In this edition of Lots O’ Stuff, some honors for some current Jackson County Central students and an update on a few area graduates.
Top 150
Jackson County Central junior Nolan Ambrose is on the list of the nation’s best wrestlers in the Class of 2024. He is 110th on the list of 150 wrestlers.
There were seven factors considered for the overall accomplishments of the wrestlers to compile the rankings. Among them were placing in state high school tournaments (folkstyle), along with state, national and world Greco Roman competition.
Ambrose is a three-time state high school Class 1A champion, winning at 106 pounds with a 40-2 record in 2021; 113 (52-0) in 2022; and 132 (40-3) this season.
Nolan is one of 11 wrestlers from Minnesota on the list.
The list:
Jed Wester, 132, St. Michael-Albertville, 46th
Cole Han-Lindemeyer, 182, Farmington, 50th
Logan Swensen, 126, Wayzata, 67th
Jack Nelson, 126, Mound-Westonka, 69th
Will Sather, 285, Eden Prairie, 77th
Alex Braun, 138, Woodbury, 83rd
Tyson Charmoli, 138, St. Francis, 84th
Nolan Ambrose, 132, Jackson County Central, 110th
Blake Beissel, 113, Hastings, 117th
Michael Olson, 113, Albert Lea, 134th
Mark Rendl, 220, Forest Lake, 142nd
Gymnastics scholarship
Peyton Hanson, a senior at JCC, has been named one of four $600 scholarship winners by the Midwest Amateur Gymnastics Coaches Association.
Peyton was recognized for her contributions to the Jackson County Central Community Education and Jr. Huskies gymnastics club over the past four years.
Other scholarship winners:
Ella Kowalczyk, Kenwood Gymnastics Center
Ella Barsness, New Prague
Sandy Htwe, New Hope Tumblers
Baseball
Jackson County Central graduate Gavin Jacobsen, a sophomore at Bethany Lutheran College, had career highs in innings pitched and strikeouts Sunday as he earned his first win of the season as the Vikings defeated Northland 11-4 in a UMAC game at ISG Field in Mankato.
Jacobsen went seven innings, allowing two unearned runs on two hits, not walking a batter and striking out 14.
For the season, Gavin has a 1-2 record with a 2.97 earned run average. In 30 and one-third innings, he’s allowed 19 runs (10 earned) on 22 hits, walker 12, hit two batters, and struck out 50.
JCC grad Alex Bretzman is a member of the USD club baseball team, which won two of three vs. SDSU this weekend.
Bretzman was the starting pitcher in the opening game for the Coyotes, going five innings and striking out seven. He also had two runs batted in at the plate.
In the second game, Bretzman had three hits and an RBI and then walked three times in the series finale.
Truman’s Derek Shoen is a senior infielder at the University of Mary. He’s started all 39 games for the Marauders this season.
Shoen leads Mary in hitting (.393, 59-150), doubles (12), home runs (10) and runs batted in (39).
Track and field
Four area high school graduates were in Des Moines last weekend for the Jim Duncan Invitational at Drake University.
JCC graduate Andrew Boyum, a freshman at Iowa Central, placed 22nd out of 43 runners in the men’s 1500 meters with a time of 4:12.56. MCW grad Jake Lewis, a sophomore for the Tritons, was 35th (4:22.91).
Jackson County Central grad Olivia Anderson, a freshman at Minnesota State University, was 24th of 34 runners in the women’s 1500 meters (5:24.75) and Fairmont graduate Andrew Moeller, a junior at South Dakota State, was 16th of 21 in the men’s 800 meters (1:59.24).
Fairmont graduate Conner Tordsen, a senior at Dakota State, recorded three first-place finishes at the Northwestern (Iowa) Red Raider Invitational in Orange City.
On Friday, Tordsen captured the hammer throw title with an effort of 196 feet, 1 ¼ inches on his second attempt.
He then won two events on his first attempt of the day on Saturday, winning the discus with the NAIA 'A' automatic qualifying mark (170 feet-11 ¾ ) and shot put (50-2).
Golf
Fairmont graduate Bergen Senf, a junior with the St. Olaf College women’s golf team, tied for 12th place out of 73 golfers at the weather-shortened Rumble at the Ridge on Sunday at Oneka Ridge Golf Course in White Bear Lake.
After Saturday' first round was canceled due to inclement weather, Senf carded a 77 (+5). The Oles finished seventh in the 11-team standings with a team total of 329 (+41), which was tied for the team's second-lowest round of the season.
Wrestling
JCC grad Keegan Moore, who completed his college wrestling career at Oklahoma this season, will remain in Norman this summer.
Moore will be a summer intern with the Sooners helping Sooners program while finishing his master’s degree in human relations.
The program is designed to positively impact the lives of former University of Oklahoma student-athletes and their families by providing opportunities for personal development, education and rewarding career paths.
During Keegan’s wresting career, he was a three-time state champion at Jackson County Central and competed for three NCAA Division I programs, qualifying for the national tournament with both Northern Iowa and Oklahoma. He also wrestled at Oklahoma State.
Martin County West graduate Katie Lange, a sophomore with the Augsburg University women’s wrestling team, has earned individual honors on the National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-America Team.
She won the NCWWC 143-pound national championship in March.
Here’s the warmup for a Gopher men’s basketball game at Williams Arena in 1975.