Kwik Trip athletes of the week in WIAC sports

Men's cross country

Mateo Alvarado Venegas, senior (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie), of UW-Stevens Point.

Alvarado Venegas won the Green Bay Phoenix Open with a time of 24:44.1, a five-second cushion over the top Division I finisher. His first-place finish helped the Pointers win the six-team event.

Also nominated:

• UW-River Falls, Ryan Pierson, junior, Butterfield, Minn. (Butterfield-Odin)
• UW-Whitewater, Conner Murphy, senior, Sheboygan Falls, Wis. (Sheboygan Falls)

Women's cross country

Faith Wehrman, sophomore (New Berlin, Wis./New Berlin Eisenhower), of UW-Stevens Point.

Wehrman took second at the Green Bay Phoenix Open with a time of 22:19.6. Her time was just 1.3 seconds behind the winner from University of St. Thomas (Minn.).

Also nominated:

• UW-Platteville, Cecilia Skalsky, sophomore, Brooklyn, Wis. (Home School)
• UW-River Falls, Laina Viere, senior, Richmond, Minn. (Rocori)
• UW-Whitewater, Abi Anderson, sophomore, Janesville, Wis. (Janesville Craig)

Football

Offense

Cade Fitzgerald, senior (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Osseo), quarterback of UW-River Falls.

Fitzgerald stepped in to replace injured starting quarterback Peter McDevitt and immediately took command of the offense, completing 19 of 24 passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns, while adding 68 rushing yards and another touchdown on 14 carries. He accounted for 289 total yards and four touchdowns, while leading the Falcons to a 38-6 road victory at No. 21-ranked Coe College (Iowa).

Also nominated:

• UW-Eau Claire, Paxton Rothmeier, sophomore, running back, Medford, Wis. (Medford)
• UW-Platteville, Charlie Snoreck, sophomore, wide receiver, Orland Park, Ill. (Orland Park Carl Sandburg)
• UW-Stout, Davonte Evans, senior, wide receiver, Chicago, Ill. (Argo Commands)
• UW-Whitewater, Tommy Novotny, freshman, running back, Milwaukee, Wis. (Milwaukee Marquette)

Defense

Elijah Krantz, senior (Cross Plains, Wis./Mount Horeb), defensive line of UW-Platteville.

Krantz was a big piece of the Pioneers defense that held University of Dubuque (Iowa) to just 25 total yards and two first downs in a 59-0 win on Sept. 12. Krantz finished with three tackles, including a tackle for loss, and came away with a 15-yard pick six on the Spartans' opening drive of the second half.

Also nominated:

• UW-Eau Claire, Aidan Drost, senior, defensive line, Rice Lake, Wis. (Rice Lake)
• UW-Oshkosh, Dayshawn Henry, junior, linebacker, Oshkosh, Wis. (Oshkosh West)
• UW-River Falls, Kody Curtis, junior, defensive line, Buffalo, Minn. (Buffalo)
• UW-Stout, Brooks Brewer, senior, safety, Menomonie, Wis. (Menomonie)
• UW-Whitewater, Amillione Johnson, freshman, defensive back, Milwaukee, Wis. (Milwaukee Marquette)

Special teams

Garrison Jackman, sophomore (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield), kicker of UW-Stout.

Jackman was perfect on the day, going 3-for-3 on field goals and 4-for-4 on PATs to account for 13 points in UW-Stout's 37-34 victory over Augustana College (Ill.). He converted field goals from 37, 31 and 41 yards. His 37-yarder marked a career long, which he then eclipsed in the fourth quarter with a 41-yarder with seven minutes left that proved to be the game winner. Additionally, he recorded eight kickoffs with three touchbacks.

Also nominated:

• UW-Eau Claire, Madden Mahr, freshman, wide receiver, Stanley, Wis. (Stanley-Boyd)
• UW-La Crosse, Maddox Pratt, senior, kicker, Hartford, Wis. (Hartford)
• UW-Oshkosh, Cooper Winslow, junior, kicker, Montgomery, Ill. (Wheaton St. Francis)
• UW-Platteville, Martin McDonald, senior, defensive line, Huntsville, Ala. (Huntsville Grissom)
• UW-River Falls, Johnny Figgins, freshman, kicker, Palmer, Alaska (Palmer Colony)
• UW-Whitewater, Joseph Ware Jr., freshman, tight end, Oshkosh, Wis. (Oshkosh West)

Women's golf

Tally Schlindwein, sophomore (Wausau, Wis./Wausau East), of UW-Eau Claire.

Schlindwein led the Blugolds to a seventh-place finish at the Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) D3 Classic. She posted rounds of 74 (+2) and 79 (+7) with five total birdies, including a stretch of three birdies in four holes. Individually, she finished tied for 13th with a score of 153 (+9).

Also nominated:

• UW-Platteville, Chloe Chappell, junior, Lake Geneva, Wis. (Lake Geneva Badger)

Men's soccer

Offense

Trey White, freshman (Neenah, Wis./Neenah), forward of UW-Stout.

White made an immediate impact during the week, scoring the game-winning goal in UW-Stout's 3-0 home victory over University of Northwestern-St. Paul (Minn.). On the road against Central College (Iowa), White scored the game-tying goal to help the Blue Devils overcome a 2-0 deficit and earn a 2-2 draw. Both performances came against teams Stout lost to last season.

Also nominated:

• UW-Eau Claire, Noah Malcook, senior, forward, Fitchburg, Wis. (Oregon)
• UW-River Falls, Hunter Berry, freshman, forward, Lonsdale, Minn. (Faribault Shattuck-St. Mary's)
• UW-Whitewater, Hayden Saul, senior, forward, Iowa City, Iowa (Liberty)

Defense

Jaime Mata, senior (Coruña, Spain/C.D. Calasanz), goalkeeper of UW-River Falls.

Mata anchored the Falcons in goal in two matches during the week, highlighted by a five-save shutout in UW-River Falls' 3-0 victory over University of Minnesota Morris. Mata stopped all five shots on goal against the Cougars, including three attempts during a four-minute stretch in the second half to preserve the clean sheet. He made two saves against Grinnell College (Iowa), allowing just one goal in the 1-0 loss.

Also nominated:

• UW-Eau Claire, Sean Redmond, senior, defense, Lebanon, Tenn. (Lebanon)
• UW-Platteville, Brady Harwood, senior, defense, Plainfield, Ill. (Plainfield North)
• UW-Stout, Kevin Lowery, sophomore, defense, Rochester, Minn. (Rochester John Marshall)
• UW-Whitewater, Mason Diercks, senior, defense, Oregon, Wis. (Oregon)

Women's soccer

Offense

Jaden LeRoy, junior (Evansville, Wis./Evansville), forward of UW-Oshkosh.

LeRoy scored five goals during the week, including a four-goal performance during the Titans' 6-0 victory at Benedictine University (Ill.) on Sept. 12. She scored the first, second, fourth and fifth goals of the match in the second, ninth, 46th and 52nd minutes. LeRoy's haul was the second-most goals in a match in program history and Oshkosh's first four-goal effort since 2022. Her first goal of the week came in the Titans' 2-0 win over Milwaukee School of Engineering at home on Sept. 9.

Also nominated:

• UW-Eau Claire, Emma Donovan, junior, forward, Hazel Green, Wis. (Dubuque Wahlert Catholic)
• UW-La Crosse, Aubree Caya, senior, forward, Oregon, Wis. (Oregon)
• UW-Platteville, Mira Petri, sophomore, forward, Sun Prairie, Wis. (Sun Prairie West)
• UW-River Falls, Emery Bigler, senior, forward, Pewaukee, Wis. (Pewaukee)
• UW-Stevens Point, Christa Borchardt, junior, forward/midfield, New Berlin, Wis. (New Berlin West)
• UW-Whitewater, Genevieve Simkowski, sophomore, forward, Oak Park, Ill. (Oak Park-River Forest)

Defense

Olivia Bahr, freshman (Cedar Grove, Wis./Cedar Grove-Belgium), defense of UW-Oshkosh.

Bahr started in and played 142 minutes in the Titans' pair of shutout victories during the week. She was on the pitch for all 90 minutes of the 2-0 home win over Milwaukee School of Engineering on Sept. 9 as UW-Oshkosh held the Raiders to five shots on goal, and played 52 minutes on Sept. 12 in the Titans' 6-0 road win over Benedictine University (Ill.). The Eagles were held to just two shots on goal.

Also nominated:

• UW-Eau Claire, Caroline Curran, senior, forward, Lakeville, Minn. (Lakeville South)
• UW-La Crosse, Jessica Stewart, senior, defense, Plainfield, Ill. (Plainfield North)
• UW-River Falls, Valerie Leonard, senior, defense, Mankato, Minn. (Mankato West)
• UW-Stevens Point, Jocelyn Blahnik, sophomore, goalkeeper, De Pere, Wis. (De Pere)
• UW-Whitewater, Rachel Cvikel, junior, defense, Franklin, Wis. (Milwaukee St. Thomas More)

Women's tennis

Singles

Abigail Weaver, junior (Wakarusa, Ind./Mishawaka Marian), of UW-Whitewater.

Weaver helped UW-Whitewater open up WIAC action with two wins at the No. 1 singles flight. On Sept. 13, Weaver defeated Gretchen Murphy from UW-Stout without dropping a game in the straight-set win. Later in the day against UW-River Falls, Weaver went on to a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Brooke Lindeman.

Also nominated:

• UW-Eau Claire, Beatriz Felchak, junior, Curitiba, Brazil
• UW-La Crosse, Shelby Roth, senior, Neenah, Wis. (Neenah)
• UW-Oshkosh, Peyton Peterson, freshman, Sheboygan Falls, Wis. (Sheboygan Falls)
• UW-Stevens Point, Chloe Regal, sophomore, Stewartville, Minn. (Stewartville)

Doubles

Abigail Weaver, junior, Wakarusa, Ind. (Mishawaka Marian), and Ava Andrae, sophomore, Cedarburg, Wis. (Cedarburg), of UW-Whitewater.

Weaver and Andrae helped the Warhawks open up their conference season with wins over UW-Stout and UW-River Falls on Sept. 13. The duo opened the day with a 6-1 victory over the Blue Devils' top doubles pair. Later in the day, the Warhawk pair won their second match 6-2 over the Falcons' top doubles pair.

Also nominated:

• UW-La Crosse, Shelby Roth, senior, Neenah, Wis. (Neenah), and Hannah Cady, senior, Delafield, Wis. (Hartland Arrowhead)
• UW-Oshkosh, Kayla Gibbs, senior, Muskego, Wis. (Muskego), and Sarah Schaeffer, sophomore, Rock Springs, Wis. (Reedsburg)

Women's volleyball

Offense

Brooke McCune, senior (Osseo, Wis./Osseo-Fairchild), outside hitter of UW-Stout.

McCune had a strong week, averaging 4.44 kills per set across four matches (16 sets played). She finished the week with 71 kills (.282 hitting percentage), 39 digs, five aces and four blocks, totaling 78.5 points (4.91 points per set). Highlight performances included a 22-kill outing against Wartburg College (Iowa), 17 kills against (RV) Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.), and 14 kills while hitting .303 against Wheaton College (Ill.). Notably, she led the Blue Devils to their first win over St. Catherine University (Minn.) since 2016, recording a double-double with 18 kills (.385 hitting percentage) and 11 digs.

Also nominated:

• UW-Eau Claire, Brynlee Major, freshman, outside hitter, Lakeville, Minn. (Lakeville North)
• UW-Oshkosh, Grace Juergens, senior, pin hitter, Lockport, Ill. (Lockport)
• UW-Platteville, Bria Johnston, senior, outside hitter/libero, Loves Park, Ill. (Machesney Park Harlem)
• UW-River Falls, Emily Brenner, senior, outside hitter, Boyd, Wis. (Stanley-Boyd)
• UW-Stevens Point, Carly Thomka, senior, middle blocker, Muskego, Wis. (Muskego)
• UW-Whitewater, Aubrie Krzus, senior, Wheaton, Ill. (Wheaton Warrenville South)

Defense

Bria Johnston, senior (Loves Park, Ill./Machesney Park Harlem), libero/outside hitter of UW-Platteville.

Johnston averaged 4.93 digs per set along with 3.00 kills per set as the Pioneers wrapped up a perfect 4-0 week. She opened the week with a career-high 27 digs in a four-set win over Wartburg College (Iowa) before adding another 19 in a win over Millikin University (Ill.). Johnston closed out the week with a pair of double-doubles on Sept. 12, with 14 kills and 11 digs against Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Ind.) and 11 kills and 12 digs against Wisconsin Lutheran College. She added nine service aces across the four matches and had a hitting percentage of .217.

Also nominated:

• UW-Eau Claire, Kaitlyn Erickson, junior, libero, Champlin, Minn. (Champlin Park)
• UW-Oshkosh, Callie Panasuk, sophomore, libero, Oak Creek, Wis. (Oak Creek)
• UW-River Falls, Audrey Petersen, junior, defensive specialist/libero, Glencoe, Minn. (Glencoe-Silver Lake)
• UW-Stout, Addison Kessler, freshman, middle hitter, Cary, Ill. (Cary-Grove)
• UW-Whitewater, Abbie Dix, senior, middle hitter, Brodhead, Wis. (Brodhead)