BY RICH PALZEWIC
CORRESPONDENT
SUAMICO – This is the final part of a three-part series on Bay Port High School’s year in review sports season.
State champs! The No. 1 state-ranked Bay Port girls’ soccer team beat Fox River Classic Conference rival Sheboygan North 3-1 on June 16 at the Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee to win the D1 state championship.
It was the program’s first state title and the school’s fourth overall after the baseball team won back-to-back championships in 2009-10, and the boys’ track and field team took home a title in 2015.
The victory also avenged the Pirates’ only loss of the season, after the Golden Raiders (21-2-1) won a 1-0 game earlier in the year in Sheboygan.
Senior Erika Hess was named the FRCC offensive player of the year – and all-state honorable mention – while sophomore Emma Nagel was named first team at forward. Head coach Brooke Mraz was named the D1 coach of the year and sophomore Alaina was named second-team from her defensive position.
Bay Port ended the year 24-1.
Thibert signs a national letter of intent: Recent Bay Port graduate Sophia Thibert had a very successful high-school career swimming and running track for the Pirates, but she won’t be competing in either of those sports in college.
Despite never competitively rowing before, Thibert signed her national letter of intent Feb. 28 to join the UW-Madison lightweight crew team.
Seven honored in signing-day ceremony: For seven Bay Port student-athletes, their dreams became reality in an April 11 ceremony at the high school.
The seven – Anna Gulan (soccer, Michigan Tech), Savannah Huben (cross country/track & field, University of Indianapolis), Olivia Mabry (track & field, Grand Valley State), Matt Rotter (football, St. Cloud State), Carson Schroeder (football, Northern State University), Sophia Thibert (rowing, UW-Madison) and Cordell Tinch (football/track & field, University of Minnesota) either signed their letters of intent or were honored for doing so earlier in the year.
Coleman coaches in D2 all-star game: Bay Port girls’ basketball coach Kati Coleman led her team to within a whisker of reaching the WIAA D1 state tournament this past March.
Coleman was rewarded for her efforts by being selected as one of the coaches for the D2 North all-star squad in the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association all-star game June 15 in Wisconsin Dells.
Even more important than being able to coach some great high-school athletes, the game raised funds for the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer (MACC) Fund.
LaPoint gets No. 600: Bay Port softball player Sydney LaPoint – a St. Cloud State recruit – picked up her 600th career high school strikeout late in the season and would end with over 650 in her career.
Boys win FRCC track & field title: Participating without arguably the best athlete in the state, the Bay Port boys’ track and field team defied the odds to win the Fox River Classic Conference title May 15 at Pulaski High School.
Cordell Tinch, a University of Minnesota recruit, wasn’t allowed to compete due to an athletic-code violation, but the Pirates still narrowly nipped Green Bay Preble by a 155 to 152.5 margin to win their fourth title in the last five years.
Bay Port would send 12 athletes to the WIAA state tournament, with Olivia Mabry being the highest-placed athlete with a fifth place in the pole vault.
Eighteen honored in signing-day ceremony: Eighteen Bay Port student-athletes were honored in a ceremony May 16 at the high school for committing to continue their athletic and academic careers at the collegiate level. Most of those involved will be going to Division III colleges.
The 18 were Matt Barnard (UW-Platteville – football), Sofia Draghicchio (Carroll University – soccer), Tanner Hendricks (UW-Whitewater – football), Erika Hess (Carroll University – soccer), Nick Key (UW-Whitewater – cross country, track), Isaiah Konopacki (UW-Stevens Point – swimming), Ariel Kuchta (UW-Stout – soccer), Lucas LaMue (UW-Superior – basketball), Peter Martin (St. Norbert College – swimming), Sam McKean (UW-Platteville – soccer), Masen Powless (Concordia University – lacrosse), Mady Schroeder (UW-Stevens Point – volleyball), Kyle Thieme (University of Evansville (D1) – cross country, track), Bobby Tilot (Saint Mary’s University – baseball), Alexis Tingley (St. Norbert College – softball), Grace Van Egeren (UW-Eau Claire – basketball), Spencer Van Petersom (UW-Eau Claire – football) and Brightyn Zuelke (Carroll College – diving).
Cedergren shines at state: Bay Port golfer Preston Cedergren placed ninth at the WIAA D1 state meet on June 4-5.
The sophomore shot a two-day total of 149 (five-over par) on the demanding University Ridge Golf Course in Madison.
His second day one-under par 71 was the lowest round in Bay Port state-meet history and one off the school record for best round ever.