EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thrusday throughout the calendar year.
Sami Brookens, Jr., Platteville/Lancaster girls soccer
Simply put, Platteville’s Sami Brookens is a scoring machine. The junior forward has scored a goal in 11 straight matches for the Platteville/Lancaster co-op and her recent hot streak has earned her this week’s Mast Water Technology Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week award.
Brookens scored a pair of first-half goals to help the Hillmen scored a 3–3 draw last Tuesday against Monroe, the same program that waxed Platteville/Lancaster 10–0 just one year ago. Two nights later, Brookens scored with 10 minutes left in the first half to break a scoreless tie and ignite a 2–0 Hillmen victory over host River Valley. Platteville/Lancaster (11–3–2, 8–0 SWC) clinched the SWC title with the win over the second-place Blackhawks.
Monday afternoon Brookens kept her scoring streak alive with a pair of second-half goals, but it wasn’t quite enough as Platteville/Lancaster’s nine-game unbeaten streak ended with a 3–2 loss at Reedsburg. Brookens and the Hillmen bounced back Tuesday, as the junior forward assisted on the Platteville co-op’s first three goals, then added a pair of her own in the second half of a 6–1 SWC victory at Richland Center.
Brookens leads the Hillmen with 26 goals and six assists in 16 matches this year. She has scored 23 of those goals during her 11-match scoring streak and has 15 goals and five assists in nine SWC matches. She is the odds on favorite to win this year’s SWC Player of the Year award. Brookens is a three-year starter and two-time All-SWC selection. She led the team with 19 goals a year ago to earn first-team honors and scored a team-best 12 goals as a freshman to earn a spot on the SWC second team.
Brookens and the Hillmen will close out conference play today at UW–Platteville against visiting Prairie du Chien as Platteville/Lancaster celebrates Senior Night.
HONORABLE MENTION:
Maggie Durni, Sr., Platteville track & field
The Platteville senior won four gold medals at last Tuesday’s Southwest Wisconsin Conference track and field meet at River Valley to lead the Hillmen to the girls’ team title. Durni, a two-year state qualifier, won the 100-meter-dash (13.03 seconds), 200 (26.29), long jump (17’0”) and ran the anchor leg of Platteville’s 4x100 relay (52.64) to help the Hillmen ended Dodgeville/Mineral Point’s three-year reign as SWC champions.
Brady Peat, So., Iowa–Grant golf
The sophomore shot a 5-over-par 75 to earn one of four individual sectional berths at Tuesday’s WIAA Division 3 Mineral Point sectional. A week earlier, Peat shot a 90 to tie for 12th place at the Southwestern Wisconsin Activities League Championships at the Edleweiss Chalet Country Club near New Glarus. He finished the regular season sixth in the final individual SWAL standings to earn second-team All-SWAL honors.
Lane Kamps, Sr., Belmont baseball
Kamps shut down visiting Benton/Shullsburg last Tuesday to help the Braves (16–7, 14–2 SRC) clinch the outright Six Rivers West championship. Kamps (8–1) surrendered just one run on four hits and three walks while striking out 11 in the complete game victory. He also sparked Belmont’s offense by lining an RBI single and scoring a run in the Braves’ three-run first inning. Saturday afternoon, Kamps shook off inconsistency to pick up his eighth win of the season in an 11–6 victory over Potosi, in the conclusion of a game started on May 9. Kamps pitched both days and finished with 11 strikeouts and 10 walks.
Charles Christianson, Jr., Iowa–Grant baseball
Christianson pitched five solid innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits to lead Iowa–Grant (9–10, 8–6 SWAL) to a 9–6 victory at Mineral Point on Tuesday. Christianson improved to 5–1 on the season as the Panthers locked up fourth-place in the eight-team SWAL. Last Thursday Christianson struck out five in four innings in an 11–6 win at Southwestern.
