2022-23 Howie's Dynamite Student-Athletes of the Week May 8-14 Women: Elise Weinzierl, Jr., St. Michael, Minn. (St. Michael-Albertville), Softball Weinzierl went 4-0 with a 0.54 earned run average in helping lead UWL to the WIAC Tournament title. She earned all four of UWL's victories in the tournament, allowing two earned runs in 26.0 innings while holding opponents to a .163 batting average. Weinzierl had three complete-games in the tournament, including the 2-1 championship win over UW-Stevens Point. She went 9.0 innings, allowing three hits, no earned runs and two walks while striking out six. Men: Anthony Vivian, So., Dodgeville, Baseball Vivian hit .600 (six-for-10) in three starts in helping lead UWL to the WIAC Tournament title. He had two home runs, five RBI, four runs and 13 total bases for the week while recording a .714 on-base and 1.300 slugging percentage. Vivian went 3-for-3 with a double, two RBI and two runs in a win over UW-Whitewater. He finished 3-for-3 with two home runs, two runs, two walks and three RBI in the tournament clinching 7-2 victory over the Warhawks. Vivian tied Mac Born's single-season school record of home runs (16). May 1-7 Women: Skye Digman, Sr., Platteville, Track & Field Digman swept the hammer throw (194-6), shot put (49-11 3/4) and discus throw (157-4) in helping lead UWL to the team title at the WIAC Championships on May 5-6. She became the second athlete in WIAC history to sweep the hammer throw, shot put and discus throw at the league championships. Digman broke her own school record in the hammer throw while also setting a meet record. Men: Ethan Gregg, Jr., La Crosse (Aquinas), Track & Field Gregg won his second straight 10,000-meter run (30:21.08) in helping lead UWL to the team title at the WIAC Championships. He became the eighth runner in league history to win two straight championships in the 10,000-meter run. April 24-30 Women: Maddie Hannan, Jr., Minneapolis, Minn. (Southwest), Track & Field Hannan won the 800-meter run (2:09.69) at the UW-Eau Claire Dick and Mary Johnson Invitational on April 28. She set a school record, breaking Mary Kastelic's record of 2:10.33 set in 1983. Hannan's time of 2:09.69 ranks first on the WIAC Honor Roll and third in NCAA Division III. Men: Nick Crary, Jr., Reedsburg, Track & Field Crary won the long jump (23-8 1/4) at the UW-Eau Claire Dick and Mary Johnson Invitational on April 28. His mark ranks second on the WIAC Honor Roll. April 17-23 Women: Elise Weinzierl, Jr., St. Michael, Minn. (St. Michael-Albertville), Softball Weinzierl went 2-0 with a 0.00 earned run average while allowing five hits and two walks with 16 strikeouts in 11.0 innings. She earned the victory in a 9-0 win over UW-Stout on April 22, going 5.0 innings, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out nine. Weinzierl then picked up the win in a 7-1 victory over UW-River Falls on April 23, pitching 6.0 innings, allowing four hits, no earned runs and one walk with seven strikeouts. Men: Owen Anderson, So., Hudson, Baseball Anderson went 1-1 with a 2.70 earned run average last week. He pitched 10.0 innings while holding opponents to a .114 average. Anderson earned the complete-game 8-2 victory at 19th-ranked UW-Whitewater on April 22, going 9.0 innings, allowing three hits, two runs and three walks while striking out three. April 10-16 Women: Skye Digman, Sr., Platteville, Track & Field Digman won three events at the UW-Platteville Invitational on April 14, taking the shot put (50-2), hammer throw (182-5) and discus throw (154-5). She set the school record in the shot put, breaking Cindy Lensmire's mark of 50-1 ½ set in 1984. Digman's mark of 50-2 in the shot put ranks first on the NCAA Division III Honor Roll while her throw of 154-5 in the discus is first in the WIAC and third in NCAA III. She ranks first in the WIAC and second in NCAA Division III in the hammer throw (187-8) from the Ashton May Invitational on April 7. Men: Sam Blaskowski, So., Oshkosh (West), Track & Field Blaskowski competed in two different meets on April 15. At the Azusa Pacific University (Calif.) Bryan Clay Invitational, Blaskowski placed second out of 83 competitors in the 100-meter dash (10.35). Blaskowski then traveled to the Long Beach State University (Calif.) Invitational where he finished fourth (10.36) out of 69 competitors in the 100-meter dash and third (21.05) among 56 sprinters in the 200-meter dash. His time of 21.05 in the 200-meter dash ranks first on the WIAC Honor Roll and tied for fourth in NCAA Division III. Blaskowski ranks first in NCAA III in the 100-meter dash (10.20) from the Ashton May Invitational on April 7. April 3-9 Women: Skye Digman, Sr., Platteville, Track & Field Digman helped lead UWL to the team title at the Ashton May Invitational on April 7. She captured the shot put (46-7 1/2) and hammer throw (187-8) while placing second in the discus throw (143-9). Digman was second in the discus throw behind an unattached athlete. Digman broke her own school record (184-10 in 2021) in the hammer throw. Her marks in the shot put, discus throw and hammer throw all rank first on the WIAC Honor Roll while her hammer throw mark is second, shot put fourth and discus throw 10th in NCAA Division III. Men: Tyler Schmitt, Fr., Madison (Memorial), Baseball Schmitt went 1-1 with a 3.27 earned run average last week. He pitched 13.0 innings while holding opponents to a .132 batting average. Schmitt pitched the eighth no-hitter in school history as UWL earned a 10-0 win over UW-Platteville on April 3. He went 7.0 innings, allowing five walks while striking out a career-high seven. March 27-April 2 Women: Jordyn McCormack, Jr., Austin, Minn., Softball McCormack hit .765 (13-of-17) with six runs, four doubles, one home run and five RBI in four starts last week. She recorded a 1.176 slugging and .765 on-base percentage while finishing with 20 total bases. McCormack had multiple-hit games in all four starts with at least three hits in each game. She went 7-for-10 with five runs, three doubles and one RBI in a doubleheader sweep at Wartburg College (Iowa) on March 28. McCormack then went 6-for-7 with four RBI, one run, one double and one home run in a sweep of the University of Dubuque (Iowa) on April 2. Men: Ethan Gregg, Jr., La Crosse (Aquinas), Track & Field Gregg broke his own school record in the 10,000-meter run at the Stanford University (Calif.) Invitational. Placing sixth in the second section, he ran 28:40.35, breaking his own school record of 29:36.86 set last season. His time ranks second on the NCAA Division III All-Time list. March 20-26 Women: Rachel Chesley, So., Dellwood, Minn. (Mahtomedi), Gymnastics Chesley earned three National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) All-America honors, including capturing the uneven parallel bars, at the national championships on March 25. She became the 20th gymnast in school history to win an individual national title with a score of 9.800 on the uneven parallel bars. Chesley also earned All-America accolades with a second-place tie on the vault (9.775) and sixth-place tie on the floor exercise (9.775). Men: Owen Deprez, Fr., New Franken (Luxemburg Casco), Baseball Deprez went 2-0 in two starts while compiling a 2.08 earned run average. He earned the victory in UWL's 11-2 win over Kalamazoo College (Mich.) on March 21, going 6.0 innings, allowing three hits, two runs and two walks with 11 strikeouts. Deprez then went 7.0 innings in a 9-1 victory over UW-Stout on March 26, allowing six hits, one run and three walks while striking out nine. He allowed three runs in 13.0 innings while recording 20 strikeouts. March 13-19 Women: Grace Willmott, Jr., Roesemount, Minn., Lacrosse Willmott scored a single-game school record seven goals in UWL's 19-10 win over Kalamazoo College (Mich.) on March 16. She scored on all seven of her shots in the game. Men: Jack Moran, Jr., Chicago, Ill. (Loyola Academy), Baseball Moran hit .500 (12-of-24) in six starts last week with five runs, one double, one triple, three RBI and two stolen bases. He recorded five multiple-hit games, including finishing 4-for-4 with three runs and one triple in a win over William Paterson University (N.J.) on March 18. Moran had two hits against UW-Superior on March 13, University of Southern Maine on March 14, The College of St. Scholastica (Minn.) on March 16 and Bethel University (Minn.) on March 19. He had two RBI vs. Southern Maine, including the game-winning single in the bottom of the 12th. March 6-12 Women: Skye Digman, Sr., Platteville, Track & Field Digman won the NCAA Division III championship in the weight throw (62-11 1/2) and placed fourth in the shot put (47-10 1/2) in helping lead UWL to the team title on March 10-11 in Birmingham, Alabama. It was her second career indoor national crown after winning the shot put in 2022. Digman is the second thrower in school history to win the NCAA III Championship in the weight throw, joining Patti Franckowiak who took the title in 1998 and 1999. Men: Nolan Hertel, Jr., Marshfield, Wrestling Hertel captured the 157-pound title at the NCAA Division III Championships March 10-11 in Roanoke, Virginia. He went 4-0 in the tournament, including a win by decision (6-5) over Tyler Shilson of Augsburg University (Minn.) in the championship match. Hertel is the first wrestler in school history to win the 157-pound national title. He is also the first wrestler to capture an individual crown since Adam Sheley won the 141-pound division in 2013. Hertel helped lead UWL to a fifth-place team finish. February 27-March 5 Women: Rachel Chesley, So., Dellwood, Minn. (Mahtomedi), Gymnastics Chesley won the uneven parallel bars (9.700) in UWL's dual victory over UW-Stout on March 3. She also placed second on the vault (9.675) and third on the floor exercise (9.575). Men: Cole Contardi, Jr., Hartland (Arrowhead), Tennis Contardi earned a 6-7, 7-6, 10-7 win at No. 2 singles over Luke Wyly of Bethel University (Minn.) as UWL won the dual, 5-4. He also teamed with Jack Hehli to win at No. 2 doubles (8-7) over Dylan Magistad/Robert Seaton. The Eagles extended their winning streak to three with the victory. February 20-26 Women: Emma Lawrence, Sr., Benton (Benton-Scales-Mound-Shullsburg), Track & Field Lawrence won the 60-meter hurdles (8.52) and 200-meter dash (24.94) while placing second in the 60-meter dash (7.63) in helping lead UWL to the title at the WIAC Championships (presented by Culver's). She won her second title in the 60-meter hurdles after capturing the crown in 2020. Lawrence became the first athlete in WIAC history to win the 60-meter hurdles and 200-meter dash at the same championships. She set a school record (8.50) in the 60-meter hurdles preliminaries, breaking the record of 8.55 set by Claire Gordee in 2015. Men: Logan Larson, Jr., Menomonee Falls, Track & Field Larson won the pole vault (16-0 1/2) title in helping lead UWL to the WIAC Championship (presented by Culver's). He became the first UWL athlete to win the pole vault crown since Jeffery Hill won back-to-back championships in 2014 and 2015. February 13-19 Women: Abi Schauske, So., Sturgeon Bay (Sevastopol), Swimming Schauske won the 400 I.M. (4:37.60) at the WIAC Championships while also finishing third in the 200 butterfly (2:13.52) and seventh in the 200 breaststroke (2:28.24). She became the first UWL swimmer to win the leagu title in the 400 I.M since Noelle Anderson in 2014. Men: Sam Blaskowski, So., Oshkosh (West), Track & Field Blaskowski placed fifth in the 60-meter dash at the USA Track & Field (USATF) Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M. He set a NCAA Division III record with a time of 6.67 seconds in the semifinals and finals. Blaskowski had a preliminary time of 6.69 to advance to the semifinals. He broke his own NCAA Division III record of 6.68 seconds set at the UW-La Crosse Mark Guthrie Legacy Invitational on February 4. February 6-12 Women: Emma Lawrence, Sr., Benton (Benton-Scales-Mound-Shullsburg), Track & Field Lawrence won the 60-meter hurdles (8.72) hurdles and 200-meter dash (24.97) while being a member of the third-place 4x400-meter relay (3:56.18) as UWL won the eight-team Midwest ELITE Invitational on February 11. Her time of 24.97 in the 200-meter dash ranks first on the WIAC Honor Roll and second in NCAA Division III. UWL's 4x400-meter relay time of 3:56.18 ranks first in the WIAC. Men: Nolan Hertel, Jr., Marshfield, Wrestling Hertel captured his third straight WIAC title at 157-pounds at the league championships on February 11. He went 4-0 in the tournament to improve to 28-2 on the season. He opened with a fall (2:10) over Joseph Spizzirri of UW-Oshkosh in the first round followed by another fall (2:35) over Alex Gundrum of UW-Stevens Point in the quarterfinals. Hertel won by decision (6-2) over UW-Platteville's Aiden Brosinski in the semifinals and took the conference title after a medical forfeit over teammate Cole Hansen. January 30-February 5 Women: Cate Sandvik, Sr., Naperville, Ill. (Neuqua Valley), Gymnastics Sandvik, competing in the all-around for the first time in her career, recorded a score of 38.050 in UWL's dual win over UW-Oshkosh on February 3. She was the only gymnast in the all-round. Sandvik won the balance beam with a season-high score of 9.650 while also finishing second on the floor exercise with a score of 9.650. Sandvik helped UWL with a Mitchell Hall facility record score of 192.000. The score broke the record of 191.800 set by UWL at the 2016 WIAC Championships/NCGA West Regional Championships. Men: Sam Blaskowski, So., Oshkosh (West), Track & Field Blaskowski tied the NCAA Division III record with a time of 6.68 in the 60-meter dash preliminaries at the Mark Guthrie Legacy Invitational on February 4. He tied the record set by UW-Eau Claire's Thurgood Dennis set in 2014. Blaskowski's broke UWL's record of 6.73 set by Alex Koenen in 2016. Blaskowski also finished second in the long jump (23-8) in the invitational. His mark ranks first on the WIAC Honor Roll and ninth in NCAA Division III. January 23-29 Women: Ainsley Hansen, Fr., Dalton, Minn. (Fergus Falls), Track & Field Hansen won the high jump (5-7 3/4) in helping lead UWL to the team title at the UW-Whitewater "Sqiug" Converse Invitational on January 27-28. She tied the school record of Katie Arnes set in 1999. Hansen's mark ranks first on the WIAC Honor Roll and second in NCAA Division III. Men: Sam Blaskowski, So., Oshkosh (West), Track & Field Blaskowski won the 200-meter dash (21.13) at the Aurora University (Ill.) Grand Prix on January 27. He set an NCAA Division III record with his winning time, breaking the record of 21.27 set by UW-Eau Claire's Thurgood Dennis in 2014. Blaskowski's time is also a UWL record January 16-22 Women: Maddie Hannan, Jr., Minneapolis, Minn. (Southwest), Track & Field Hannan placed second (4:55.78) in the mile run at the DePaul University (Ill.) Blue Demon Alumni Classic on January 20. She set a school record, breaking the mark of 4:57.76 set by Kristin Painter in 2006. Hannan's time ranks first on the NCAA Division III Honor Roll. Men: Ethan Gregg, Jr., La Crosse (Aquinas), Track & Field Gregg won the 3,000-meter run with a school record time of 8:09.94 as UWL won the Pat Healy Classic on January 21. He broke Brett Burt's school record of 8:15.21 set in 1989. Gregg's time also ranks first on the NCAA Division III Honor Roll. Teammate Isaac Wegner also broke Burt's school record. The Pat Healy Classic was the inaugural collegiate meet in the newly constructed UWL Fieldhouse. January 9-15 Women: Rachel Chesley, So., Dellwood, Minn. (Mahtomedi), Gymnastics Chelsey placed second in the all-around (37.300) as UWL opened the season winning the Winona State University (Minn.) Triangular on January 13. It was her first time competing in the all-around in her career. She captured the vault (9.625) and floor exercise (9.425) while finishing second on the uneven parallel bars (career-high 9.725). Men: Noah Leisgang, So., Ashwaubenon, Wrestling Leisgang went 6-0 on the week to improve to 16-1 on the season. He opened the week with a 3-1 win over ninth-ranked Ryan Vender of UW-Whitewater on January 12 as UWL earned a 25-14 victory over the ninth-ranked Warhawks. Leisgang captured the title at the Elmhurst University (Ill.) Al Hanke Invitational on January 14, going 5-0. He won by major decision (13-1) over Christian Gilbert of Carthage College (Wis.) in the first round and by decision (6-0) over Sam Johnson of the University of Chicago (Ill.) in the second round. Leisgang won by decision (4-1) over Brandon Peckham of UW-Stevens Point in the quarterfinals and by sudden victory (3-1) over teammate Kaleb O'Reilly in the semifinals. Leisgang won the championship with a tiebreaker victory (3-1) over 11th-ranked Darian Estevez of Chicago (Ill.). Estevez is a returning NCAA III All-America. January 2-8 Women: Kyah Steiner, Sr., Onalaska (La Crosse Aquinas), Basketball Steiner averaged 12.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals in two UWL victories. She recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in a win at UW-Platteville on January 4 while also finishing with four assists and two blocks. Steiner then had 12 points, four rebounds, four steals and three assists in a victory over UW-Stevens Point on January 7. She scored UWL's final four points in the win over UW-Stevens Point. Her layup with :45 left tied the game and a layup with :00.4 remaining gave UWL the two-point lead. Men: Nolan Hertel, Jr., Marshfield, Wrestling Hertel went 3-1 at the NWCA Multi-Divisional Duals on January 6-7, helping UWL to a fourth-place team finish. All three wins came by major decision. He opened with a major decision (15-5) over Jashon Holmes of Castleton University (Vt.) followed by a major decision (13-3) over 10th-ranked Tim Smith of Wabash College (Ind.). Hertel won by major decision (13-0) over second-ranked Tyler Shilson of Augsburg University (Minn.) before dropping his only match by decision (4-3) to top-ranked David Hollingsworth of Wartburg College (Iowa). December 19-January 2 Women: Lauryn Milne, So., Lodi, Basketball Milne averaged 14.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.0 assists and 1.0 blocks in two UWL victories. She finished with 11 points and three rebounds in a win at Chapman University (Calif.) on December 28 and totaled 18 points, five rebounds and two steals in a victory over University of Redlands (Calif.) on December 29. Milne's 18 points was a career-high. Men: Craig Steele, Sr., Portage, Basketball Steele averaged 17.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals in two UWL victories. He finished with a career-high 19 points and nine rebounds in a win at Augustana College (Ill.) on December 28. Steele then totaled 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in a victory at Bethel University (Minn.) on December 31. He shot 62.5% (10-of-16) from the field in the two contests, including 66.7% (eight-of-12) from three-point range. Steele was six-of-eight at the line. December 12-18 Women: Alana Gilles, Sr., Lodi, Basketball Gilles recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in UWL's win over Carleton College (Minn.) on December 13. She also finished with two assists. It was Gilles' second career double-double with the 10 rebounds tying a career-high. Men: Seth Brossard, Sr., Kenyon, Minn. (Kenyon-Wanamingo), Wrestling Brossard won by fall (2:21) over 13th-ranked Jared Stricker of UW-Eau Claire on December 14. He helped lead UWL to a 28-10 victory as the Eagles improved to 8-0 on the season and earned their 600th dual win in history. December 5-11 Men: Tyler Goebel, So., Mukwonago, Wrestling Goebel went 3-0 on the week, earning two wins by fall. He won by fall (2:52) over Elijah Broesder of Iowa Lakes Community College and by fall (1:45) over Omar Zamora of Rochester Community & Technical College (Minn.) on December 8. Goebel completed the week with a major decision (10-0) over Jacob Ramirez of Cornell College (Iowa) on December 11. Men: Austin Westra, Sr., De Forest, Basketball Westra averaged 12.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in two games. He finished with eight points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal at Luther College (Iowa) on December 7. Westra then had 16 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal against Trine University (Ind.) on December 10. November 28-December 4 Women: Lauren Steien, So.,Taylor (Blair-Taylor), Swimming Steien recorded three top-10 finishes at the Rochester (Minn.) Invitational on December 2-4. She placed third (57.82) in the 100 butterfly, eighth in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.02) and 10th in the 200 breaststroke (2:27.61). Steien was also on four relays, including the seventh-place (1:48.31) 200 medley relay. UWL finished 10th in the 400 medley relay (4:02.53), 11th in the 200 freestyle (1:39.58) and 16th in the 400 freestyle relay (3:41.70). Men: Seth Brossard, Sr., Kenyon, MN Kenyon-Wanamingo, Wrestling Brossard earned a pair of wins at 174-pounds as UWL defeated a pair of nationally-ranked teams on December 3. He won by fall (2:46) over Joey Jens of North Central College (Ill.) and by technical fall (20-2, 4:46) over 15th-ranked LJ Richardson of Coe College (Iowa). Brossard is ranked third in NCAA Division III.
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