21 Polar Bears make All-FVA
By Erik Buchinger
Twenty-one Hortonville High School athletes secured All-Conference awards in the Fox Valley Association’s spring sports season.
Polar Bear athletes finished with eight First Team selections, five Second Team awards and six Honorable Mentions.
Baseball
Zak Kosloske (12, First Team All-FVA): “Zak was First Team catcher. He was exceptional both offensively and defensively. He led the FVA in batting average with .452. Zak had 25 RBIs on the season and set a school record for hits in a season with 39. Defensively, Zak threw out 11 of 18 base runners attempting to steal. Zak also earned Second Team All-District. Zak will continue his baseball career at UW-La Crosse.”
-Hortonville baseball head coach Greg Yeager
Brock Young (12, First Team All-FVA): “Brock was the First Team third baseman. He was a solid all-around player. In conference, Brock batted.322. He had two home runs and 26 RBIs on the season. Brock was also voted a team captain and earned Honorable Mention All-District.”
-Hortonville baseball head coach Greg Yeager
Bryce Cross (12, First Team All-FVA): “Bryce was the First Team shortstop in a position that had a number of great players in our conference. Bryce has great hands that have led him to be a defensive standout. On offense, he batted leadoff for the Polar Bears. He had a .351 batting average in conference and tied for the league lead with 21 runs scored in conference. Overall on the season, he scored 30 runs. Bryce was also voted a team captain and earned Honorable Mention All-District. Bryce will continue his baseball career at UW-Milwaukee.”
-Hortonville baseball head coach Greg Yeager
Eli Kramer (10, First Team All-FVA): “Eli was a First Team outfielder. Eli plays a great centerfield and is just as good at the plate. In FVA games, Eli hit .367 and led the league with an on-base percentage of .541. He also tied for the league lead with 21 runs scored. Eli was also 2-0 with four saves from the mound for us. Eli earned First Team All-District and is only a sophomore.”
-Hortonville baseball head coach Greg Yeager
Drew Lauterborn (11, Second Team All-FVA): “Drew was a Second Team pitcher. Drew stepped up for the Polar Bears this year with a 4-1 record with one save and a 2.47 ERA. Drew is a junior.”
-Hortonville baseball head coach Greg Yeager
Tyler Ziegler (12, Honorable Mention All FVA): “Tyler was an honorable mention pitcher. Tyler was 4-2 on the year with one save. He had a 2.97 ERA.”
-Hortonville baseball head coach Greg Yeager
Connor Roesler (11, Honorable Mention All-FVA): “Connor was an Honorable Mention second baseman. Connor played an excellent second base and hit .278 on the season. He also led the team with 29 RBIs while hitting three triples and three home runs. Connor is a junior.”
-Hortonville baseball head coach Greg Yeager
Softball
Brittany Sager (12, First Team All-FVA): “Brittany had a great season offensively and defensively. She hit with power to all fields and has the speed and instincts to take the extra base if it was available. She played a great first base defensively and hustled all the time.”
-Hortonville softball head coach Bob Pethke
Jordan Martin (11, First Team All-FVA): “Jordan was a threat on the mound and at the plate. She is definitely one of the top pitchers in the state, she is a very hard worker and has the desire to keep getting better. She is a power pitcher with great movement and has an excellent change up. She led the FVA in strikeouts. Offensively, she is a threat in so many ways from hitting with power to reading a defense and then bunting for a hit.”
-Hortonville softball head coach Bob Pethke
Whitney Baumann (12, Second Team All-FVA): “Whitney was a complete catcher. She was fantastic defensively, having a great arm at throwing runners out and picking people off base. Offensively, she was a multi-dimensional weapon. She could hit with power or hit the ball in the gap for extra base hits because of her outstanding speed. We would not courtesy run for her because of her speed as she was such a threat to steal a base.”
-Hortonville softball head coach Bob Pethke
Emily Cliver (10, Second Team All-FVA): “Emily was our leading RBI lady. She also can hit with power and has the hustle to take the extra base if it is there. She did a fine job in the outfield and strives to improve with every rep she gets.”
-Hortonville softball head coach Bob Pethke
Girls Soccer
Gabriella Metten (12, Second Team All-FVA): “Gabriella has been a valuable member of the Hortonville varsity soccer team since her freshman year. She was a captain for three years and led by example on and off the field. She did an exceptional job leading a young team this year and helped the team prepare for the season by coordinating preseason workouts. She was a valedictorian at Hortonville High School this year and earned Second Team All-Conference recognition in the FVA. Gabriella’s high school career stats include 21 goals and 26 assists at the varsity level. She will continue to play soccer at Wisconsin Lutheran College next fall. She has been a pleasure to coach for the past four years.”
-Hortonville girls soccer head coach Paul Everett
Lauren Mertz (11, Honorable Mention All FVA): “Lauren had a very good season as Hortonville’s goalkeeper. She made many incredible saves this past season. She gained Honorable Mention recognition in the FVA this past year due to her goalkeeping skills. Lauren will end her high school soccer career next year as a captain for the Hortonville Soccer team. She is a hard worker and always has a positive attitude and outlook. She is an asset to the team.”
-Hortonville girls soccer head coach Paul Everett
Brenna Welch (10, Honorable Mention All-FVA): “Brenna is a strong and tough defender. She received an Honorable Mention in the FVA as a sophomore, which is an impressive recognition. She is a captain on Hortonville’s varsity soccer team and will continue this role next season. Brenna has a ‘no quit’ attitude and works extremely hard for the team. Looking forward to two more years of her skills and leadership on the team.”
-Hortonville girls soccer head coach Paul Everett
Track & Field
Dean Kuettel (12, First Team All-FVA – Pole Vault): “Dean had an intense desire to qualify for state in pole vaulting. Dean channeled his energy to take every advantage with his training during the offseason and during the track season. His training for pole vaulting was demanding, yet Dean always maintained a positive attitude every day and willing to help other young pole vaulters. Dean did qualify for state in pole vaulting and set a new Hortonville School record at 14 feet, two inches.”
-Hortonville track and field assistant coach Lee Van Hulle
Hannah Lohrenz (12)/Alyssa Rafuse (10)/Claire Van Beek (12)/Steph Jarvis (12) (First Team All-FVA – 3,200-meter relay): “Teamwork and mindset! First place at Conference! These girls have the heart, will, enthusiasm, energy and the mindset of champions. These girls trained together all season. Encouraging one another to stay focus, yet taking time to enjoy “fun.” As a group, they knew when to dig down and run with the wind, especially when the team needed it the most. The girls qualified for State in the 4×800 and finished fourth in Division I. Next year, Hannah will be running for UW Oshkosh, Claire will be running for St. Norbert and Steph will be running at Lewis University.”
-Hortonville track and field assistant coach Lee Van Hulle
Steph Jarvis (12, Second Team All-FVA – 3,200-meter run): “Steph possesses passion, energy, enthusiasm and a confident mental attitude towards running. She believes in the value of workouts, feels good about her accomplishments and always has a smile, which is catching to the rest of the team. Steph will continue to run as she moves on to St. Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois.”
-Hortonville track and field assistant coach Lee Van Hulle
Nathan Lichtfuss (12, Honorable Mention All-FVA – 800-meter run): “Nathan has an intense burning desire to constantly improve his drive and determination. He beliefs in himself as a runner and has an athlete. His confidence gives him the energy necessary to take on any challenges on the track. Nathan gives 100 percent at every practice. He has a positive attitude which is contagious to those around him. Nathan qualified for state in the 800-meter run with a personal best time. We look forward to his success as he moves on to UW-La Crosse.”
-Hortonville track and field assistant coach Lee Van Hulle
Boys Golf
Tyler Swichtenberg (12, Honorable Mention All-FVA): “Tyler is the type of young man all coaches love to see in their program. His skill as a golfer speaks for itself, but I felt that his leadership and genuine love for the team is what separated him from the pack. Tyler worked at his craft with a passion and love of golf that made him our choice as team MVP. He made other golfers that were younger and perhaps less skilled than himself feel a valued part of Polar Bear golf. Tyler will indeed be missed by our coaching staff and team, but his friendship will always belong to and be valued by us all.”
-Hortonville boys golf head coach Dave Moe