EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday or Friday throughout the calendar year.
By Jason Nihles, The Platteville Journal, Fennimore Times, Boscobel Dial
Kayahna Furrer, Jr., P, Fennimore softball
DARLINGTON — Fennimore junior pitcher Kayahna Furrer did it all in Monday night’s 20–0 five-inning rout of Darlington. Furrer (12–6) struck out 12 Redbirds and tossed a five-inning perfect to earn her 12th victory in the pitching circle this spring. Only three of the 15 Darlington batters that face Furrer Friday even put the ball in play.
Even more impressive the powerful Furrer went 4-for-5 at the plate with a pair of doubles, a home run and a career-high eight RBI to power the Golden Eagles’ offense. Furrer is now hitting a team-high .640 (48-for-75) with 10 doubles, three triples, and incredible 11 home runs and a leagues-high 48 RBI. She sports an outstanding .689 on-base percentage, an eye-popping 1.267 slugging percentage and an out of this world 1.956 OPS. She also holds a 12–6 pitching record with a 2.95 ERA and 192 strikeouts in 111 2/3 innings pitched.
Furrer hit a pair of long balls in last Thursday’s 13–2 loss to SWAL co-champion Mineral Point (19–5, 13–1 SWAL), but 10 fielding errors doomed the Eagles. Furrer also homered in last Tuesday’s 6–4 non-conference road win at Wisconsin Heights.
The Golden Eagles earned No. 3 seed it their nine-team Division 4 half sectional and a first-round bye Thursday. Fennimore will use Thursday’s open date to add a non-conference home game against River Ridge. The Eagles will then open the playoffs Tuesday with a WIAA regional semifinal against
HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order)
Bret Connolly, Sr., Iowa–Grant boys track and field
Iowa–Grant senior Bret Connolly won a pair of individual conference titles to lead the Panthers at Monday’s SWAL Conference Championship Meet at Steve “Sparky” Reynolds Memorial Track at Boscobel High School. Connolly nipped Cuba City senior Noah Wood in both the 1,600 and 3,200. Connolly (4:47.83) out-kicked Wood (4:48.75) in the 1,600 and then came back a couple hours later to win the 3,200 in similar fashion with a winning-time of 11:05.34. Wood finished a close second at 11:06.16. Connolly also won a bronze medal with a third-place finish in the boys 400 (52.59) and scored a team-high 26 points with his 13 totals laps around the track Monday night. Sophomore Landon Fries
Issac Henkel, Sr., Fennimore boys track and field
Fennimore senior Isaac Henkel was named the Male Athlete of the Meet at Monday's SWAL Conference Championship after helping the Fennimore boys win a second straight conference title. Henkel, a three-year WIAA State qualifier won the boys 400 in 50.94 seconds, and 800 in 2:05.56, and also ran the third leg of Fennimore’s winning 4x400 relay, combining with senior Matt Winch and sophomores Logan Koestler and Reece Kelley to post a time of 3:38.43.
Nora Jillson, Boscobel girl girls track and field
Boscobel hosted the annual SWAL Conference Championship Meet Monday night at Steve “Sparky” Reynolds Memorial Track. The Boscobel girls, who scored 113 points to finish second behind three-time defending champion Fennimore, were led by senior Nora Jillson, who won the 800-meter run (2:22.41) and the 1,600 (5:17.18). The UW–La Crosse recruit also finished second in the 3,200 at 11:57.97.
Brooklyn Ritchie., So. Fennimore girls track and field
Sophomore Brooklyn Ritchie took home the Female Athlete of the Meet honor at Monday's SWAL Conference Championship Meet after winning four gold medals to help the Fennimore girls win a third consecutive conference title. Ritchie scored 32.5 team points by winning the 100-meter-dash (12.87), 200 (27.02), long jump (16’2”) and the 4x100 relay (53.15), along with junior Peyton Lendosky, sophomore Katie Nelson and freshman Lola Hahn.
Tanner Simmons, Sr., P/OF, Belmont baseball
Simmons (5–1) struck out 12 batters and allowed just two unearned runs on three hits and three walks in six innings to lead Belmont to a 3–2 win at Barneveld last Friday night. Simmons also went 2-for-4 with a run scored as the Braves (17–4, 14–1 SRC) clinched at least a share of this year's Six Rivers Conference title with last week's victory. The D4 #5-ranked Braves will travel to #10-ranked River Ridge (14–6, 13–2) Thursday afternoon to play for this year's conference title. Simmons also went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored in a 15–2 win over Monticello/Albany in the opening game of a SRC sweep last Tuesday at UW–Platteville. Simmons had an RBI triple and a run scored in a 6–5 win in Game 2.
