help us with her versatility. She improved offensively last season as the season progressed and she gained more experience. I look for her to be one of our top hitters this season.

Miley Roemhildt, senior, IF – Miley has a strong

swing and will give us both infield and outfield depth.

Meghan Krystosek, junior, OF – Meghan was a consistent fielder for us in left field last season. I look for her to provide some offensive punch for us this season.

Brooklyn Novak, sophomore, OF – Brooke gives us tremendous speed on the bases. She can cover a lot of ground in the outfield and will help us defensively this season.

Ellie Lamont, sophomore, IF – Ellie is a good contact hitter and is solid in the field. She will

help build our offensive and defensive depth this season.

Madalyn Miller, sophomore, IF/P – Madalyn is one of our most athletic players. I look for her to be one of our top offensive players and a key contributor to our defensive improvement this season.

Paetyn Judd, sophomore, utility – Paetyn can play any position for us besides pitcher. Her flexibility gives us much needed depth and various options defensively. Offensively she puts the ball in play and will help us score runs this season.

Kalyn Novak, 8th grade, IF/P – Kalyn has tremendous range in the field. She has great speed and excellent instincts.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: We had numerous first year players last year and they gained valuable experience that should help our team this season.

2025 RECAP: 7-10 overall, 3-7 gopher conference

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

We bring back our pitcher/ catcher battery this season and we will rely on them to lead our team. This is their third season together and we look for continued growth and improvement. We had numerous first year players last year and they gained valuable experience that should help our team this season. Our defense really improved as the season progressed and we look for that to be one of our strengths this season. Offensively we should have good speed and we hope to use that to score more runs. Our goals are to build on the experience we gained last season and put ourselves in a position to be competitive every game.

COMPETITION:

USC and Randolph will be the top teams in the conference. Section – Southland, Hayfield.

as a pitcher in the circle with a long

still ahead of her.

2025 RECAP:

COACH:

Shane Gunderson

ROSTER:

Clara Nawrocki (10); Ariana Hernandez (11); Amira Williams (11); Hattie Danberry (10); Audrey Handshaw (10); Holly Boyd (10); Jovalynn Vangness (11); Divina Williams (8); Maggie Wasilowski (9); Camilla Cruze (9); Drew Anderson (8); Alyssa Dudley (9); Baylee Gunderson (8); Addi Schultz (9).

KEY PLAYERS:

The Falcons went winless in 2025 but were not without fight along the way.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

This team is older and wiser and will look to take the next step in 2026 without Grace Brazil or Jamie Adamek on the roster anymore. A challenge in its own right.

Bethlehem Academy softball

KEY PLAYERS:

COACH:

Scott Trump

ROSTER: 12 Caitlin Bothun, 11 Sarah Tobin, 11 Evelina Caldera, 10

Dienst, 10 Keira Drier, 10 Quinn Wray-Raabolle, 10

8

Northfield softball

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Rich Guggisberg, 5th year as head coach/ year 20 with the program

Assistant coaches: Varsity Assistant: Anne Fossym, 1st year; JV: Mary Franz; 9th Grade: Bubba Sullivan; Pitching Coach: Elly Novak; Hitting Coach: Mik Girad

ROSTER:

Grace Mostad, 12, P/SS; Tatum Sawyer, 12, OF; Kaitlin Schultz, 12, 1B/3B; Lindsey Erickson, 12, C; Myleen Mauer, 12, C; Izzy Paulson, 11, OF/1B; Emma Perulka, 11, 2B; Aly Cook, 11, 3B/P; Lily Jindra, 11, OF; Reese Perulka, 10, OF; Kristen Hafemeyer, 10, P/SS; Olive Cook, 9, OF; Claire Mulvhill, 10, IN/P; Ava Monson, 10, IN; Penny Roiger, 10, IN

KEY PLAYERS:

Grace – Bats near the top of the

line-up and offers a unique speed and power dimension. Also been a leader in the pitching circle the past two seasons. Also one of the leading Raider basketball players the past several seasons. One of our team captains.

Lindsey – Lindsey will be asked to be the primary catcher this season. She is a very powerful hitter who can really drive the ball. Her leadership from the catching position will be valued.

Tatum – Multi-sport athlete and was one of the leaders on the successful Raider basketball team. Her experience will be valued in the outfield. Excited for the way she started driving the ball this past year. One of our team captains. Emma – Hits near the top of the line-up and has great speed. She is a run scoring machine as she is a very good base runner. She is also a Raiders hockey player. Kristen – Lives and breathes softball. She has been in the

line-up since her 8th grade year. Is very willing to do what the team needs to be successful.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Kaitlin – Very smooth fielder who has one of the best gloves on the team. She has worked very hard on her hitting. Team Captain. Myleen Mauer – Team player who goes the extra mile for Raider softball. Aly – Very solid infielder and pitcher. She is a nice all around player. Izzy Paulson – Very strong hitter. Lily – Very Strong Hitter. Reese – Speedy in the field and on the basepaths. Olive –Can hit for high average and power. Very solid outfielder.

2025 RECAP: 14-2 Conference - 2nd place, 19-5 overall, 2-2 section 4th place

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: We are working hard on laying the foundation of our

while Tobin is slated to take over in the circle following the graduation of Morgan Wilson.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: Janna Lippert as well as the eighth graders.

2025 RECAP:

Finished third in the Class A State Championship playoffs.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

A lot of news faces should provide the Cardinals with plenty of chances to learn in 2026 but BA should have just enough offense to sneak out their fair share of wins.

COMPETITION:

The Gopher Conference is not short on quality teams and Section 1A is as deep as they come in the state.

Caitlin Bothun, Sarah Tobin and Evelina Caldera will all be key parts of the Cardinals’ upcoming season. Bothun and Caldera will look to provide the Cardinals with offense

Raider Softball culture. Our 5 seniors have provided excellent leadership for our team. We expect to battle for a conference title and be one of the top team in the section and state.

COMPETITION:

We play in traditionally one of the toughest conferences in the state that helps prepare us for postseason play. We should be in the mix for a top conference

Kenyon-Wanamingo softball

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Megan Sabrowsky, 2nd year head coach

Assistant coaches: Tate Erlandson

ROSTER:

Chloe Donkers, Junior, Catcher; Gara Calvo Garcia,

Sophomore, IF/OF; Sophia Belcher, Sophomore, IF/OF/ Pitcher; Ashlyn Feyereisn, Freshman, IF/OF/Pitcher; Olivia Vierling, Sophomore, IF/OF; Ruby Sjoblom, Sophomore, IF/ OF; Eva Jacobson, Junior, IF/ OF; Claire Olson, Sophomore, IF/OF; Ilah Rechtzigel, Sophomore, IF/OF; Addison Lindell, Senior, IF/OF; Anna

Ostertag, Junior, Pitcher; Talia Johnson, Freshman, IF/OF/ Catcher; Carlee Geisinger, Freshman, IF/OF; Aislynn Ronningen, Freshman, IF/OF

KEY PLAYERS:

Addy Lindell; Anna Ostertag; Chloe Donkers; Eva Jacobson; Claire Olson

Owatonna softball

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Jeremy Moran, 8th year

Assistant Coaches: Rachel Malo, 8th year; Kevin Raney, 8th year; Elle Williams, 1st year

JV Coaches: Abby Olson (Head), 8th year; Michaela Kruger (Assistant), 5th year

9A Coach: Mattie Goettsch (Head), 2nd year; Josie Witter (Assistant), 1st year

ROSTER:

Seniors: Kendra Bogen (IF), Hailey Butler (OF)

Juniors: Leighton Nelson (C/ IF), Allison Johnson (OF/ IF), Malia Schroht (P/OF)

Sophomores: Ava Fisher (IF/ OF), Samantha Meier (C/ OF), Jessalynn Smith (P/IF)

Freshmen: Jorrie Seykora (IF/OF), Hanley Rosenau (P/ IF), Ellie Blum (OF/IF)

Eighth-Grade: Jasmine Thiele (IF/OF)

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Ruby Sjoblom and Olivia Vierling are two strong players who are returning this year. They grew a lot last year, and we are excited to see them back out there this season. We also have a solid strong group of freshman that will be joining our squad this season.

2025 RECAP:

Conference record of 7-5

Overall record of 8-10

Section 1A seeding of 8th

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

Building a strong team culture that is focused on growing together and supporting one another.

Having success in the box so we can get girls on base.

Continuing to build on the success from last year by driving fundamentals.

Limiting errors and playing clean defense.

COMPETITION:

The Gopher Conference is a very tough when it comes to softball. There are extremely talented, strong teams that we continue to face each year. We graduated 3 strong players last year but have a lot of talent returning and coming up through the program. There are a lot of solid leaders on this team, and I believe we will surprise some people this year.

quickly our younger players adjust to the varsity level of competition. We have talent and I am excited to watch this team grow throughout the season. Our pitching has been looking really strong in the practice/ scrimmages and I expect that to be one of our strengths. Offensively I see a lot of talent and potential. We need to figure out who will step up in some spots defensively. Despite being young, I think our team has the talent to be in the mix for one of the top teams in the conference.

COMPETITION:

Big 9 Conference: I see Northfield, Mankato East, Mayo and Century to be at the top of the conference. Mankato West and Winona are also expected to have strong teams this year. Section 1AAAA: Farmington is the favorite to repeat as section champions. They return a lot of talent form last year. Behind them is Lakeville North, Lakeville South, Mayo and Century.

BY THE NUMBERS:

KEY PLAYERS:

Kendra Bogen – returning for her 5th varsity season. Starting shortstop and one of our top offensive players. Jessalynn Smith – returning starter from last year and one of our offensive leaders. Also, out most experienced pitcher returning from last season. Jess is expected to make a big impact for our team offensively and in the circle.

Leighton Nelson – returning starting catcher from last

season. She will be one of our leaders defensively and expected to be a primary contributor in our offensive lineup.

Ava Fisher – another returning starting that had a strong year last year as a freshman and is expected to be one of our offensive leaders this year.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: Hanley Rosenau – 9th grader that has tremendous power at the plate and is also expected to be a major contributor as one of our pitchers this season Jasmine Thiele – talented 8th

grader that can play multiple positions for us with her tremendous arm strength and will also improve our offense with her speed and her ability to put the ball in play.

2025 RECAP:

Ended the year 14-10. 8-3 in Big 9 conference play and finished tied for 3rd in the Big 9. Finished 4th in Section 1AAAA

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

We will be young this season after graduating 6 players and 5 starters. The key will be how

2 - seniors

3 - juniors

3 - sophomores

3 - freshmen

1 - Eighth-grader

2 - captains (Kendra Bogen and Leighton Nelson)

Medford softball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach: Jon Velishek, 3rd year

Assistant Coaches: Addie Horseman, 3rd year; Buzz Brady, 3rd year

ROSTER:

Seniors: Olivia Boie (1B/3B), Jade Laue (C/3B/UTL), Aleah Vogt (CF/SS)

Junior: Jada Braud (UTL)

Melia Schema was the main pitcher for the Tigers last season and will return for her sophomore season. (File Photo— Owatonna.com)

Sophomore: Melia Schema (P/1B), Taylor Brady (RF), Audrey Kath (LF), Ella Mullenmeister (3B/OF)

Freshmen: Grace Mullenmeister (SS/2B), Lily Stinocher (2B/C/ SS/OF), Sophia Ward (P/1B), Lanie Chambers (3B/C/UTL)

Eighth-Grade: Miley Krenz (SS/P/UTL), Briele HuntMacy (P/1B), Addie Lique (C/3B/UTL), Cora Seid (C/3B/UTL)

KEY PLAYERS:

Jade Laue - Led the team last year in Batting and has been a 5 year starter. Senior Captain as Catcher, a real leader on the field.

Aleah Vogt - Senior Captain

and 5 year starter. Leader of our outfield group.

Lanie Chambers - Key infielder with a good bat.

Melia Schema - Starting Pitcher for nearly all of last season as a freshman. Feeling more comfortable in the

circle now as a sophomore.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

We will be a very young team again for the second year in a row. Watch out for the underclassman. This is a talented group and looking to make their mark. Will be exciting to see who steps up and as the season progresses.

2025 RECAP:

2-15 last season in conference. 2-16 Overall with our section loss to St James.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: Learn, Grow and Compete. Especially with all of the younger players

COMPETITION:

I think USC and Randolph will once again be top of the Gopher Conference. I expect BA, JWP, KW and NHREG to be extremely competitive throughout the season.

ROSTER:

Senior: Madelyn Harvey (OF)

Freshmen: Kenley Bangert (C), Aubree Johnson (P)

them to take the next step and have a great season for us.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Raylee Miner and Kenley Bangert will step into the lineup this season and play big roles as our pitcher and catcher being only a sophomore and a freshman.

2025 RECAP:

Last season we finished with a record of 5-14, but saw improvements as our season went on.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

We bring back 6 starters and a couple other girls who got varsity experience last season from a team that improved as the season went on. We are still a very young team with only 1 senior, but we will look to build on that improvement going into this season and hopefully string together a few more wins.

COMPETITION:

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Cam Rutledge, 5th year

Blooming Prairie softball NRHEG softball

Assistant Coaches: David Lassahn, Shelbi Swenson

Juniors: Neila Nelson (IF), Bella Schiller (C/OF), Gracelyn Anderson (IF), Aubrey Klocke (OF)

Sophomores: Natalie Winzenburg (IF), Ellie Stoen (IF), Raylee Miner (P), Annika Schwarck (C), Claudia Miller (OF), Natalie Schumacher (IF)

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Wendy Schultz, 27th year

JV Coach: Nate Jensen

ROSTER:

Seniors: Chloe Stork (IF), Addy Stadheim (C), Quinn VanMaldeghem (OF/U), Kyera Eustice (OF)

Juniors: Olivia Berg (IF), Faith Phillips (U), Izley Boerner (P/IF)

Sophomores: Ezra Boerner (U), Brooklyn Sommer (P/U)

Freshman: Emmy Stadheim (U)

Injured: Senior Camryn VanMaldeghem (torn ACL) and junior Paige Johnson (shoulder)

KEY PLAYERS:

KEY PLAYERS:

Madelyn Harvey, Bella Schiller, Neila Nelson, Grace Anderson, Aubrey Klocke, Ellie Stoen, and Natalie Winzenburg all return this year as players who played varsity for us last season. We are expecting

Randolph will be one of the favorites to win our conference and section this season.

Returning starters: Addy Stadheim, Chloe Stork, Kyera Eustice, Olivia Berg, Brooklyn Sommer, Ezra Boerner.

Izley Boerner will return for her junior season after having to sit out as a sophomore due to a torn ACL. Received all-conference honorable mention as a freshman.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Quinn VanMaldeghem - First year out for softball. Always played dome ball with us in the winter as well as summer softball.

Faith Phillips and Emmy Stadheim.

2025 RECAP: 5-13 overall, 4-6 in Gopher Conference

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

Our goal is to grow and improve all season long, building toward playing our best and most competitive softball at playoff time.

COMPETITION:

Conference Favorites: USC and Randolph

Section Favorites: Southland In my 27 years of coaching, we’ve always been in 2AA. This will be the first year of 1A.

Avery Barto was an all-conference honorable mention last season for the Bluejays. She recorded the most innings pitched for the team in 2025 and will return for her freshman season this year. (File Photo — WasecaCountyNews.com)

Waseca softball

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Amanda Sommers, 3rd year

Assistant Coach: Abbe Hoehn, 3rd year

ROSTER:

Seniors: Chloe Roemhildt (2B, OF), Madison Roessler (C),

Sophia Hillsman (IF, OF), Ellery Waldron (3B, P), Lauren Grant (OF), Hannah Teague (OF, 3B)

Sophomores: Allison Mader (SS, OF), Claire Roemhildt (IF, OF), Hannah Rugger (P, OF), Brier Hayes (IF, OF)

Freshmen: Anna Benson (IF, OF, C), Avery Barto (SS, P), Hannah Sommers (1B, P)

KEY PLAYERS:

Avery Barto - Barto is just a Freshman and this will be her third year on Varsity. She brings experience and dependability to our team. She saw the most innings in the circle for our pitching staff last year, but also is a strong force at Shortstop. She had our second highest batting average on the team

Hannah Sommers celebrates after hitting a home run last season. Sommers was a force at the plate and in the pitching circle as just an 8th-grader. (File Photo — WasecaCountyNews.com)

last year, and led our team in fielding percentage. Deservedly, she was selected as Big South All Conference - Honorable Mention last year as an 8th grader.

Madison Roessler - As our Senior Catcher, Madison plays a critical leadership role on the team leading our team on the defensive side. She is a constant and dependable leader behind the plate for us. Madison brings a calming presence on the field for our defense.

Hannah Sommers - Sommers, also just a Freshman, is on Varsity for her third season as well. She led the team in batting average last season, second highest fielding percentage, a strong power hitter behind the plate (4 home runs last season) and her team relies on her glove at 1st base. She saw about 40 innings in the pitching circle last year as well. Respectably, she was selected as a Big South All Conference player last year as an 8th grader.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Hannah Rugger - We anticipate Hannah Rugger being a strong force in the pitching circle for us this year, and look to rely on her multiple pitch arsenal to win games for us.

As a sophomore, we look to have her strong presence in the pitching circle for years to come, but also as a key outfielder for us when not pitching.

Anna Benson - Another Freshman on the Varsity line up this year. Benson had a strong JV season last year. We look forward to utilizing Benson in multiple positions this season, and she also brings a lot of speed on the bases for us.

2025 RECAP: Conference record 3-10, overall record 6-15.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

I expect our team to continue

Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton softball

Donner. (file photo-WasecaCountyNews.com)

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Brianne Eldred,

2 as JWP head coach/15 total

Assistant coaches: Jeff Simonson, Cole Barden, Jace Emory, Autumn Thissen

RETURNING LETTERWINNERS:

Victoria Blomstrom, Kayle Langford, Lillian Ewert, Brielle James, Lily Quast, Ryleigh Donner, Hudson Miller, Raylen Blasing, Sophie Okins, Haylee Appel, Avery

to improve from last yearwe have a team goal set to have a better record than last season. We are working hard to continue to improve. Key to success for our team: Less errors in each game, increasing the number of hits while decreasing strike outs, and having strong quality at bats increasing our base runners. Staying focused and giving it our all in every game.

COMPETITION:

We have a tough conference schedule, I predict St. Peter and New Ulm to be conference favorites. I predict Le Sueur-Henderson to be the section favorite.

STRENGTHS:

We have a strong balance of seniors and underclassmen who play critical roles on this team. Our underclassmen are coming into this season with a ton of Varsity Experience (two Freshmen of which who were Big South All Conference (Sommers) and Big South Conference Honorable Mention (Barto)) and that is going to help us handle the high pressure situations. We are working hard to keep a positive culture in our program and have a strong team bond.

WEAKNESSES:

We play a challenging Conference Schedule. We need to work on limiting errors on defense, and having quality, smart at bats to get as many runners on base as possible in order to win games this season.

KEY PLAYERS: Kayle Langford, Raylen Blasing, Ryleight Donner, Hudson Miller

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

Watching them over these past few weeks, I have seen progress. There wasn’t much regression from the end of the last season but a lot of growth. We have some big shoes to fill, but every year when seniors leave, coaches are sad. We know how

hard it is when seniors go that make the program better, but someone always stands up and becomes a leader. We should be about the same or slightly better than last year. That to me without a question, is growth without the girls who have been playing in varsity for years.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Excited to start another season with these awesome ladies. I am excited to talk more about life skills and how life works. There will be many lessons learned and a lot of growth.

St. Peter baseball

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Kurt Moelter, 25th year

Assistant Coach: Justin Helget

ROSTER:

Levi Wachal ; Senior ; P/SS, Lathe Bly ; Senior ; IF, Cole Suska ; Senior ; IF, Ian Wills

; Senior ; OF, Ryan Moelter ; Junior ; IF/OF, Alex Korir ; Junior ; P/OF, Max Hollerich ; Junior ; IF/C/P, Ashton Guida ; Junior ; OF/P, Owen Potts

; Junior ; P/1B, Joe Greenig ; Junior ; IF/P, Thomas Johnson ; Junior ; OF, Max Welp ; Junior OF/IF, Carter Wills ; Junior ; OF, Kyler Link ; Junior ; P/OF, Santiago Anderson ; Junior ; OF

KEY PLAYERS:

Levi Wachal: No. 1 pitcher and No. 3 hitter. Levi will lead us on the mound and will be asked to drive in runs this season for us.

Ryan Moelter: Ryan led us in most offensive categories last season as a sophomore. Ryan will lead off for us. His flexibility on defense is one of his biggest assets for us. If he can get on base, we have the guys behind him that will bring him home.

Alex Korir: AK is the perfect NO. 2 hitter. He puts the bat on the ball and understands what productive outs are. He will be our No. 2 pitcher for us and patrol the outfield as our CF when he is not pitching.

Lathe Bly: Lathe gained a lot

of experience for us last year and we will be asking him to be a run producer for us. He can play both 2B and 1B for us and is steady at both. His baseball IQ is a huge plus for us as he is able to be the coach on the field.

Cole Suska: Cole will play 3B and hit in the middle of the order. Cole improved offensively as the year progressed and had a good summer as well. We are expecting him to carry that into the spring and to have a solid senior year for us.

Ian Wills: Ian will be in the OF for us. When Ian gets on base, he can cause a lot of problems with his speed/instincts on the bases. Ian did a nice job of adjusting to varsity pitching last year and that experience will

Le Sueur-Henderson baseball

get him going sooner this year.

Owen Potts: Owen is probably our most consistent pitcher. He throws strikes and a lot of them. Owen will be at 1B this year. Offensively, Owen is great at putting the ball in play and putting pressure on the defense. His ability to create productive AB’s was a big factor in our success last spring and will be this year.

Ashton Guida: Ashton gained valuable experience for us last year both offensively and in the outfield. Aston is the type of kid that can do a little everything and that is a huge plus for us. We are expecting Ashton to be a little more consistent this year with the bat and that will make us that much tougher as a team.

Max Hollerich: We asked a lot of “H” last year. He was a catcher most of the time, as a sophomore, he did a nice job for us. We know that he is solid behind the plate and now the next step is for him to be more consistent offensively. We are expecting H to help us with the bat and that will be a big factor in our team success this spring.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Carter Wills: Carter brings a lot

Jack Miller, 12th, Utility, Luke Miller, 12th, Pitcher, OF, Corbin Guggisberg, 11th, IF/ Catcher, Dalton Wilson, 11th, OF, Evan Hoffman, 10th, IF, Gabe Roby, 10th, OF, Griffin Feeney, 10th, Pitcher/IF

KEY PLAYERS:

Peyton Tellijohn--Great senior leader, puts in a lot of work, excited to see him play this spring.

Joe Lewis--Very good behind the plate, solid senior leader.

Luke Miller--Great on the mound, never complains, always ready to compete.

Corbin Guggisberg-Had a strong sophomore season and potential to have a breakout year.

Jack Miller--Senior leader and is willing to help wherever the team needs

Evan Hoffman--Had a solid year last year as a freshman, and am excited to see him play more.

Gabe Roby--Great outfielder as a freshman last year and we are looking to see if he can help in other areas this spring.

Griffin Feeney--Pitched well at the varsity level last year as a freshman, and we are excited to see how he does this spring.

2025 RECAP: Overall: 14-7 (eliminated in the 3rd round) Conference: 10-2

Conference Place: 3 way tie for 1st place

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

of speed to the game. He is an aggressive kid and are hoping that he can get on base for us.

He will be part of our rotation in the OF and if he can start fast, he will help tremendously.

Kyler Link: We are hoping that K1 can give some quality innings on the mound. One of his biggest strengths is his ability to put the ball in play. K1 will be in the OF and gives us more depth on the mound.

Max Welp: Max will be in the OF for us. Over the past year, Max has gotten stronger and it shows.

Max has always had a strong arm and we are hoping that he can adjust to varsity pitching quickly and help us offensively.

Joe Greenig: Joe is our “Jack of all trades”. He can play IF/ OF and also pitch if needed.

Joe has put in time in the offseason on the field and we are expecting that to carry over onto the field this spring.

Thomas Johnson: Thomas will be part of our OF rotation.

Thomas is really starting to grow and is a fast, strong kid. Our job as coaches is to harness that into success on the field.

The only thing that Thomas needs is more experience and that will come this spring.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Caleb Sullivan--Had a good summer pitching and has potential to help the varsity team this spring.

Liam Benson--Had a solid summer at the plate and may be able to help out as numbers are low.

Waylon Thieke--Solid athlete and is willing to help wherever the team needs Oliver Carlen.

2025 RECAP:

Conference Record: 9-1

Conference Champs Section: 4th Place 2025 was a fun season. Coming off such a historic run in 2024, we knew expectations would be high again. We had a very young team, with only two seniors and a couple of freshmen in the lineup. We ended up winning the conference, but unfortunately our bats went cold at the wrong time in sections. Still, it was a strong season overall and something to be proud of.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

We have a strong senior group this year along with a lot of returning talent, which should

Every year our goal is to improve each day and to get better as the season progresses. I expect our kids to compete not just in games, but in practice as well. Pushing each other and creating competitive situations in practice will make us that much tougher throughout the season. As a team, our goal is to win a couple playoff games. We have not done that since we have moved to AAA. It would be nice to get into the final four of our section.

COMPETITION:

Our conference will be tough with New Ulm and Marshall at the top. This year Belle Plaine will also be a tough team along with TCU. Most of the teams in our conference are returning their top players. Our conference schedule will be a great test for us to prepare us for the section. In the section, Mankato East and West will be very tough. I truly believe that our section is the toughest in the State in terms of depth and high end talent. If we are able to win a couple games and get into the final four of our section, that would be a very successful season.

ANYTHING ELSE?

We did not graduate any players from last season. This is probably the most “veteran” group I have coached in all my years at St. Peter.

Tri-City United baseball

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Greg Westerman, 2nd Year

Assistant coaches: Phil Tisdel – 4th year Andy Burns – 2nd year

ROSTER:

Isaak Worm - 12, Nathan Blaschko - 12, Brody Factor11, Carter Hunt - 11, Keegan O’Meara - 11, Kellen Jirik, 11, Parker O’Malley - 11, Brendan Frederick - 10, Camden Burns - 10, Gavin Flintrop - 10, Jack Kalis - 10, Kale Tisdel - 9.

KEY PLAYERS:

Eight returning starters from 2025

Senior Nate Blashko – 3 year starter, all big south 2025. Smooth shortstop with high OBP and good speed.

Solid pitcher with late action and sweeping off-speed.

Junior Parker O’Malley – 4 year starter, all big south 2025. Strong hitter with good pop, starting IF since 8th Grade. As a

pitcher can locate three pitches consistently, led the team in innings pitched last year.

Junior Keegan O’Meara – 3 year starter, 2nd year behind the dish who handles pitchers well with a strong arm. Good pop at the plate and brings a high intensity.

Junior Kellen Jirik – 3 year starter, Lanky lefthander that covers a lot of ground in the OF. Makes good contact at the plate and an excellent base runner. Hard throwing lefty with good movement on his fastball.

Sophomore Brendan Frederick – HM big south 2025. Lefthander that pitched regularly for varsity last year, but will look to be called into higher leverage situations in 2026. Excellent outfielder that tracks balls in the gap.

Freshman Kale Tisdel – Midseason callup as an 8th grader last year. Very good defensively at 1B and power potential at the plate. Will likely start the season in the middle of the lineup.

Junior Brody Factor – Versatile fielder that will spend time at 3B, SS and OF and also pitch.

Sophomore Camden Burns – Solid defender last season as a freshman, but will expect to contribute more consistently on the offensive side in his 2nd season.

2025 RECAP:

10-13 overall, 5-17 in Big South. 1-2 in section 2AA, losing to Le Suer-Henderson in extra innings in the quarterfinals.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

We believe we have the ability to in the top group of teams in section 2AA and finish in the top half of the Big South conference.

COMPETITION:

Marshall and St Peter as conference favorites. TCU, Cannon Falls and Le SueurHenderson as section favorites.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Despite only two seniors on the roster, we have a lot of experience, a balanced lineup and deep pitching staff.

make for an exciting season. This group has built great chemistry, having played together last year and

COMPETITION:

Cleveland baseball

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Walker Froehling, 1st year

Assistant Coach: Alec Rogers, 1st year

ROSTER:

Caleb Conner, JR, C/P/UTL, Kiptyn Coon, SO, INF/P, Aiden Domras, JR, INF, Max Freier, FR, INF, Urijah Hoheisel, FR, INF, Tony Hollerich, FR, UTL, August Keltgen, FR, INF, Hollis Knish, SR, OF, Alex Kortuem, SR, INF/P, Killian Kunkel, SR, INF, Creidin Lee, FR, INF, Carson Lyons, JR, INF/P, Pierce Lyons, FR, INF, Jeremy Miller, FR, OF, Jack Mons, FR, UTL, Jacob Mueller, FR, 1B, Carysn Ryg, SO, 1B/P, Nolan Schlaak, FR, C/INF, Brayden Seeman, FR, INF, Braeden Smith, JR, OF/P, Austin Tarkey, FR, OF, Miles Tomaszewski, SO, INF/P

KEY PLAYERS: Alex Kortuem, Caleb Connor, Carson Lyons, Braeden

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown baseball

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Manager, Sam Stier, first year.

ROSTER:

Talen Taylor; Parker James; Karson Green; Ryder Hughes; Brody Filan; Noah Lanham; Andrew Krenik; Patrick Bauer; Brendan Snesrud; Jackson Dahle; Brady Murphy; Spencer Geisler; Jacob Androli; Isaac Hoppe; Cale Snesrud; Braxton Keele; Charlie Hebl; Bailey Iverson; Will Faugstad; Walker Weiseke; Jacksten Knish; Gavin Williams; Ethan Roneker; Ben Wendel; Brayden Tlusky; Mason Waugh; Jack Barry

pitcher/infielder; Hayden Dillon, 11th, infielder/pitcher; Atley Qualey, 11th, infielder/ pitcher; Carter Quinlan, 11th, pitcher/infielder; Maverick Gordon, 11th, catcher/outfield; Jameson Nowaczewski, 10th, infielder/pitcher; AJ Simon, 10th, catcher/pitcher/outfield; Ben Loselie, 10th, outfield/ pitcher; Cooper Anderson, 10th, outfield/catcher; Jax Jenson, 10th, infield; Keaton Eastman, 10th, pitcher/ outfield; Mason Kazenbach, 10th, outfield/pitcher

KEY PLAYERS:

Dominic Erickson is a returning all conference player for us. He can play any position but will be catching a lot this year. Hayden Dillon is a 2 year starter for us and he can play any position. Last year he mostly played outfield but he will play all over the field this year. Jameson Nowaczewski started as a freshman and he wasn’t over matched. We are looking for him to have a great season for us.

Smith, Miles Tomaszewski. All started on varsity last year and will be big contributors again this season.

NEW CONTRIBUTORS:

With only seven players in grades 11-12, a number of freshman and sophomores will have to step into new roles and play full-time on varsity during the upcoming season.

2025 RECAP:

Finished 7-1 in conference and 14-6 overall for first in the conference championship standings. Finished third in section standings, winning the first game before falling in the next two.

2026 GOALS:

Continue to build upon last season’s success. The section and conference will be very competitive again and the team will have a lot of tough non-conference games throughout the season.

ROSTER:

Luke Schumaker, 12th, pitcher/1st base; Luke McCrea, 12th, outfielder; Dominic Erickson, 11th, catcher/

KEEP YOUR

EYE ON: Atley Qualey was hurt last year

KEY PLAYERS:

I didn’t get to see a lot of them playing last year as I was in the junior high, but I know with good numbers in the senior and freshman classes that I am excited to see how Jackson Dahle, Jacob, Androli, Noah Lanham, Patrick Bauer, Andrew Krenik and some younger guys mix. Talen Taylor hasn’t played for awhile, but he has been athletic and skilled up to this point in practice.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: This is hard to narrow down because our record hasn’t indicated the talent that I

and we are happy to have him back and healthy. He will play infield and pitch a lot for us this season. Ben Loselie is a 10th grader and also started a couple games as a freshman. He will be a key player playing in the outfield and adding a left handed arm on the mound for us. AJ Simon is a utility player and has been. He will play multiple positions and we are looking for him to pitch a lot for us this year.

2025 RECAP: 2-18 last year

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

We are a young team with a lot of underclassmen. We have two seniors but we are looking for them to help the younger guys

believe is here. Keep your eye on the team, I like where we are, but we need to prove we can compete with the likes of some other area teams.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: Bring WEM baseball back. This team is one of the most fun I have ever coached in terms of improvement, potential, energy, and focus. We will have to ride the season out one day at a time.

get ready for the year. We are excited about our roster and we know we will have some growing pains we feel like a lot of our guys can contribute in the field and on the mound.

COMPETITION:

The Big 9 conference is always tough and Mankato East will be very tough again. They were runner up at the state and seem to reload every year. Northfield and Owatonna are always tough. We are young but looking to be competitive this year.

Northfield baseball

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Josh Spitzack, 4th Year

Assistant coaches: Chris Graupmann, 4th Year; Bill Dunker, 2nd Year; Nic Zabel, 6th Year; Robert Garcia, 11th Year

ROSTER:

Jens Amunrud, Sr., P/INF; Rourke Bennett, Sr., P/1B; JT Graupmann, Sr., P/INF; Tyler Hupton, Sr., P/INF; Jake Lorence, Sr., 1B; Dylan Morrow, Sr., OF; Mason Muench, Sr., OF; Michael Steward, Sr.,

INF; Henry Webber, Sr., OF; Christian Whiteman, Sr., OF; Wade Gilbertson, Jr., P/INF; Tyler Holz, Jr., P/1B; Torin Hoskinson, Jr., OF; Ben Ims, Jr., P/INF; Brody Jenson, Jr., C; Owen Jenson, Jr., P/OF; Jonah Koch, Jr., P/OF; Colton Morrow, Jr., INF; Taylor Stanford, Jr., OF; Braden Vansickle, Jr., OF

KEY PLAYERS:

JT Graupmann: Was All-State last year and was dominant on the mound all season.

Michael Steward: Outstanding defense at multiple infield positions and did a great

job getting on base out of the lead-off spot.

Christian Whiteman: High energy player who puts the ball in play and makes things happen on the basepaths.

Henry Webber: Can drive in runs with his power and also create runs on the bases with his speed.

Wade Gilbertson: Was a key contributor last year both on the mound and at the plate.

Brody Jenson: Very good defensive catcher with a strong arm and middle of the order hitter who drives in runs.

Rourke Bennett: Talented

pitcher that will step into an even bigger role this year.

Dylan Morrow: Great defensive outfielder that puts the ball in play and uses his speed to create runs.

Jens Amunrud: Will step into a bigger pitching role this season and also provides great defense at multiple infield spots.

Tyler Hupton: Great contact hitter that can play multiple spots in the infield and will also contribute on the mound.

Mason Muench: Very good defensive outfielder with a great arm and continues to get better at the plate.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Tyler Holz: Good contact and pop at the plate and can also contribute on the mound.

Colton Morrow: Good defensive infielder and can also have an impact at the plate.

Ben Ims: Good defensive infielder who will also contribute on the mound.

2025 RECAP:

Finished 18-6 overall, 13-3 in the conference (2nd place) and lost in the Section Sem-final

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

We have a lot of players back that were a part of our success last year and guys who are ready

to step into bigger roles. We have a lot of depth at multiple positions so if we can continue to play for each other and embrace different roles we should have a chance to have a successful season and compete for both the conference and the section.

COMPETITION:

The Big 9 is always competitive and you need to be ready every night. Both Mankato East and Mankato West are always at the top of the conference along with Rochester Mayo and Owatonna. In the section Stewartville has been in the section final the last 2 years so they are always tough. Byron and K-M have also had success the last couple of years and will be competitive again.

GOOD LUCK TITANS!

Kenyon-Wanamingo baseball

Owatonna baseball

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Tate Cummins, 19th year

Assistant Coaches: James Dahlgren, Chad Wiesner, Travis Hilstad, Nate Van Roekel, Brandon Rolloff

ROSTER:

Seniors: Bentley Arvig, Wyatt Frantesl, Isaiah Farwell, Will Radel, Braydan Mahlman, Amilio Garza, Christian Flores, AJ Ulrich, Hunter Theobald, Jace Ulrich, Grayson Campion

Juniors: Nolan Rolloff, Jaxson Gautier, Aedan Tackmann, Andrew Selbrade, Layton

Schnorenberg, Joe Klecker

KEY PLAYERS: Nolan Rolloff (SS/P) - One of the top players in the Big 9 Conference. He’s coming off of a monster sophomore season hitting over .400 and collecting over 30 hits. He was also a key piece for us last spring on the mound. He had 30 strikeouts in 30 innings pitched.

Jace Ulrich (3B/C/P) - One our most versatile players on the roster. Jace is a returning top end pitcher for us coming off a great 2025 out of the bullpen. He did have a number of starts as well. He’ll be asked to catch and play 3B this season as well.

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Dylan Craig, year two as head coach and year nine in the program Assistant coaches: Nate Craig, year two.

ROSTER:

Brennan Flotterud, Senior, catcher/Infielder; Bryan Jacobson, Senior, Utility player; Derek Syverson, Senior, Outfielder; Landon Johnson, Junior, Utility; Oliver Bauer, Junior, P/Infielder; Caleb Edwards, Junior, P/Infielder; Griffin Bakken, Junior, P/ Infielder; Owen Luedtke, Junior, P/Utility; Liam Sommer, Sophomore, P/Outfielder; Nate Keller, Sophomore, Infielder; Isaac Mills, Freshman, Utility

KEY PLAYERS:

All three seniors. (Brennan Flotterud, Bryan Jacobson, and Derek Syverson). Each one of them is a big time leader. They show up and prove themselves every day. These three were big aspects last year on a team that had 12 seniors that have

now graduated and some are continuing to play ball at the college level. Look for these three to show themselves this year.

Caleb Edwards. Caleb got to pitch in some tightly contested games and really proved himself last year. This is going to be a great opportunity for Caleb this year to really show what he has.

Oliver Bauer. Oliver got playing time last year and was able to prove himself as a varsity regular. Look for him to continue to grow and be a big part of the offense and defense.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Liam Sommer. Liam is a kid that can play about anywhere and track a ball down no matter where its hit. Whether he is playing outfield or on the mound Liam is gonna give it his all and show what he’s got. Liam is the younger brother of last year graduate Reed Sommer who had an amazing baseball career for KW. Liam will fill in nicely in replace of him. Landen Johnson. Landen is gonna be a great addition this year on the varsity roster.

Can play just about anywhere and will for sure find his place this year on the field.

2025 RECAP: 6-11 overall 3-6 Gopher Conference. Lost a tough game in extra innings to Blooming Prairie in the section tournament.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: Goals and expectations are to improve everyday. We want to build off of last years outcome. We want to get back to compete for a conference championship and make a deep run in the section tournament.

COMPETITION:

I think we have a team this year that is going to battle anyone. They are competitive and I think that will show on the field this year. We are gonna have a younger team than last year after graduating 12 seniors in 2025. And things will look a little different but we are all excited for this season.

Will Radel (2B/P) - Will played middle infield for us last season and collected over 40 AB’s of varsity experience. He’ll be asked to play 2B and SS once again this season. He’s a smart player that improved offensively last summer for Post 77.

Bentley Arvig (OF) - Bentley collected 21 hits last year as a junior while starting in LF. He’s a threat offensively from the left side of the box where he’ll hit in the top of the lineup.

Isaiah Farwell (OF) - Isaiah had a fantastic summer for Post 77. He was one of our top hitters within the lineup. He covers the gaps in CF and is a hard nosed player that loves to compete.

Jaxson Gautier (OF/P) - Left handed pitcher that started a number of games for the Huskies. He’s looking to be a main piece of the rotation this spring. He brings one of the best curve balls in the conference.

Wyatt Frantesl (OF) - Wyatt had a very nice summer for Post 77. He came up with a number of big time hits that allowed the Legion team to make it to State. He’s a strong athlete that continues to get better as a player.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Aedan Tackmann (SS/C/ OF/P), Christian Flores (1B/P), Hunter Theobald (1B), Grayson Campion (2B/P), AJ Ulrich (3B/P), Amilio Garza (3B), Braydan Mahlman (P).

2025 RECAP:

3rd place behind Northfield and Mankato East in the Big 9 Conference. We were 12-4 in the Big 9 and 18-6 Overall. We finished 4th in the section after falling to Lakeville North in the Final Four.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

We are hoping to be a competitive team to face this season. We have a group of players that enjoy and care about the game of baseball. They work hard daily and continue to push one another. We want to play hard and give it our best every time we step on the field of play.

COMPETITION:

We should compete well if we can stay strong mentally. Ability to rebound from mistakes will be a key for us this season. We’ve matured last summer, we are hoping that they can remember that mindset. We have to stay positive and focus on one game at a time. The conference is once again very competitive in my opinion. Mankato East has a great core of players that should contend for a state title in Class 3A Baseball. Mankato West will be right there with them. Century will be improved from last spring. Mayo continually plays tough baseball. Northfield lost two high end players, but they will still be highly competitive with a great pitching staff. Austin has one of the best left handed pitchers in the conference, so it all depends on when he’s on the mound, they can beat anyone. It should be a very exciting season.

Blooming Prairie baseball

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Matt Kittelson (12th season, 23rd with the program)

Assistant Coaches: Chad Gimbel and Mark Lee

ROSTER:

Seniors: Carsten Ingvalson

(C/P), Jared Lee (OF/P), Bradley Boyd (OF/P)

Juniors: Gabe Staloch (IF/P), Eliot Gimbel (IF/P), Kelvin McCarthy (OF), Lukas DenHerder (IF/OF/P), Zach Green (IF), Connor Rennie (OF), Jaxon Studer (IF/P)

Sophomores: Brayton Ingvalson (IF/P), Eli Johnson (OF/P)

KEY PLAYERS:

Carsten Ingvalson - The senior catcher was an All-Conference and All-Section 1A team selection in 2025. The leader of our team, controls the game from behind the plate. Led the team in batting average, doubles, OPS, and stolen bases last year. Gabe Staloch - The junior was an Honorable Mention

Piepho, Aiden Routh, Memphis Schlaak, Owen Schlaak, Alec Wyrum, Andy Nelson

All-Conference selection last season. Has been the starting shortstop since the end of his 8th grade season.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Jared Lee - The senior was ineligible for varsity play as a junior due to transfer rules. He will add a wealth of baseball experience, a strong left arm, and a powerful bat to our lineup this year. Signed to play at Dakota County Technical College after high school.

2025 RECAP:

15-7 record, 7-2 in the conference (tied for 2nd), 3rd place in Section 1A

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

Our expectations don’t change, we expect to be in the mix for the conference and the section. To reach that goal we need focus on getting better each and every day so that we are playing our best baseball at the end of the season. We have a very competitive conference and section, which will provide for a very fun season.

Owen Wayne will once again be NRHEG’s ace this season in his senior year. (File

at bat of getting on base.

AJ Deen - Strong at bat.

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Marcus Fischer, 1st year (3rd overall)

Assistant Coaches: Kordell Schlaak and Jeff Reese

ROSTER: Seniors: Isaac Bauleke , Jordan Brouwers, Wyatt Larson, Owen Wayne

Sophomores:

Freshmen:

KEY PLAYERS:

Owen Wayne - Senior, will be our ace pitcher again this year.

Strong infielder and leader. Strong at bat. He is committed to Bethany Lutheran College (Mankato) for baseball.

Wyatt Larson - Strong catcher that works hard. Good leader, our captain! Jordan Brouwers - Is a strong

Brooks Gilliland - Missed last year with injury, will be great to have back his leadership. First baseman and a strong pitcher.

Ryan Schlaak - Strong pitcher and great outfielder, will be a force for us.

Dakota Schlaak - Had time as a freshman last year, great outfielder and a good bat.

Calvin Nissen - Had time as a main pitcher last year. Will be a good rotation in the pitching game, and a good infielder.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Mack Gilliland- Freshman, going to be a strong at bat that will help us as a team.

Levi Whiteside- Looking forward to his pitching abilities.

Sean Lassahn - Outfielder with a strong work ethic, will make impacts at the plate.

Brock Holland- Utility player, can play in any position, he has lots of talent in any spot that we need him.

2025 RECAP: 6-14 overall, 2-7 in

COMPETITION:

The Gopher Conference and Section 1A always have great teams that make for very competitive seasons. In the conference Randolph and Hayfield are always in the mix. In Section 1A, Hayfield, Lyle-Pacelli, and Southland will all be extremely good teams.

BY THE NUMBERS:

3 - Seniors

7 - Juniors

2 - Sophomores

4 - Lost to graduation from last season

Gopher Conference.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: Expectations for this season:

To build a solid baseball team and to build off of the success we were seeing last year. Lots of these guys have had varsity experience and pitching. We did not lose a pitcher, where that has been a challenge the past two seasons without many options of experienced arms. Team Strengths: Good amount of pitchers. Solid, young team, with lots of varsity experience. Goals as a team are too get back to the winning side of a record, to reset after every inning when needed, and to not focus on the overall score, but to go after the difference in runs. I believe with the mental components of the game and if we have the right mindset, we will be a great team that can compete with the section. I am excited to have a complete baseball team that is ready to compete. We will be ready to attack every pitch, every approach, and every opportunity.

COMPETITION:

We should have a good chance to compete in this section. We have great pitching, strong athletes in all positions, and should have some good bats come around this year. We will be competing for a top spot in the conference as we have a good chance, and same with the section. The current favorites in the section would have to be Hayfield, Blooming Prairie, or Randolph.

Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton baseball

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Cory Jewison, 6th season

Assistant coach(es): Tyler Fellows, Trent Edberg

Waseca baseball

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Taylor Phelps, 5th year

Assistant Coaches: Austin Nagel, Payton Garza, Boe Lueken, Brayden Berg

ROSTER:

Seniors: Logan Reger, Jaiden Schafer, Avery Wetzel, Kaden Garza, Riley Mitchell, Julius Oviedo

Juniors: Troy Ryan, Cash Lynch, Owen Honstad, Kallen Glynn, Kamerin Ferch, Hayden Stencel

Sophomores: Calvin Kahnke, Kellen Klinger, Ty Krautkremer

KEY PLAYERS:

Senior captains Kaden Garza, Logan Reger, Avery Wetzel.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Lots of juniors and sophomores from last year will be stepping into more serious roles on the team as seniors and juniors and our success will be dependent on their ability to perform.

2025 SEASON RECAP: 2-14 overall, 1-9 in conference play.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

Strengths: We have a lot of players that can play lots of positions, this will help move players around and get players in the right position for our team’s success.

Weaknesses: Putting the ball in play and taking advantage of the opportunities we

Medford baseball

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Joe Melles, 10th year

ROSTER:

Seniors: Collin Perigo, Jon Gonzalez, Kevyn Burr, Reid Wildergrube

Juniors: James Wegner, Justin limon, Kyle Vatsaas, Landon Seiler, Will Van Ryn

Sophomores: August Zacherias, Jared Sheeler, Mason Krenz

Freshmen: Brad Limon, Andrew Bartosch

Eighth-Grade: Ian Kath

KEY PLAYERS:

Landon Seiler - Highest batting average on the team last season at .420. Also led the team in hits with 21 and in runs with 23. Pitched the most on the team last year.

August Zacherias - .349 batting average last season and led the team in RBIs with 16. Justin Limon - Led team in base on balls with 14 last year.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Young players that will look to make progress from last season.

2025 SEASON RECAP: 5-11 overall record. Lost to Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial in the first round. Was one seed away from hosting a playoff game.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: Look to continue improving after graduating only one senior last year. A lot of players gained a lot of experience last season so hopefully that will transfer well into this year.

boys are ready to take the next step. I am excited to see our current seniors be leaders on and off the field. I think our seniors are due for a very big year with all areas of the game. They have always been good at finding a way to win games since they were younger. They just need to do it one last time.

COMPETITION:

Blooming Prairie should be tough with a very good pitcher. Randolph and Hayfield are always good. There may be surprises this year in our conference so it could be a very exciting season. I don’t think there is one dominant team this year in the conference.

ANYTHING ELSE?

RETURNING LETTERWINNERS:

Chase Gerdts, Sr. P/OF, Caleb Quast, Sr. OF, Zander Terbeest,

Sr. P/1B, Seth Dahlberg, Jr. P/C, Parker Geariety, Jr., Inf., Blayne Wandrie, Jr. 1B/P, Yale Johnson, Jr. OF/1B, Jaxon Wolff, So. Inf/ OF, Gavin Bauer, So. OF,Ayden Peterson, So. P/OF/Inf.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

I think this year’s expectation is to compete in every game and improve from last year. We had 7 new starters last year and we return 5 of them including a few additional kids with Varsity experience. These

put ourselves and the ones presented to us by other teams.

This is an exciting year to see how much our players developed this past offseason. If this team can continue developing and improve then the second half of the year should be lots of fun. The boys just need to stay consistent and grind out wins when the games are close.

COMPETITION: Big South Conference favorites: Marshall, Fairmont, St. Peter

St. Peter boys tennis

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Aaron Rothenberger, 20th year with the program

Assistant coaches: Zetta Haugen 2nd year with the boys

ROSTER:

Jaxson Schaefer 12th grade, Ashton Baker 12th grade, Alexander Dlouhy 12th grade, Malcolm McHugh 12th grade, Elijah Cherland-Narum 12th grade, Samuel Szybnski 12th grade, Sam Baxa 12th grade, Amar Daidzic 12th grade, Cole

many more not listed that could also be big contributors, but there’s a lot of uncertainty since our season started this week.

2025 RECAP:

(15-7, second in BSC Black Division, lost to Holy Family in Section 2A quarterfinals. Individually, Senior captains Ezekiel Ribar and Quinn Dixon won the 2A doubles championship and qualified for the state tournament. They lost in the state quarterfinals.)

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

Buffington 11th grade, Everett Pettis 11th grade, Brody Kennedy 11th grade, Jaego Smuder 11th grade, Jake Banks 11th grade, Brayden Rothenberger 9th grade, Kale Schmidt 9th grade, Abel Baker 8th grade, Solomon Baker 8th grade, Dane Wenner 8th grade, Caleb Gilbertson

Waseca boys tennis

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Kyle Collins, 24th year

Assistant Coach: Trish Mercier, 8th year; Jacari Jellum, 2nd year

ROSTER:

Seniors: Allen Kopetzki, Bryghton Rugger

Juniors: Henry Huttemier, Nolan McQuery, Dawson

Goodlander, Jacob Harguth

Sophomores: Armaan

Bhatti, Joe Calhoun

Freshmen: Keenan Collins, Carson True, Nicholas Nelson, Jesse Wobschall, Connor Vosejpka

Seventh-Grade: Korbin Collins, Daniel Switzer

KEY PLAYERS: Allen Kopetzki - Allen played both singles and doubles last year, and will probably do much of the same, as a utility player for us again this year (11-7 record last year). His left-handed slice serve is hard for opponents to handle.

Henry Huttemier - Henry will probably play the top singles spot for us this season after playing 2nd singles for a few seasons. 10-5 record last year at #2 singles. Henry is also a lefthander that has a powerful serve and has solid groundstrokes to go along with his big serve.

Armaan Bhatti - Armaan played mostly doubles the last 2 seasons but will probably move to singles this year (either 2nd or 3rd singles). He was 15-4 overall last year. Armaan is a very consistent and patient tennis player. He can play singles or doubles very well.

Keenan Collins - Keenan also played a lot of doubles the last 2 years and will likely compete with Armaan for the 2nd and 3rd singles positions. He was also 15-4 last year. Keenan has improved his game tremendously over the offseason, and should be a threat whatever position he plays.

8th grade, Enzo Valentini 8th grade, Eli Becker 8th grade, Brendan Holicky 8th grade, Dominic Yost 8th grade, Traesyn Doran 8th grade, Jack Schabert 8th grade, Ahnki Smuder 8th grade, Hugo Bosch 8th grade, Adrian January 8th grade, Max Swenson 8th grade, Bentley Koch 8th grade, Elliott Smith 8th grade, Lucas Chambers 8th grade, Callan Davis 7th grade, Hayden Sickler 7th grade, Sawyer Brancamp 7th grade

KEY PLAYERS:

Seniors: Ashton Baker,

Jaxson Schaefer. Freshman Brayden Rothenberger. My two seniors will lead well by example on and off the court. All three returning starters will bring varsity experience to a very young and inexperienced team.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON SENIORS:

Elijah Cherlund-Narum, Amar Daidzic, Malcolm McHugh, Juniors: Cole Buffington and Brody Kennady, 9th grade Kale Schmidt, 8th graders: Enzo Valentini, Max Swenson, and Caleb Gilbertson. There are

a freshman alongside now-freshman Keenan

WasecaCountyNews.com)

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Nolan McQuery - Nolan didn’t see any varsity action last year, but has looked good in the first few practices. He will probably settle into a doubles position in our line-up.

Bryghton Rugger - Bryghton was in and out of the varsity line-up last year. We need him to fill some big shoes in doubles and be ready to compete every day.

Korbin Collins - Korbin will be a nice addition to our team as one of our two 7th graders. Korbin has played many USTA tournaments in the off-season, which has helped his game improve.

2025 RECAP:

Won the Black Division (4-0) over New Ulm, Fairmont, St.Peter and Worthington. Then fell, 5-2 to Redwood Valley in the Big South Championship.

Redwood won the Gold Division (Blue Earth, Luverne, Pipestone, St. James).

In Section play, Waseca defeated Stewartville 6-1 in the 1st round and then lost 5-2 to eventual Section 1A Champ Winona Cotter in the Section Semi-Finals.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

Graduation hit us pretty hard losing half of our top 10 players. We will be young, and have many new faces in our doubles line-up. We have many multisport

We will be in rebuilding mode for the next two seasons. We only have 2 freshmen and no sophomores, so our team will be very young with 12 8th graders. We have low expectations. Our focus will be improving fundamentals, learning about doubles and singles strategies and learning from our match experience. More than likely we will be towards the bottom in our conference and section this season, but I am always optimistic with potential surprises.

COMPETITION:

Conference favorites: Waseca and St. James. Section favorites St. James, SW Christian, and Litchfield

athletes in our varsity lineup, which should give us the advantage when the matches are on the line.

This is the first year of On-Court coaching for the boys tennis teams. This allows the coaches to give almost instant feedback to the players, immediately after a point ends, instead of waiting until the next changeover.

COMPETITION:

Our BSC-Black division should be pretty balanced with many teams returning about the same number and caliber of players. It’s hard to say who the frontrunner would be at this time.

BSC- Gold division favorites would be Redwood Valley and St.James Area .

Section 1A will be tough again, with Cotter and Lourdes being the top 2 teams and having many veteran players back.

Section 1A teams are: Cotter, Lourdes, Lake City, Stewartville, Schaeffer Academy, Red Wing and Waseca.

BY THE NUMBERS:

2 - seniors

4 - juniors

2 - sophomores

5 - freshmen

2 - 7th-graders

Faribault boys tennis

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Jeff Anderson, 13th year

Assistant coaches: Robb Morris, 5th year

ROSTER:

Isse Ali, 12; Adam DiazCoons, 12; Ben Diaz-Coons, 12; Kelvin Fu, 12; Colin Haefs, 12; Nelson Landrau Ortiz, 12;

Miles Leopold, 12; Richard Lopez, 12; Brandon Petricka, 12; Andy Tino-Quila, 12; Liam Redman, 12; Mitch Gibbs, 11; Marco Molina Rodriguez, 11; Landon Shepherd, 11; Avery Carson Buck, 10; Dylan Madrid, 10; Judah Dierks, 9; Bentley Lewis, 8; Josiah Dierks, 7; Bryce Goeing, 7

KEY PLAYERS:

Brandon is a returning Big

9 All Conference player that is expected to return to our 1 singles spot while Adam and Ben Diaz-Coons are expected to return to our 1 doubles spot. Miles, Nelson, Colin, Mitch, Liam, and Landon are expected to help fill out our varsity line up.

PLAYERS WE WILL MISS:

Carsen Kramer will be missed this season. He was a team captain and leader, a two-time

Northfield boys tennis

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Co-Head Coach Beth LaCanne: 8+ years coaching at NHS Boys and Girls Tennis, over 20 years of coaching

Co-Head Coach Jake Odell: 10 years coaching at NMS and NHS Boys and Girls Tennis

ROSTER:

Andy Amundson, 12; Max Beckman, 11; Elias Bengtson, 10; Carter Borovsky, 11; Isaac Carroll, 10; Amaan Chakladar, 9; Jasper Connole, 9; Jacob Engelmann, 9; Coen Farley, 9; Mate Hargitay, 9; Anders Hillman, 11; Sullivan Kane, 11; Jacob Larsen, 11; Lucas Malosh, 10; Dyson McBroom, 11; Theodore Menk, 12; Graham Peterson, 11; Emmett Rychner, 9; Owen

Stanton, 9; Leo Steinberg, 9; Easton Truman, 11; Benjamin Udelhofen, 9; Erik Walter, 10

KEY PLAYERS:

We are returning a large majority of our varsity lineup to this years team with the exception of two players. We will have Andy Amundson, Max Beckman, Eli Bengtson, Carter Borovsky, Dyson McBroom, Theo Menk, Graham Peterson, Emmett Rychner, Easton Truman, and Ben Udelhofen. Emmett and Ben were 8th graders on the team last year, but saw many matches of varsity exposure at 3rd doubles and 4th singles.

Carter Borovsky-Carter is the team leader and is key to our team’s success. He has been playing doubles the last few

Big 9 All Conference Player, and a great 2 singles player for the team that finished last season with a 10-1 Big 9 Conference record and an overall record of 16-3.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Richard and Marco along with Judah, Josiah and Bryce could help the team in varsity play. Our team has a lot of talent and ability, and it will be a fun season to watch their improvement on the court in both practices and matches.

2025 RECAP: Conference Record 2024 – 4-7

– defeated Mankato East, Albert Lea, Red Wing and Austin twice (first in season and second in the first round of Team Sections) Conference Rank – 8th place Overall record 2024 – 10-9 – also defeated Stewartville, Farmington, Lake City, St James, and Lakeville South.

Best overall record in over 12 years and first time the team had a winning record.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

As always, do our best and have fun. Our focus will be to get ourselves properly prepared in practices so we are confident on the courts during matches.

COMPETITION: In conference, I am looking for the team to be competitive in most matches and especially against Albert Lea, Winona, Austin, Northfield, Mankato East and Red Wing and competitive against Stewartville, Waseca, and Farmington for non-conference opponents. Mayo remains a favorite in conference with Century, Mankato West, and Owatonna able to challenge Mayo a bit.

2025 RECAP:

Our season was a rebuilding year after losing our team leaders. It ended a bit up and down with many good matches with solid play throughout the lineup, while also matched with matches that did not go the way we expected. We ended with a 9-8 record, finishing with a 4-7 record in the Big 9. We had good showings at Big 9 Conference tournament and got to the second round of the section tournament as a team. We had goals for individuals, but had matches that did not go our way from stellar play from our opponents.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

years, but is transitioning to playing singles this year and is feeling confident about his season! He has put in hours upon hours of work and is ready to play.

Eli Bengtson-Eli is our returning 1st singles player and is so incredibly consistent and strong. Eli is a sophomore and ended his freshman year playing high quality tennis, looking to carry that in this spring! Eli will battle with Carter to give us strong chances at our 1 and 2 singles spots throughout the season.

Theo Menk-Theo is a two year captain who was a steady presence at our 2nd singles spot last year. Theo is an incredible competitor who is not afraid to go toe to toe with anyone!

Max Beckman-Max is a first year captain and is coming in

with exceptional confidence that this year will be a successful one for him. He is a mainstay in our doubles lineup-playing 2 doubles last year.

Andy Amundson-Andy is the last of our captains and is our lefty representative. Andy held down the 4th singles spot last year and looks to continue his work in the singles lineup with a solid serve and crafty forehand!

Dyson McBroom-Dyson caught fire towards the end of our season last year and was playing lights out with big serves and pounding forehands. He is a dangerous player!

Graham Peterson-Graham is an all-around team lead and is looking to come back from an injury prone 2nd half of the season last year. With a big serve and forehand, Graham is another of the doubles mainstays usually playing 2 dubs last year.

Easton Truman: Easton is the last of our consistent varsity

starters last year and is ready to improve on his play last year. Easton played a mix of 4th singles and 2/3 doubles throughout the season and is ready to make a mark for his team this spring!

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

This season we will continue to look for the gains that Max Beckman, Graham Peterson, Easton Truman, and Andy Amundson made from last year to this year. The two we are most looking forward to seeing have an impact is Ben Udelhofen and Emmett Rychner. They both saw varsity action last year, but not on a consistent basis as we rotated their playing time with another 8th grader. Ben put in a ton of hours in over the winter and is ready to bring that experience to the court. Emmett has been working on his serve and forehand and is ready to see what type of impact he can have.

This season looks to be a step up from last year since we are returning nearly our entire lineup after another year of experience, learning new skills, and playing through some tough situations. The goal is to apply the lessons we learned from last year and be a strong team because of them. We are ready to battle with some awesome Big 9 teams and section opponents. Our expectations are to improve upon our record from last year and finish in the top five of our conference. Overall, we will be a tough team that will be looking to make some noise this year!

COMPETITION:

As mentioned in the previous question, our conference is tough and many of our conference opponents are also our section opponents. Rochester Mayo will be the strongest, with Century not far behind. Outside of those teams, Northfield stands a chance to make some moves and utilize our experience and the knowledge gained from last years matches to improve upon our performance this year.

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Neil Doose 17th year

Assistant Coach: Steve Walker 3rd year

KEY PLAYERS:

Owen Matejcek (12th) Owen

Owatonna boys tennis

COACHES, YEARS COACHING:

Head Coach: Curt Matejcek, 29th year

KEY PLAYERS:

Players who saw significant varsity time last season, including Asher Penn, August Penn, Landon Rahn, Stephon Sennott, Owen Kaytor, Tristan Gibart, Graeme Spinks.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Players who played on JV last season that will look to fill the holes of players who graduated last year.

2025 RECAP: Lost to Rochester Mayo in the section semis after beating Rochester John Marshall at home in the quarters.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: Look to get more experience and improve as the season goes on after losing last years’ No. 1 singles player in Thomas Oien and the No. 1 doubles teammates in Finn Loveless and Joe Zeman to graduation.

COMPETITION:

Rochester Mayo will once again be a force in both the Big 9 Conference and Section 1AA.

finished 1st in the Big South Conference and dropped his scoring average from 39 to 38 last year. He also qualified for his 2nd Minnesota 2AA State tournament finishing in 16th place out of 88 golfers after finishing in 46th place as a sophomore. Owen will be counted on as

a captain and we will rely on his leadership and work ethic this year. Owen played a lot of summer golf and is hopefully able to take another step forward this spring. Owen has committed to play golf for Minnesota State Mankato next year.

Ethan Moreau (11th) Ethan finished 4th in the Big South

Conference and lowered his scoring average to 39 per 9 holes last spring. Ethan has worked on his golf all year and narrowly missed a State qualifying birth two years in a row. Hopefully this will be the spring where he takes that next step and reaches his potential. Ethan needs to improve his mental mindset and work on the NextShot Mentality in order to take that big step. We will need Ethan to stay focused and consistent for the team this spring.

Kalvin Barfknecht (11th) Kalvin

got a lot of varsity experience last year which should really help him be a big part of this year’s team. Kalvin dropped his scoring average to 41.8 last spring and we will need him to lower that by a couple strokes per 9.

Kalvin finished 16th in the Big South conference which earned him all-conference honors as well. He will need to be consistent and stay away from the blowup holes to help this team reach its goals. Looking for a great spring from Kalvin and hoping he can make a push at

the state tournament this season.

Kade Mata (9th) Kade will hopefully be a major part of this year’s team and successes as the season progresses. He had a wonderful year as an 8th grader last year for the Saints. He has now had a full year of varsity experience and that should really help him take a big step and he has a shot to qualify for the state tournament in AA this spring. Kade lowered his 9 hole scoring average to 41 and 4th overall in the tough Big South Conference. If he can drop average by 2 more this year, some good things are coming for him. Kade plays a lot of golf and should be a mainstay on the Saints varsity team for years to come.

Isaiah Homrighausen (9th) Isaiah is the sleeper for the team in 2026. He works hard, took lessons from a great instructor] and played a lot of golf this summer. Isaiah finished 17th in the Big South and that earned him all conference as an 8th grader. Isaiah finished strong last year and we will need him to start strong and improve as the season goes on. His scoring average dropped to a 43 last season and we are hoping he can shoot a few more rounds in the

varsity sub last year. She golfs a lot and puts time into her game that should result in a varsity spot this season.

Kaelyn Loula - Kaelyn subbed in on the varsity a couple of times last year. She is a natural golfer with an outstanding work ethic.

2025 RECAP:

Karli Miller - 14th section meet Team - 8th in section

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

St. Peter girls golf

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Kris Voeltz, 3rd year

Assistant coaches: Nancy Hanson, 20th year

ST. PETER BOYS GOLF CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35

30’s this year. Composure and mental mindset will be a key for him to have even more success. Cole Haggenmiller (9th) won the 6th spot at section last spring and he has always been a consistent golfer. Cole hits lots of fairways and will need to

ROSTER:

Julie Weber - 12, Ashlyn Loula - 12, Aubrey Haynes - 12, Maddy Ruffing - 11, Natalie Salfer - 11, Addy Jaeger - 11, Leah Boomgaarden - 11,

hit more greens in regulation and cut down on the number of putts to lower his average from last years 46. He will be competing for a permanent spot on the varsity team and I am looking for a big improvement in his game. Getting varsity experience last spring will only help him going into 2026. Brek Wachal (10th) Brek played a few varsity meets last spring

Audrey Born - 11, Savanna Brown - 11, Charlie Hagen11, Sophie Nielsen - 10, Ella Jaeger - 9, Norah Born - 9, Sam Salzwedel - 9, Kaelyn Loula - 9

KEY PLAYERS:

Julie Weber - Julie was our number two golfer last season. Our number one golfer, Karli

and had to end his season early with an injury. He is back and ready to compete for a varsity roster spot again and will hopefully be a steady part of this spring’s varsity team He averaged a 47.1 last spring and he will need to be more consistent and steady and really work hard on staying away from the blow-up holes. Looking for Brek to take a big leap.

Miller graduated, so Julie could easily slide into that number one position.

Maddy Ruffing - Maddy will challenge Julie to be number one on the team. She has a lot of SPHS golf experience and should help our team tremendously.

Ashlyn Loula - Ashlyn was new to golf last year and made the top 6 on our team. She is very

Gus Hulsebus (9th) Gus also had some valuable varsity experience last year and had a great summer of golf as well. Gus dropped his scoring average to 45.9 and we are looking forward to seeing how much he can lower that scoring average. Gus is really consistent and manages the course very well which really helps his scores. Gus will also be fighting for a permanent varsity spot and it will be fun watching him compete and improve.

Benton Darge (11th) Benton had a bit of varsity experience as well and averaged 45.9 with a low round of 79. If he can play the course better and knows when to attack and when to play things safe, he could be a difference maker for the Saints. Benton is competing for a varsity spot this year.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Carter Dale (12th) is new this year and he is a good athlete. We are hoping he can play at the varsity level by the end of the spring. Ethan Potts (11th) is also new to the golf team. He is another good athlete who already has a good golf swing and we will have to work early on course management. He also has an opportunity to play a few varsity meets. Joseph Connor (12th) is also new to golf and a good athlete and it is great to have him on the golf team. He will compete on JV and we will see if he can make the next jump to some varsity meets.

Andrew Hoag (10th) Avg 65, Brady Bartelt (10th) Avg 49 will be competing on JV with an outside shot of cracking the varsity lineup. Marshall Bye (10th) Avg 66, Kadan Lehman (9th) Avg 68, Max West (8th) will look to compete at the JV level for the Saints. Max averaged 52 as a 7th grader so the potential is definitely there. Andrew Lyle (10th) is new to golf and will be on the JV team. Callen Sykora is another new golfer this spring and we are looking for him to compete for a JV spot in his first year as an 8th grader. Other new

talented. I look for Ashlyn to do well again this season.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Charlie Hagen - Charlie will be one to watch this spring. She works hard and that hard work should pay off with some lower scores.

Sam Salzwedel - Sam was a

golfers (7th Calin Powell, Cooper Ristau, Jonah Scholl

We will have to wait and see if any of these players will step up and compete for varsity roster spots. A few of them really improved last spring and we will need them to push for varsity spots this spring. We have a few very competitive JV meets for these guys to compete and show they can earn varsity spots by the end of the 2026 season.

2025 RECAP:

1st place finish in the Big South Conference tournament and the Big South Champions 2 years in a row.

2025 St. Peter had 5 of the 18 all-conference golfers.

2025 St. Peter finished in 3rd place in Section 2AA behind the perennial Minnesota State High School league powerhouses Southwest Christian and Holy Family.

2025 St. Peter had one state qualifier (Owen Matejcek) who finished 16th at state and only 3 strokes from being a medalist.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

We will have a young but very experienced team in 2026 and I am looking for a lot of success and am excited for the 2026 season. Sure we have a lot of returning players from a good 2025 team, but we have other pieces and players that can hopefully step up and play consistently this spring and compete for those varsity spots. I am hoping our newcomers and younger returning players can improve and provide much needed competition at the varsity level. As a younger team we really need to improve our decision-making, course management, our shot selection, and our mental mindsets while on the course. Improving and really practicing our short games will also be a difference maker as we strive for our team goals. Our key focus for this team is to develop a much better mental mindset and the ability to move on

Our goal is to finish in the top 4 in the section and top 3 in the conference. We have 23 golfers in our program this year. The program is growing which allows for more competition. The girls will be able to push each other to improve and make our team stronger and more competitive.

ANYTHING ELSE?

I’m looking forward to this season. We have 23 amazing student-athletes this year who are going to do amazing things. Go Saints!

from a bad shot or a bad hole quickly. I am challenging this year’s team to use our 7-Step Rule. When hitting a poor shot, they will be given 7 steps to let it go and begin focusing on their next shot. If we can do this consistently, we will be much improved. Having a positive demeanor and showing good body language is a trait that all great golfers are able to do and we NEED to improve on that and our older players will need to set a good example for our younger players. We will need to control what we can control and not focus on the things we cannot. Our goals as a team have not changed for several years. Our goals are to outwork and improve more than the other teams in our conference and section. If we can do that, we have the talent to compete for the Big South Championship once again and compete at the Section 2AA tournament in June. If we can improve in these ways, our 2026 season could be a good one for the Saints golf team!

COMPETITION:

The favorites in the Big South Conference include Marshall, New Ulm, and we hope to compete for that championship as well. As far as the Section goes, Holy Family and Southwest Christian will be 2 of the best teams in the state once again. We hope to improve as the year goes on and be competitive with those 2 teams by the Section tournament.

BY THE NUMBERS:

24 total golfers in our program

9 returning letter winners

8 new golfers this year

5 Big South All Conference golfers

3 seniors

1 returning state qualifying golfer

0 holes in 1 last year

KEY PLAYERS:

Tri-City United golf

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Kyle Krueger, 4th year

Head coach: John Karl, 5th year

Assistant coach: Tanner Hadler, 2nd year

Assistant coach: Luke Swiechowski, 1st year (Volunteer)

ROSTER:

Boys

Benaiah Wipf 7, Finnley Mahoney 7, Kipton Sery 7,

Peyton Simon 7, Alan Sepulveda 7, Fisher Hartwig 7, Andrew Odenthal 8, Micah Livingston 8, Cheikna Tandia 8, Jacob Ripp 8, Graysen Moon 9, William Soto 9, Jakov Vosejpka 9, Dylan Heilman 9, Brady Hunt 9, Ethan Tupy 9, Treker Wolff 9, Landon Helgeson 10, Tyson Grant 10, Maxwell Segna 10, Ty Smith 10, Thomas Barnett 10, Cooper Sloboden 10, Brayden Sherman 10, Jameson Zehnder 10, Jesus Garcia 11, Sean Arguelles 11, Titus Krauss 11, Evan Skluzacek 11, Matthew Farr 11, Jacob Jirik 11, Eli Krautkremer 11,

Evan

and Garrett

at sections. (photo courtesy of JWP Golf Facebook - facebook.com/p/ JWP-Bulldogs-Golf-61559827416067/)

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Alex James, 1st season

2026 TEAM CAPTAIN: Jeffrey Simonson

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

This season is set to be for improvement and growth. A way for kids to fall in love with the game of golf without having to pay so much and additionally be outside and build new relationships.

on the team and the conference. They are all determined to grow this season and work on skills to improve their scores.

2025 RECAP:

Boys placed 5th in conference last season

Girls placed 9th overall in the conference last season

Boys placed 9th overall in Sections.

Eli Krautkramer made it to the second round in Sections.

Girls placed 10th overall in Sections

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

KEY TO SUCCESS FOR YOUR TEAM:

The key to success will be individual growth. We want to see growth not only in the program but in the golf community, this is a sport kids can take with them after high school and giving them the opportunity to grow and be better at that is great and individual growth. Golf is more a mental sport than anything and being able to teach kids different ways to handle adversity and overcome challenges will help them in things they wouldn’t expect.

Eian O’Keefe 12, Carter Beulke 12, Jacob Neubauer 12, Ethan Christensen 12, Cale Benson 12 Girls

Morgan Duering 8, Lilly Amaya 8, Elise Fashant 10, McKenna Fredrickson 10, Ella Goettl 10, Cora Crow 11, Payton Huffman 11, Cailyn Christensen 11, Samantha Johnson 11, Aubrie Barnett 11, Emma Mason 11, Natalie Ernste 11Varon Klokonos 11, Lily Kaplan 12/Elle Zvanovec 12

We have a solid senior varsity group that has been established in the program, like Eian O’Keefe, Carter Beulke, and Jacob Neubauer. Eli Krautkramer made it to the second round of sections last season. That was a muchneeded boost last season, and I hope that we can bring that momentum to the new season. Andrew Odenthal is an 8th grader who made a varsity spot last season. He is also one who will stand out this season as he puts in the work on the course. For girls who are returning and planning on making an impact this season, they are Lily Kaplan, Payton Huffman, Emma Mason,

Varon Klokonos, and Cora Crow. They are a great group of girls who had an excellent last season and continue to grow as golfers. They all look for specific ways to develop their swings and improve their scores.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

There are a couple of new players to keep your eye on for the season. We have a few new players who are new this season and have previous golfing experience, and routinely put in the work at the course. We are hoping that they can put in the work and have a spot on the varsity team.

We have quite a few returning girls who could make an impact

Faribault girls golf

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Scott Morrissey, 7th year coaching at Faribault

Assistant coaches: Anna Blessing, 5th year coaching at Faribault

ROSTER:

Olivia Streefland, 11; Madeline Kramer, 11; Malia LaCanne, 10; Ella Simon, 9; Brenna VanDerVeen

KEY PLAYERS: Captains:

Olivia Streefland (11) 3 year letter winner (low score 85) All Conference 2025

Madeline Kramer (11) 2 year letter winner (low score 93)

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Malia LaCanne (10) (2 year letter winner); Ella Simon (9) (1 year letter winner); Brenna VanDerVeen (1 Varsity Appearance)

PLAYERS WE WILL MISS:

Mariana Hager – Low Score 87 (3 year letter winner)

Addison Thibodeau – Low Score 89 (3 year letter winner)

Jersey Hausen – Low Score 99 (3 year letter winner)

Claire Anderson – ACL tear this fall in Soccer

2025 RECAP: 6th Place Big 9 (tournament 1) Score: 386 6th Place Big 9

(tournament 2) Score: 391

Sixth place in the Big Nine is the best finish since 2010

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: Northfield and Owatonna were the 2025 Conference Champions and should have strong teams again this season.

2010 is the last time Faribault won the Big 9 Championship in Girls Golf. I want to make this

We are hoping for this season that as a team we are taking that next step and becoming more consistent and improving within the conference. We have a wide variety of players this year who love working on their game and becoming better golfers.

COMPETITION:

For both boys and girls, we are going to take it meet by meet. We are hoping to improve our scores from the previous season. We have tons of returning players and hope that we can make an impact in the Big South Conference.

BY THE NUMBERS?

53 - total players

11 - letter winners

7 - seniors

our goal in two years.

2027 Big 9 Champs!

We have a talented group with lots of experience coming back this season. We are going to need our captains and three returning players with varsity experience to really carry us. Our team has shown wonderful growth since last spring. Our expectations are to finish in the top half of the Big 9 conference and plan to be the most improved team in the conference. We have a great group of young golfers that are hungry to improve every day and compete at the highest level that they can. When you have great student athletes that are willing to put in the work, great results will follow.

COMPETITION: Northfield and Owatonna were the 2025 Conference Champions and should have strong teams again this season.

Northfield boys golf

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Adam Danielson, 15th Year

Assistant coaches: Ryan Pietsch, 3rd Year

ROSTER: Kameron Johnson, 8th; William Cikanek, 9th; Mason Mittelstaedt, 9th; Trevor Nelson, 9th; Wyatt Nelson, 9th; Colby Novotny, 9th; Bennett Peterson, 9th; Noah Sheehy, 9th; Aiden Amundson, 10th; Brady Knutson, 10th;

Seth Linnemann, 10th; Micah Momberg, 10th; Drew Pribyl, 10th; Nilsson Raabolle, 10th; Theo Rustad, 10th; Calvin Sneed, 10th; Darren Steward, 10th; Elijah Clay, 11th; Wilfred Henslin, 11th; Max Munoz, 11th; Miles Poole, 11th; Oliver Benjamin, 12th; Max Boardman,

Faribault boys golf

Faribault did not respond to our survey requests so this summary is using best available information.

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Tim McNelis

Assistant coach: Jared Kegler

ROSTER: Logan Wagner 11, Aaron Bothun 10, James Silver 12, Lain Kuhlman 10, Pablo Romo 11, Langston Richter 12, Leighton Richter 10, Owen Anderson 10, Kyle Kuehl 10.

KEY PLAYERS: Langston Richter will anchor the squad as a key senior leader during his latest season on the varsity squad.

12th; Elias Ekern, 12th; Aaron Kelly, 12th; Ashton Pumper, 12th; Bridger Riley, 12th

KEY PLAYERS:

Elias Ekern – One of the top players in the state. Signed with NDSU on a golf scholarship. Elias was all state last year and has qualified for the state tournament the past two seasons. Elias has some high goals and has put the time in to have a great senior season.

Miles Poole – Miles is one of the top juniors in the state of Minnesota. He has qualified for the state tournament the past two seasons. Miles is experienced and has the game to show he is one of

the best in the state.

Max Munoz – Max was on the state tournament team last year and has put a lot of time in during the off season and will be an impact player in this area.

Darren Steward – Darren will be somebody to watch this season. Only a sophomore, but he was on the state tournament team last year. Played great in the sections last year. Darren will also be somebody interesting to watch to see how much growth has made since last year.

Oliver Benjamin – Oliver has bounced between JV and Varsity the past two seasons. He has a lot of skill and is great around the green. Oliver should have a strong senior campaign.

HOME TEAM!

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Brady Knutson – Brady is a hard worker and has an all around game that will give him a chance to earn a varsity spot.

Theo Rustad – Theo has a strong all around game. Played a few varsity matches last year and did a great job.

Kameron Johnson – Kameron is only an 8th grader but has a chance to compete with the older players and push for a varsity spot.

2025 RECAP:

Big Nine Champions

Section 1AAA Champions (Set the record for lowest single day and two day total in section history)

Tied for 5th Place at State Tournament

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

We lost a lot from last year but return 4 of our top 6 golfers. We have the talent and work ethic to compete with anybody in the state.

COMPETITION:

Rochester Century finished 2nd in the conference and sections and returned a lot of talent and are one of the favorites. Albert Lea also has a lot of talent returning and will be very competitive in the section and conference. Farmington, Lakeville North, and Lakeville South are always very good and will be tough to beat at the end of the year.

Northfield girls golf

ROSTER:

Karina Johnson, 12th; Annika Johnson, 12th; Annalisa Larson, 12th; Audrey Larish, 12th; Lily Holman, 12th; Claire Linnemann, 12th; Ella Sommers, 11th; Kennedy Bauernfeind, 11th; Mari

Elaina

Owatonna boys golf

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Josh Woodrich, 2nd year

Assistant Coaches: Cole Orlowski, 2nd year; Mark Rodde, 14th year; Nic Wagner, 1st year

ROSTER:

Seniors: Mason Pelinka, Isaac Mobley, Kooper Schroer, Ethan Borchert, Addison Young.

Juniors: Grady Roush, Mason Buhrow, Owen Kubicek, Ben Sackett.

Sophomores: Jace Lane, Colby Hanson, Owen Albright, Cooper Ingvaldson, Liam Teeters, Adam Brandel, Anthony Wilson, Ben Sheehan, Jackson Melchert.

Freshmen: Will Vincelli, Brendan Van Gelder, Weston Rowe, Colin Quast.

8th Graders: Jaxn Hacker, Brady Buytaert, Hudson Rosen.

KEY PLAYERS:

8th Grader Jaxn Hacker: Jaxn is a returning all-conference golfer for us and was our team

NORTHFIELD GIRLS GOLF CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36

CC Vandewalker, 10th; Annika Briske, 9th; Navaeh Love, 9th; Edie Taggart, 8th; Talia Momberg, 7th; Frances Ekern, 7th; Noelle Bauman, 7th

KEY PLAYERS:

Karina Johnson – 5 year

varsity letter winner – 2nd in Big 9 Conference for scoring average, 4 time all conference selection – won Section 1AAA title in 2025. Two time state participant – captain

Annika Johnson – 5 year varsity letter winner – 4 time all conference selection – 6th place in sections in 2025 – two time state participant – captain

Annalisa Larson – 2 year

MVP last season. He worked his way up to consistently being our number 1 golfer last season as a 7th grader. His lowest round last season was a 3-over-par 74 in a triangular with Austin and Albert Lea at OCC. We are expecting Jaxn to continue improving and push for a state tournament berth this year.

Senior Captain Mason Pelinka: Mason is a returning captain and a 4-year letterwinner. Mason posted the secondlowest average on our team last season. His lowest score was a 5-over-par 76 at The Jewel Invitational at The Jewel in Lake City. We are expecting Mason to continue posting low scores and leading us as a senior captain.

Junior Captain Grady Roush: Grady is a junior captain and a 2-year letterwinner. Grady played in every varsity meet for us last year and posted the fourth-lowest average on the team. His lowest round of the season was a 7-over-par 79 at the Northfield Invite and an 8-over-par 79 on the first day of the section tournament at

varsity letter winner

Annika Briske – varsity letter winner 2025

Kennedy Bauernfeind –varsity letter winner 2025

KEEP YOUR EYE ON: Ella Sommers; Audrey Larish; Lily Holman; CC Vandewalker; Regan Rezac

2025 RECAP: Conference record: 31 wins 2 loses tied with Owatonna for conference title

Overall record: 87 wins 14 loses Section placement – 2nd place in section

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: The Raiders are looking to

is a returning letterwinner for us and put in a lot of time in the offseason to improve his game. We are looking for Owen to build off of his hard work in the offseason and become a consistent varsity golfer.

Freshman Will Vincelli: Will joins the high school team after playing for the middle school last season. We are looking for Will to jump into the varsity lineup after a successful middle school career.

2025 RECAP:

10-23 Conference Record, 6th in End-of-Season Big 9 Tournament, 10th overall in Big 9, 7th in Section 1AAA. 2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

This season, we are looking to finish in the top half of the Big 9 in both the mid-season and end-of-season conference tournaments. We return four golfers (Jaxn Hacker, Mason Pelinka, Grady Roush, and Isaac Mobley) who were mainstays in our varsity lineup last year. We also have a team goal of qualifying as a team for day 2 of the section tournament. Jaxn Hacker has a good chance of qualifying for the state tournament.

COMPETITION:

We finished strong last season and were 6th in the end-ofseason Big 9 Tournament, and we will look to improve on that finish this year. The frontrunners in both the Big 9 and Section 1AAA are Northfield and Rochester Century. Albert Lea also looks to be one of the top teams in the conference.

The Jewel. Grady also achieved a hole-in-one at The Jewel Invitational. We are expecting Grady to hone his talent and provide us with consistently low scores this season.

Senior Captain Isaac Mobley: Isaac is a senior captain, returning letterwinner, and our Most Improved Golfer from last season. Isaac found himself as a consistent varsity golfer and posted some of the most consistent scores on the team last year. He improved consistently throughout the year, and his low round was a 14-over-par 85 at The Jewel Invitational in Lake City. We are looking for Isaac to continue building on the improvements he showed last season and maintaining his consistency.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Junior Mason Buhrow: Mason is a returning letterwinner for us and played in several varsity meets. We are looking for Mason to become one of the anchors of our varsity lineup.

Junior Owen Kubicek: Owen

win the conference title and the section title this season – our main competition will be the Owatonna Huskies. Northfield has had at least one golfer make it to state for consecutive years and our goal is to keep that streak going. We have great numbers out for golf this season with 4 middle school golfers joining us this season. We also have five other girls out who are playing for the first time. After one week of practice, we look pretty good.

Kenyon-Wanamingo golf

COACHES, YEARS COACHING: Jake Wieme, 20th year

ROSTER:

Sydney Erich, Colin Jacobson, Ayden Horsman

KEY PLAYERS:

Ayden Horsman is looking to take the next step this season as our best returning golfer.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Sydney Erich is in 11 grade and is someone I hope to see play some varsity meets this year. Colin Jacobson - 8th grade played some varsity meets last season and golfed a lot over the summer. One that we hope continues to show improvement.

Kenyon-Wanamingo/Goodhue’s Ayden Horsman hits a tee shot. (File Photo - TheKenyonLeader)

Northfield’s Karina Johnson was the medalist at the 2025 Section 1AAA tournament and will advance to play in the MSHSL Class AAA state tournament on June 10-11. (File Photo - NorthfieldNews.com)

Owatonna girls golf

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Maddie Meyer, 2nd year

Assistant Coach: Beth Fink, 2nd year

ROSTER:

Seniors: Carmen Jirele, Paige Thompson, Brynn Andrix, Lexi Olson, Grace Thiele

Juniors: Ella Schuster

Sophomores: Anna Hagenson

Freshmen: Emme Rhodes, Regan Drever, Havana Halstead

Eighth-Grade: Danica Hager, Molly Bailey

KEY PLAYERS:

We have a great group of girls returning from last year.

Carmen Jirele - committed to Augustana University.

Paige Thompson - committed to

Colorado Christian University. Danica Hager - rising young standout, steady improvement, and long-term potential.

Brynn Andrix - dependable varsity contributor and steady scoring.

Ella Schuster - provides important lineup depth and continues to trend upward, positioning herself as a regular varsity scorer.

2025 RECAP:

Co-Big 9 Champs with Northfield. Section 1AAA Champs, qualified for State as a team.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: Improve consistency, play smart golf, represent Owatonna on and off the course.

COMPETITION:

We will be competing with Northfield again this year in conference play.

NRHEG golf

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head Coach: Brad Root

Assistant Coaches: Kim Olson, Kara Wilkenson

ROSTER:

Boys: Shan Hanson, Tyler Kress, John Lynne, Reid

Sandry, Braxton Arnold, Chase Hanson, Matthew Williams

Girls: Alexis Olson, Olivia Wilkenson, Mya Wilson,

Addison Bauleke, Hailey Staska

KEY PLAYERS:

Boys: Returning letter winners in Shan Hansen, Tyler Kress, Chase Hanson, Reid Sandry, Braxton Arnold, Matthew Williams.

Girls: Returning starters in Alexis Olson and Olivia Wilkenson.

2025 RECAP:

Boys: 10-11 in regular meets,

6th in conference and 12th in section. We had a good season last year and the boys got some good experience so we are pretty well set on 6 varsity spots. We will again have small numbers on the boys side, so someone may emerge as a surprise to help us. We did not have many JV meets last year so the non varsity players didn’t get much meet experience last year . The varsity boys have pretty good golf skills, but need towork on the mental side of the game and course management this year and consistency.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

Boys: Course management is a huge part of the game as well as becoming strong mentally. We need to move from being practice players to tournament players. Making sure they are prepared for whatever weather conditions exist, as well as dealing with situations on the course will be a priority. We would like to advance our team to section and get an AllConference selection or two this year. We have small numbers of

WasecaCountyNews.com)

golfers, all will play varsity. We want them to learn the game so they can enjoy it throughout their life. As always we want our student athletes to enjoy the sport and have fun while at the same time representing our school well. In order to best enjoy the game, a good grasp of the rules of golf is necessary. We will be working on the rules and golf etiquette so our golfers will be knowledgeable and welcome wherever we travel to play.

Girls: Goals and expectations are a good showing at the conference tournament and

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Avery Selvik (11), Ethan Casterton (10), TJ Corchoran (10), Karter Selvik (11), and Colin Selvik (8) are players that can make the jump and take the next step this year.

Avery and Karter played a lot of varsity last year and gained a lot of experience. I expect them to take the leap to being in contention in tournaments and duals this season. Ethan, TJ, and Colin are players that I expect to compete heavily for varsity spots all season as they show great promise and potential.

sub section. We hope we have some all-conference honors as well as advancement to the section tournament. The girls need to be mentally tough and focused this year. We are counting on continued improvement in all our girls.

COMPETITION:

Boys: Conference favorite is Hayfled.

Girls: Conference favorites are USC and Hayfield. COACHES,

Waseca golf

ROSTER:

Boys: Ethan Casterton (sophomore), TJ Corchoran

(sophomore), Brody Dufault (junior), Nolan Dufault (freshman), Wyatt Hager (senior), Dylan Hansen (senior), Liam Lewer (freshman), Max Malouff (sophomore), Braiden Nelson (junior), Archer O’Brien (sophomore), Michael Petracek (freshman), Isaac Pfeifer (sophomore), Avery Selvik (junior), Colin Selvik (eighth-grade), Karter Selvik (junior), Roman Siler (senior), Owen Wieseler (junior)

Girls: Ashley Fliflet (sophomore), Elli Hoban (junior), Trenna Peterson (junior), Madison Rasche (senior), Maddie Root (junior), Alexa Welander (junior)

KEY PLAYERS:

Madison Rasche is our only returning senior on the girls team. I expect a great senior year for her with her goal being to make it to state this year. On the boys side, we have no returning seniors. Brody Dufault (11) is someone to keep an eye on who I believe can make a run at state this year for the Bluejays given his talent level and ability. He is our unequivocal leader on the boys side and has been working hard in the offseason. He will no doubt be our number 1 seed going into our first varsity meet.

On the girls side, keep an eye on Alexa Welander (11), Elli Hoban (11) and Maddie Root (11). Elli played varsity all last season and I expect her to take more steps in becoming a top player on our team this year. Maddie Root is a newcomer to our team but shows a lot of potential.

2025 RECAP:

We didn’t have an overall team finish as high as we would have

liked last year, finishing in the middle of the pack in conference. We had two players (Hunter Anderson who graduated, and Madison Rasche) compete and qualify for sections.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: The goals we have for this year are to improve as a team in our overall scores and our places as a team at tournaments. We have a great strategy we are implementing to lower everyone’s scores and foster competition amongst ourselves which hopefully will push us all to be better and more competitive in conference and in section.

COMPETITION: I am focused on us and our improvement at the moment. We compete against those other teams but our biggest competition is ourselves. That is our focus now.

COACH:

Blooming Prairie golf

Head Coach: Andrew Hardecopf, 8th year, (4th as head coach)

ROSTER:

Boys: Brady Johnson, Colby Johnson, Drew Reinke, Shaun Hanson, Beckett Lea, Coen Abel

Girls: Aubry Alwes

KEY PLAYERS:

Senior Drew ReinkeWent to state last season and will compete in his 4th season on varsity.

Freshman Coen Abel - Just missed out on state last season after competing at it his seventh-grade year.

Seniors Colby and Brady Johnson - Will close out their Blossom careers in their 6th year of varisty.

Senior Aubrey Alwes - 6th year of playing on the varsity team.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

New players to the teams that will look to make an impact.

2025 RECAP: Boys were the Gopher

Conference champions and took 4th at the Section 1A golf tournament. Drew Reinke went to state as an individual. Caitlyn Stangl closed out her senior season as the lone representative for the Blossoms’ girls team at sections.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK: Look to repeat as Gopher Conference champs and have a higher finish at sections.

Drew Reinke qualified for and competed at state last year as a junior for the Awesome Blossoms. (File

Minnesota River Strike Force Adapted Bowling

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Kris Voeltz

Assistant coaches: Liz Leibfried, Keith Bense, Angela Krueger, Grace Pehrson, Jacob Pehrson, Sue Haggenmiller, Erika Anderson, Julie Jones, Michael Holm

ROSTER:

Abby Voeltz, Caden Pugh, Kallie Brovold, Judd Wartman, Peyton Attenberger, Logan Gessner, Abby Schily, Calvin Stoffel, Connor Mugaas, Autumn Squires, Keith Erickson, Abbi Westphal - student manager, Angela Molina, Ryleigh Sullivan, Isaac Dieball, Jayda Marroquin, Hanie Sirovy, Rolando Worthen, Gavin Jones, Liam Haaland, Ben Bhenke

2025 RECAP:

All members of the MN River Strike Force bowlers went to state last year!

PI SINGLES:

Kallie Brovold - 23rd

Angela Molina - 30th

Judd Wartman - 32th

Cooper Johnson - 28th

PI DOUBLES:

Judd Wartman, Kallie

Brovold - 20th

Angela Molina, Cooper Johnston - 23rd

CI SINGLES:

Hanie Sirovy - 12th

Jayda Marroquin - 32nd

Ryleigh Sullivan - 10th

CI DOUBLES:

Hanie Sirovy, Jayda Marroquin - 10th

Abby Voeltz, Abby Schily - 12th

ASD SINGLES: Caleb Westphal - 7th

Connor Mugaas - 2nd

ASD DOUBLES: Peyton Attenberger, Chesney Freeman - 24th

Connor Mugaas, Caleb Westphal - 27th

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

The goal of the Strike Force team is to have fun and be a good teammate! Hopefully by having fun and supporting our teammates, we will have MANY bowlers qualify for the State Tournament again this year.

ANYTHING ELSE?

If you’ve never been to an Adapted Bowling competition,

Members of the 2025 MN River

facebook.com/saints508)

are so helpful and accommodating to our athletes and their needs. It is such a welcoming environment for the athletes and fans!

Owatonna clay target

COACHES:

Head Coach: Mike Kingland

Assistant Coaches: Colin Barnes, Barry Borwege, Scott Breamer, Brian Busho, Rian Copeland, Jeremiah Davis, Tim Henriksen, Bradley Highfield, Mike Jacobson, Kory Klecker, Rick Kozelka, Anthony Koziolek, James Krenke, Kevin Krumholz, Julia McGinnity, Bradley Schlitz, Greg Schroeder, Monte Shives, Robert Theobald, Becky Wolfe

ROSTER:

Seniors: Aiden Anderson, Livia Blahosky, Kaylee Butler, Karsen Finholdt, Chloe Gfrerer, Nathan Gronly (captain), Ella Henriksen, Carson Holthus, Mason Ihrke, Carmen Jirele (captain), Parker Klecker, Victoria Koziolek, Isaac Kreitinger (captain), Isabel Kreitinger, Wyatt Macy, Connor McBroom, Kayden Melby, Logan

Risser, Harper Shives, Addilyn Stowe, Hunter Theobald, Aiden Thurber, Isaac Tolzman.

Juniors: Jackson Davis, Hayden Gassett, Ben Jessop, Raelyn Marik, Harley Meillier, Fisher Merxbauer, Lily Prestegard.

Sophomores: Isaac Allen, Lillian Blaha, Parker Blome, Finn Buckley, Kevin Chelmo, Leo Deranek, Eli Federly, Anna Hagenson, Landon Hansen, Carter Heim, Benjamin Highfield, Cooper Ingvalson, Tyler Olson, Oliver Peters, Ben Sheeham, Joe Simon, Brayden Spindler, Zavier Trager, Lance Wagner, Colton Weaver, Oliver Wottreng.

Freshmen: Kenzie Akers, Jackson Boyum, Olivia Harris, Devon Horejsi, Adriana Hottman, Avery Matejcek, Quinn Mohs, Grayson Schiller, Jillian Seifert.

Eighth-Grade: Eli Buckley,

Henry Hager, Zachary Holthus, Garrett Jirele, Max Klecker, Gavin Miller, Roman Schwab, Aybreigh Sorensen, Mason Sorensen, Grayson Wobschall.

Seventh-Grade: Braeden Bassett, Fabian Brayardo, Brayden Fletcher, Sawyer Franko, Reed Gaulrapp, Sophie Harinen, Bentley HuntMacy, Hank Indahl, Carter Martin, Mason Matejcek, Levi Noble, Lyla Olson, Armand Orfei, Amber Theobald.

KEY PLAYERS:

Boys: Jackson DAVIS (24.5 avg), Aiden Anderson (24.1avg), Mason Ihrke (23.2 avg).

Girls: Tori Koziolek (22.5 avg), Livia Blahosky (21.6 avg), Chloe Gfrerer (21.0 avg).

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Boys: Aiden Thurber, Parker Klecker, Ben Highfield,

Medford trap team

Hunter Theobald, Tyler Olson, Brayden Spindler, Eli Federly, Kevin Chelmo.

Girls: Carmen Jirele, Harper Shives, Isabel Kreitinger, Avery Matejcek, Addi Stowe, Anna Hagenson, Lily Prestegard.

2025 RECAP:

We placed 2nd in the conference and 7th at the MN Championships in our 8th competitive season with the MSHSL Clay Target League. All-State team/individual state tournament qualifiers: Jackson Davis and Aiden Anderson.

Boys All-Conference (Top 25 Male): Jackson Davis, Aiden Anderson, Connor Borwege, Mason Ihrke, Aiden Thurber, Ben Highfield, Ethan Schubert.

Girls All-Conference (Top 25 Female): Victoria Koziolek, Livia Blahosky, Ella Henricksen, Morgan Hansen, Chloe Gfrerer, Anna Hagenson, Carmen Jirele. 60 varsity winners.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK:

Our team is very senior class heavy with most of them having 4+ years of experience. Combining that experience with some real good young talent, I fully expect us to compete for the conference championship once again. This season we also have two athletes returning that were All-State in 2025- Jackson Davis (Junior) and Aiden Anderson (Senior), plus Tori Koziolek who was the top female in our conference last season. Combine those 3 with our other eight 2025 All-Conference athletes and the balance of our returning Varsity Letter winners, the potential is definitely there to do very well this season. Going hand in hand with the high expectations is having every athlete working hard to push themselves to improve, and to remember to have fun with it. If the team does that, everything else will fall into place.

COMPETITION:

The MN State HS Clay Target League assigns Class/ Conferences each year based on team size. As one of the larger teams in the state, we are usually in Class 9A Conference 2. Our conference typically includes teams like Bemidji, Hastings, New London-Spicer, New Prague, Nicollet, Northfield, and Rosemount. I always expect us to compete for the conference title, but all these teams have very well-established programs. They will be tough to beat. We are looking forward to a fun season.

BY THE NUMBERS:

84 - Athletes (62 boys, 22 girls)

39 - Returning Letter winners

23 - Seniors

7 - Juniors

21 - Sophomores

9 - Freshmen

10 - Eighth-Graders

14 - Seventh-Graders

COACHES:

Head Coach: Tim Larson, 14th year (Medford started as a team in spring of 2013)

Assistant Coaches: Manda Mueller, Mark Kappes, Grant Wildgrube

ROSTER:

Seniors: Reid Wildgrube, Jose Flores

Juniors: Blake Cammock, Abby Bauer

Sophomores: Colin Kellis, Brenden Mueller, Mason Witter

Freshmen: Elliot Jones, Trevor Vatsaasm Andrew Bartosch, Sulleigh Richie, Kailer Quast, Riley Renchin

Eighth-Grade: Kyle Witter, Brooklyn Wavrin, Claire Wildgrube

Seventh-Grade: Ian Sammon

RETURNING STANDOUTS: Team Captains: Reid

Wildgrube, Jose Flores, Blake Cammock, Brenden Muelerm, Mason Witter. Reid Wildgrube, Brenden Mueller, and Blake Cammock all made the “State Elite 100” top 100 shooters in the whole state regardless of conference, made the MSHSL individual tournament held in Prior Lake from Spring 2025. Returning Letterwinners besides captains: Andrew Bartosch, Elliot Jones, Abby

Northfield clay target

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Liz Beckius, 1st year as head coach

Assistant coaches: John Barr; Chad Beckius; Brian Bennett; Dan Berning; Sebastian Burset; Dan Dupay; Kim Dupay; Eric Haines; Tyson Lloyd; Molly Lloyd; Dave Mathews; Pete Mergens; Thad Monroe; Shannon Morsching; Glenn Nelson; Justin Rabbolle; Nate Sevcik; Scott Sevcik

ROSTER:

Ben Albers, 11; Rylan Archambault, 11; Ruby Beckius, 9; Madelynn Bennett, 7; Raylan Berning, 8; Leighton Bice, 8; Payton Bice, 11; Gavin Bird, 10; Emit Boettcher, 10; Liam Budd Olson, 9; Danika Bulfer, 10; Kyle

WEM clay shoot

COACHES, YEARS

COACHING:

Head coach: Doug Androli

Assistant coaches: Tyson Cooley

ROSTER:

Zach Quast; Jared Boese; Zak Wheelock; Landon Johnson; Owen Scheurer; Kayla Bronk; Robynn Schwichtenberg; Walker Weiske; Timmy Kellstadt; Riley Morris; Thomas Hackett; Dillon Roessler; Connor Kalis; Nathan O’Malley; Mitchell Strobel; Brendan Snesrud; Peyton Peroutka; Luke Ahlman; Cale Snesrud; Cole Bartz; John Woratschka; Wyatt JandaJones; Reed Sammon; Emmit Janda-Jones; Landon Schultz; Paetyn Judd; Ava Quast; Elli

Lamont; Brooklyn Novak; Hailey Heinz; Sam Roth; Hudson Duhme; Maddox Looney; Braxton Keele; Hunter Tonn; Owen Boese; Jack Barry; Griffin Tonn; Wesley Heinz; Brayden Tlusty; Addie Scheurer; Clare Landrum; Sidney Scheurer; Tori Bruns; Charlie Hebl; Jacksten Knish; Jack Roepke; Brody Muellerleile; Reid Hopkins; Lane Lamont; David Degen; Nolan Hansen; Grant Wolfe; Pierce Knish; Trevor Johnson; Tonya Degen; Tatum Kellstadt; Cory Johnson; Sydney Johnson; Alex Ahlman; Conner Velzke; Aaron Kessler; Colin Culhane; Kya Culhane; Savannah Hoepner; Ashley Roth; Peyton Gainor; Cheyenne Clinton; Jordin Bohlmann-Little

Skeet Roster: Addie Scheurer; Clare Landrum; Sidney Scheurer; Tori Bruns; Thomas Hackett; Dillon Roessler; Riley Haag; Jacob Androli

KEY PLAYERS: Senior Shooters: Zach Quast; Jared Boese; Zak Wheelock; Landon Johnson; Owen Scheurer; Kayla Bronk; Robynn Schwichtenberg; Thomas Hackett; Dillon Roessler; Connor Kalis; Brendan Snesrud; Peyton Peroutka; Addie Scheurer; Clare Landrum; Jacob Androli; Riley Haag

KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

Reid Wildegrube, Blake Cammock, and Brenden Mueller - Made all-state and allconference honors last spring. Brenden Mueller, Mason Witter, Trevor Vatsaas, Abby Bauer - Last year’s all-conference. Colin Kellis and Andrew Bartosch - Watch them improve and move up the ranks.

UP AND COMING: We have about 15 JV

Bulfer, 12; Axel Byler, 8; Max Byler, 10; Ruby Byler, 7; Elijah Cashin, 11; James Connelly, 11; Elia Craig, 11; Korbin Cupp, 12; Ruby Dahl, 8; Brayden Dupay, 10; Lindsey Erickson, 12; Caden Ertz, 11; Alexander Flom, 12; Jacob Gergen, 8; Jaxson Graham, 7; Mara Hebel, 7; Owen Hershberger, 8; Zachary Jesuit, 8; Anton Johnson, 7; Gunnar Johnson, 11; Jace Keilen, 6;

starting shooters, look for them to improve and move up the ranks in the future with a lot of potential, but also a lot of learning.

2025 RECAP:

Unsure of our conference or shooting teams, but looking forward to getting out and doing some shooting this spring. Medford will also have students competing in Skeet for the 2nd year. Abby Bauer and Reid Wildgrube both made allconference for it and team was 4th in 2025. We look to improve our standings from last year.

Should be an interesting Spring shooting at Ahlman’s with both Trap and Skeet-Larson.

COMPETITION:

Conferences have not been set yet. Based on the number of registered shooters for the school.

BY THE NUMBERS:

2 - Seniors

3 - All-state returners

11 - Returning allconference winners

14 - Returning letter winners

Brayden Kobes, 11; Mattias Kortuem, 7; Isaiah Kruchten, 12; Peyton Larson, 11; Ava Lillibridge, 9; Kailee Little, 12; Adeline Lloyd, 11; William Lloyd, 9; Raiden Massie, 9; Samuel Mathews, 11; Gabriel McKenna, 8; Riley Moon, 11; Ethan Moore, 11; Matthew Morris, 10; Kian Morsching, 12; Niah Morsching, 8; Trevor Nelson, 9; Wyatt Nelson, 9; Colby Novotny, 9; Nash Novotny, 6; Corbin Perez, 11; Olive Perryman, 6; Lachlan Raabolle, 7; Madelyn Raabolle, 11; Nilsson Raabolle, 10; Owen Reece, 10; Savannah Reece, 7; Cale Reuvers, 8; Elise Sevcik, 7; Ian Sevcik, 11; Miles Steffl, 9; Jacie Stopski, 10; Mitchell Stopski, 11; Cohen Streitz, 12; Levi Townley, 8; Noah Tracy, 11; Corbin Underdahl, 12; Parker Wolf, 8