In this week’s regularly scheduled edition of Lots O’ Stuff, we let you know where some local high school athletes playing basketball on the AAU level, and update you what a few area graduates have done recently, both on and off their respective playing fields.
ICYMI, there was a bonus Lots O’ Stuff on Friday.
Boys basketball
A number of area athletes are traveling the region playing basketball on some of these spring weekends and will continue to do so into the summer.
Iowa Lakes Basketball Club 17-U boys basketball: Christian Benda, Erik Hesebeck, Travis Rogotzke, Caleb Thurmer, all Jackson County Central
Minnesota Rise 17U: Zach Anderson, Martin County West; Sawyer Tordsen, Fairmont.
Minnesota Rise 15U: Trevor Maakestad, Oliver Tordsen, both Fairmont.
Minnesota Rise 13U Schott: Carter Buhl, Jackson County Central.
Minnesota Rise 13U Williamson: Brayden Williamson, Martin County West. Jamie Williamson of Sherburn is the coach.
Minnesota Rise 10U: Jackson Buhl, Jackson County Central.
Girls basketball
Minnesota Rise 2023 Wolfe: Maci Farmer, Jackson County Central.
Minnesota Rise 2023 Busse: Kari Matejka, Martin County West.
Minnesota Rise 2024 Schultz: Grace Pendergrast, Ava Terfehr, both Fairmont.
Minnesota Rise 2025 Hulke: Rylie Cother, Jackson County Central; Emily Anderson, Martin County West.
Minnesota Rise 2026 Wright: Brylee Miller, Fairmont.
Minnesota Rise 2027 Kottke: Emilia Klanderud, Fairmont.
Minnesota Rise 2028 Geistfeld: Hanna Geistfeld, Truman, is the coach.
If there is anyone I’ve missed, let me know and I’ll get them on the list.
Track and field
JCC graduate Jessica Christoffer, a junior with the South Dakota State women’s track and field program, competed at the Drake Relays in Des Moines Thursday.
She placed seventh overall in the women’s 1500 meters with a time of 4:28.60. There were 29 entries in the event.
MCW grad Cora Olson, a junior at Concordia University in Nebraska, also competed at Drake.
She ran the anchor leg of the Bulldogs women’s 4x100-meter that placed 13th of 31 teams in 48.73 seconds.
Fairmont graduate Conner Tordsen, a senior at Dakota State, competed in two events in Des Moines this week.
On Friday he won the discus title at the Viking Classic hosted by Grand View University with a throw of 164 feet, 8 inches on his sixth and final attempt. That mark is the NAIA 'A' automatic national qualifying mark. He already secured a spot to the national meet earlier this season.
Then on Saturday, he competed in a field of NCAA Division I and II hammer throwers at the Drake Relays. He placed 18th out of 28 competitors with a toss of 188-2. Tordsen has also qualified for the NAIA outdoor meet in the hammer.
Fairmont graduate Sabrina Segar, a freshman at Minnesota-Duluth, competed in the Drake Alterative meet in St. Peter. She placed seventh in the javelin with a throw of 78-9 on her final attempt and was 15th in pole vault, clearing 9-3.
Two other Fairmont grads competed for host Gustavus.
Iliana Ramon was fourth in the women’s 5000 meters with a time of 18:28.48 and Wyatt Quiring ran the second leg of the Gusties’ men’s 4x400 that was first in 3:20.03. Both are seniors.
Academic honors
Some former area wrestlers have earned some academic honors.
JCC graduate Keegan Moore has been named to the Division I Scholar All-America team by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
To earn a spot on the team, student-athletes must have at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average and by having been a NCAA tournament qualifier in the same academic year.
Moore qualified for his second NCAA tournament with Oklahoma this past season. He also wrestled in the 2018 NCAAs while competing for Oklahoma State. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
And he’s done all that despite his poor taste in root beer. smh
Martin County West grad Jaxson Rohman, a freshman at Augustana University, earned Division II Scholar all-American honors. To earn a spot on that team, athletes must have a 3.25 GPA and qualify for the national tournament.
Another MCW graduate, Katie Lange, a freshman at Augsburg University, was named to the women’s academic all-American team.
A business major with a 3.91 GPA, Lange had an 18-1 record at 143 pounds in her first season with the Auggies. Lange recorded seven pins and nine technical falls.
In case you missed it, Lange was on the mat this week at the U.S. Open women’s freestyle finals in Las Vegas. Representing the Twin Cities Regional Training Center, she was unseeded in the 68kg weight class but made it to the championship match but had to forfeit due to an injury.