SUPPZ.COM SWNEWS4U ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Lancaster's Lexie Olmstead

Freshman wins 4 events to lead Lancaster girls to regional title, then qualifies for state in same four events

Lancaster freshman Lexie Olmstead won four events — the high jump with a new school record height of 5'8", the long jump, triple jump and 4x200 relay — at last Tueday's WIAA Division 2 Platteville regional, then qualified for state in all four events with top four finishes three nights later at the D2 McFarland Sectional. - photo by Jason Nihles

Lexie Olmstead high jump record — Lancaster freshman Lexie Olmstead won four events — the high jump with a new school record height of 5'8", the long jump, triple jump and 4x200 relay — at last Tueday's WIAA Division 2 Platteville regional, then qualified for state in all four events with top four finishes three nights later at the D2 McFarland Sectional. - photo by Jason Nihles

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

Lexie Olmstead, Fr., jumps / sprints, Lancaster girls track and field

Lancaster freshman Lexie Olmstead was a key member of the Flying Arrows Southwest Wisconsin Conference champion cross country team last fall, placing 12th at the SWC Championships to earn second-team All-SWC honors.

She then spent her winter lighting up scoreboards to the tune of 24 points per game, while leading the Lancaster girls to a share of their first conference title in 20 years on her way to earning SWC Player of the Year and WBCA First Team All-State honors.

Olmstead is once again a shinning star, this time on the track. Last Tuesday, the lanky Lancaster freshman won the girls high jump — with a new school record of 5'8" — the long jump (17'1.5"), triple jump (36'9.25") and teamed with senior sister Kylie Olmstead, sophomore standout Maddie Driscoll and junior Sosie Hofffman to win the 4x200 relay with a time of 1:45.43. All told, Olmstead scored 32.5 team points to help the Flying Arrows (135) finish just behind team champion Monroe (136.66) at the WIAA Division 2 Platteville Regional.

Three days later, Olmstead qualified for state in all four events with top four finishes at the D2 McFarland Sectional, placing first in the high jump (5'6"), second in the triple jump (36'10"), second in the 4x200 relay (1:45.09) and fourth in the long jump (17'3").

She ended up scoring 25 of Lancaster's 70 team points at sectionals to help her team finsih third behind Mount Horeb (83) and Madison Edgewood (72).

Olmstead enters this weekend's WIAA Track and Field State Championships, which will be held Friday and Saturday at UW–La Crosse, seeded second in the high jump, fourth in the triple jump, 12th in the long jump and 12th in the 4x200 relay.

HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):
Casey Dresen, Sr., P/IF/OF, Fennimore baseball
Dresen drove in the game-winning run on a wal-off single to lift Fennimore to a 9–8 WIAA Division 3 regional semifinal victory over New Glaurs Tuesday night. He finsihed 2-for-3 with three RBI and earned the pitching win in relief, allowing four runs (two earned) on seven hits, four walks and six hits in five innings of work before reaching the 100-pitch limit. A day later, Dresen save the game with a spectacular diving catch on a shallow fly ball down the right field line in the bottom of the seventh inning in a time game with a runner at third in Wednesday's D3 regional final at SWAL champion Mineral Point. Two innings later he delivered the game-winning RBI single with two outs in the top of the ninth to score twin brother Corey Dresen from second base as the Golden Eagles (18–8) went on to win their second straight regional title, 4–3.

Kyree Fischer, So., P, Richland Center softball
For the second year in a row, Fischer led the SWC champion Hornets (19–4) to a WIAA Division 3 regional softball title. Fischer struck out a school record 24 batters and allowed just four hits and two walks, and drove in the game's only run with a sac fly to lead Richland Center to a 1–0 12-inning victory over Gale–Ettrick–Trempeleau in a D3 regional final last Thursday night. Two days earlier, Fischer struck out 12 in a 4–2 regoinal semifinal victory over SWC rival Prairie du Chien last Tuesday night.

Kayahna Furrer, Sr., SS/P, Fennimore softball
Furrer went 3-for-3 with a homer, three RBI, three runs scored and pitched a scoreless seventh inning to lead Fennimore to an 8–0 shutout of SWAL rival Riverdale in last Thursday's WIAA Division 4 regional finals. It was Fennimore's second regional title in the past three years under head coach Cassie Roach. Furrer also went 3-for-4 with a double, home run, two runs scored and a 1–2–3 fifth inning (with three strikeouts) in Fennimore's 13–0 regional semifinal win over Necedah last Tuesday night.

Brynne Pettit, Sr., P, Iowa–Grant softball
Pettit was nearly unhittable striking out seven and walking just two in a brilliant one-hit shutout and drove in a run with a fourth-inning sac fly to lead the Panthers (20–8) to a 6-0 victory over No. 3 seed Melrose–Mindoro in a WIAA Division 4 regional final last Thursday. It was IG's third regional softball title in the past six years (2021, 2022, 2026).

Claire Runde, Sr., 1B, Belmont softball
Runde went 2-for-4 with two homers, three RBI and two runs scored in Belmont's 8–1 WIAA Division 5 regional final victory over Argyle/Black Hawk last Thursday night. It was Belmont's 21st regional title in the past 27 seasons under long-time head coach Jeff Hodgson. Runde and the Braves (22–6) went on to qualify for the program's ninth trip to state (all since 1999) with a 6–5 eight-inning victory over Six Rivers Conference champion Barneveld (22–7) in a sectional semifinal Tuesday and a dominating 7–0 shutout of top-seeded Ithaca/Weston in a D5 sectional final Thursday night.