Great Northern Conference selects top spring sports athletes
MOSINEE - Brooke Wierzbanowski's notable senior year stretched to the final day of the prep softball season and earned her some postseason honors, including in the Great Northern Conference.
Wierzbanowski earned player of the year honors in the conference as she helped Mosinee to a perfect record in the GNC and a spot in the WIAA Division 2 state championship game.
The senior had a .525 batting average in conference play to go along with 21 hits, 16 RBI and 16 runs scored. She also tied teammate Paige Wicklund for a GNC-high 12 stolen bases.
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It is among the highlights for the athletes who were honored on the all-GNC softball, baseball and girls soccer teams this past spring.
Wierzbanowski was one of seven unanimous selections to the all-conference softball team as Mosinee posted a 12-0 record in the GNC. Mosinee's Todd Felch was selected as the top coach as well.
Tomahawk had two unanimous selections in seniors Courtney Theiler and Rachel Dallman, and both were a key reason the Hatchets reached the state tournament as well. Theiler led the GNC with 20 RBI and finished second in the conference in batting average (.558) and hits (24).
Dallman finished tied with Mosinee's Sydni Gburek for wins in the conference (seven) and was first in strikeouts (77). She also was second in earned run average (2.20).
Rhinelander seniors Stephanie Kuester and Makayla Kuester were unanimous picks as well, along with Antigo senior Kendall Smith and Medford senior Mac Fries.
Gburek who led the GNC with a 0.88 ERA was a first-team selection along with Wicklund.
Wicklund, a sophomore, led the GNC in hits (27) and batting average (.675) and was second in runs (18).
Antigo junior Taylor Arrowood was a first-team selection along with Lakeland's Tatum Morris and Medford senior Hailee Clausnitzer.
Baseball
Antigo catcher Garrett Held received the player of the year honor after he helped the Red Robins to an undefeated record in the GNC.
Held led the conference with a .613 batting average and finished second in hits (19) and tied for second in RBI (14). He was one of two unanimous selections to the all-conference baseball squad. Rhinelander senior outfielder Jacob DeMeyer received the nod as well.
Held was one of six Antigo players named to the first team. Senior pitchers Cody Urban and Brady Tatro received the honor, and Tatro also was named to the first team as an outfielder.
Urban had the lowest ERA in the conference (0.39), led the GNC in strikeouts and tied Mosinee's Ben Vandehey for wins.
Red Robins infielder Nick Marshall was a first-team selection as well, along with outfielder Wade Ramer and utility player Brady Renfro. Antigo's Scott Famer was named the GNC's top coach.
Mosinee's Vandehey was a first-team selection along with sophomore infielder Trey Fitzgerald, who finished second in the conference with a .476 batting average and had a GNC-best 20 hits.
Medford junior Cade Alexander and Rhinelander senior Brad Comer were first-team selections as well, at utility and infield, respectively.
Girls soccer
Ashland's Kaylee McPeak earned top offensive player honors for a spring in which she led the GNC in goals (14) and total points (31). The senior is one of five unanimous selection to the all-conference squad — a list which includes her teammate, senior Sam Stegmann.
Stegmann was named the defensive player of the year for an Ashland team that posted a perfect mark in conference play. Ashland senior Cassie Perry was a first-team selection as well.
Rhinelander also had two unanimous selections in seniors Alayna Franson and Anna Sturzl.
Newman Catholic sophomore Lauren Shields was a unanimous selection for a season in which she finished with five goals and 12 points
Northland Pines had three first-team selections —senior goalkeeper Hadley Kruse, as well as freshman Rowan Klaver and junior Lauren Grosskopf.
Lakeland had a pair of first-team picks in senior Olivia Killian and Riley Curtis.
ALL-GNC BASEBALL
FIRST TEAM
P-Cody Urban, sr., Antigo; Brady Tatro, sr., Antigo; C-*Garrett Held, sr., Antigo. IF-Nick Marshall, sr., Antigo; Ben Vandehey, sr., Mosinee; Trey Fitzgerald, so., Mosinee; Brad Comer, sr., Rhinelander. OF-*Jacob DeMeyer, sr., Rhinelander; Brady Tatro, sr., Antigo; Wade Farmer, sr., Antigo. Ut-Brady Renfro, so., Antigo; Cade Alexander, jr., Medford.
*-unanimous selection
Player of the year: Garett Held, Antigo.
Coach of the year: Scott Farmer, Antigo.
SECOND TEAM
P-Austin Kirsch, sr., Antigo; Ben Vandehey, sr, Mosinee. C-Cade Alexander, jr., Medford. IF-Austin Kirsch, sr, Antigo; Cody Urban, sr., Antigo; Gunnar Weitz, sr., Lakeland; Cole Vandehey, jr, Mosinee. OF-Matt Winter, sr., Antigo; Jamie Slayinski, sr., Lakeland; Owen White, sr., Rhinealnder. UT-Trey Fitzgerald, so., Mosinee; Jacob DeMeyer, sr., Rhinelander.
HONORABLE MENTION
P-Nick Retterath, jr., Medford; Josh Meier, sr., Northland Pines; Jacob DeMeyer, sr., Rhinelander; Bryce Shickert, jr, Rhinelander. C-Tucker Wittkopf, jr., Northland Pines; Jake Ruid, sr., Tomahawk. IF-Caleb Menzia, sr., Lakeland; Brady Loertscher, sr., Medford; Austin Freiboth, sr. Mosinee; Ben Tilley, jr., Northland Pines; Cole Spaulding, sr., Rhinelander. OF-Brady Renfro, so., Antigo; Ben Lindgren, sr., Medford; Brandon Bernarde, sr., Mosinee; Nathan Hopkins, jr., Northland Pines; Brad Quade, sr., Rhinelander. UT-Caleb Menzia, sr., Lakeland; Tucker Wittkopf, jr. Northland Pines; Eli Wurl, sr., Tomahawk.
ALL-GNC SOFTBALL
FIRST TEAM
*Kendall Smith, sr., Antigo; Taylor Arrowood, jr., Antigo; Tatum Morris, so., Lakeland; *Mac Fries, sr., Medford; Hailee Clausnitzer, sr., Medford; *Brooke Weirzbanowski, sr., Mosinee; Sydni Gburek, jr, Mosinee; Paige Wicklund, so., Mosinee; *Stephanie Kuester, sr., Rhinelander; *Makayla Kuester, sr., Rhinelander; *Courtney Theiler, sr., Tomahawk; *Rachel Dallman, sr., Tomahawk.
*-unanimous selection.
Player of the year: Brooke Wierzbanowski, Mosinee
Coach of the year: Todd Felch, Mosinee.
SECOND TEAM
Laynie Weix, jr., Antigo; Caitlin Hartigan, jr., Lakeland; Emma Salquist, jr., Lakeland; Joelle Zenner, sr., Medford; Miranda Rux, sr., Mosinee; McKinzey Johnson, jr., Mosinee; Kyla Osowski, so., Mosinee; Lucy Lurvey, fr., Northland Pines; Cami Buchman, sr., Rhinelander; Katy Volz, jr., Tomahawk; Haley Voermans-Dean, so., Tomahawk; Whitney Oscro, jr., Tomahawk.
HONORABLE MENTION
Emily Brettingen, jr., Antigo; Alicia Turunen, so., Antigo; Lizzy West; Abby Robrecht, jr., Antigo; Brynn Rau, so., Medford; Alex Nicks, so., Medford; Skylar Witz, jr., Mosinee; Cassandra Gauthier, sr., Northland Pines; Ella Mullikin, so., Rhinelander; Molly Wagler, sr., Rhinelander; Hope Wissbroecker, sr., Rhinelander; Megan Marcks, jr., Tomahawk; Taylor Shilts, jr., Tomahawk; Sophie Wegner, sr., Tomahawk; Jordyn Kaminski, sr., Tomahawk.
ALL-GNC GIRLS SOCCER
FIRST TEAM
Hadley Kruse, sr., Northland Pines (GK); *Kaylee McPeak, sr., Ashland; *Sam Stegmann, sr., Ashland; Olivia Killian, sr., Lakeland; Riley Curtis, sr., Lakeland; *Lauren Shields, so., Newman Catholic; Rowan Klaver, fr., Northland Pines; Lauren Grosskopf, jr., Northland Pines; *Alayna Franson, sr., Rhinelander; *Anna Sturzl, sr., Rhinelander.
*-unanimous selection.
SECOND TEAM
Kaitlyn Zinnecker, sr., Ashland (GK); Emma Johnson, sr., Ashland; Abby Koehler, jr., Ashland; Meredith Seidel, jr., Medford; Tia Bunn, so., Mosinee; Jaida Heinz, so., Newman Catholic; Allie Kieffer, fr., Northland Pines; Maddie Romatoski, so., Northland Pines; Kenedy Van Zile, so., Rhinelander; Gwyn Lowry, fr., Rhinelander; Brooke Mork, jr., Rhinelander.
HONORABLE MENTION
Jena Nonnemacher, so, Antigo (GK); Clair Kaminski, jr., Lakeland (GK); Jada Appling, sr., Rhinelander (GK); Payton Bunnell, sr., Antigo; McKenzie Schroepfer, so., Antigo; Annika Herlevi, jr., Ashland; Maggie Ferrando, so., Ashland; Lily Jablonski, so.,. Ashland; Alex Pieterek, fr., Ashland; Zoey Ziebert, sr., Lakeland; Erika Intrepidi, jr., Lakeland; Olivia Felix, fr., Medford; Ellee Grunweld, fr., Medford; Jasmine Wiitala, fr.,Medford; Caitlyn Lassa, so., Mosinee; Jade Holtz, so., Mosinee; Riley Sondelski, fr., Mosinee; Evitta Duffy, sr., Newman Catholic; Payton Van Zile, jr., Rhinelander; Ella Schiek, fr., Rhinelander.