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
Kinley Bendorf, Fr., F, Platteville/Lancaster girls soccer
Freshman forward Kinley Bendorf scored five goals in two matches last week to lead the Platteville/Lancaster girls soccer team to a WIAA Division 3 regional title.
The Hillmen (13–3–2) advanced to last Saturday’s regional championship with a dominating 6–1 victory over No. 13 seed Whitewater/Palmyra–Eagle (3–9–2) in a Division 3 regional semifinal last Thursday night at PHS.
Bendorf scored four goals in the first 30 minutes of the game to set the tone. Sam Stanton assisted on Bendorf’s first and fourth goals, while Katie Murphy and Goomey set up goals two and three. Murphy scored on an assist by Stone just before halftime, and Bendorf assisted on another Murphy goal early in the second half.
“Kinley began the scoring in the first half, and she didn’t stop scoring until she was subbed off,” said Platteville/Lancaster head coach Cristian Flores. “She scored our first four goals to give us a layered lead and we never looked back.”
Two night's later, Bendorf scored the first goal in a 2–0 regional final victory over No. 4 seed Big Foot/Williams Bay (11–4–2).
Bendorf scored on an assist by fellow freshman Elia Doyle Morin in the 20th minute and sophomore Soreaya Stone added an insurance goal on a free kick from about 20 yards out in the 70th minute.
Bendorf leads the SWC champion Hillmen with 18 goals and four assists in 18 matches this year.
“One of our goals as a team this year was to win a regional championship, and the girls delivered,” added Flores. “It is great to see the players’ hard work and grit throughout the whole season be rewarded. We have a great team that is more than deserving of being regional champions.”
Senior goalkeeper Anna Pennekamp turned away the only shot on goal against her to record her ninth shutout in net this year.
Senior defender Yaqyr Goomey, the 2026 Southwest Wisconsin Conference Player of the Year, and the rest of the Platteville/Lancaster defensive backfield did an excellent job limiting the Chiefs’ (11–4–2) scoring opportunities to keep the pressure off Pennekamp.
Platteville/Lancaster improved to 13–3–2 overall and advances to play No. 1 seed McFarland in a D3 sectional semifinal Thursday at 8 p.m.
The winner advances to Saturday night’s D3 McFarland Sectional final with a berth in the WIAA State Tournament on the line.
The Spartans (14–0–4) dominated Fort Atkinson 7–0 in Saturday’s regional final and finished tied for first in the Badger Small Conference this spring.
HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):
Tenleigh Bockop, So., P, Mineral Point softball
The Mineral Point sophomore struck out 13 batters in a complete game seven-hit shutout to lead the Pointers (26–4) to a 3–0 win over SWAL rival Fennimore (21–8) in last Thursday's WIAA Division 3 sectional final. Bockhop also struck out 10 and allowed just one hit in a 10–0 sectional semifinal win over Deerfield last Tuesday night. Bockhop and the Pointers will face No. 3 seed Marathon (25–5) in a WIAA D3 state semifinal Thursday night at Madison College around 8:30 p.m.
Nathan Johnson, Sr., P/1B, Dodgeville baseball
Johnson struck out nine batters in a two-hit complete game shutout to led the SWC champion Dodgers (24–2) to a 9–0 victory over Cuba City in a WIAA Division 3 regional semifinal last Tuesday. He then went 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored in last Wednesday's 11–2 regional final victory over Iowa–Grant. This Tuesday, Johnson struck out 11 batters in and allowed just one run on five hits in six innings, and went 2-for-2 with a walk and an RBI in 7–2 D3 sectional semifinal win over SWAL runner-up Fennimore. The No. 1 seeded Dodgers went on to beat No. 5 seed Viroqua 5–4 in 11 innings on a walk-off RBI single by Jentry Olson in Tuesday night's D3 Riverdale Sectional final to earn Dodgeville's first trip to the WIAA Baseball State Tournament since 1963, and fourth overall (1948, 1962, 1963, 2026).
Cameron Hogan, Sr., pole vault / spints, Boscobel boys track and field
Hogan cleared 14’3” to break his own school record and place third in the Division 3 boys pole vault last Friday afternoon at the WIAA Track & Field State Championships at UW–La Crosse. Earlier in the day, Hogan teamed with fellow seniors Cooper Leffler and Nathan Gunderson, and freshman Carter Hehn to place 15th in the prelims of the boys’ 4x100 relay, breaking their own school record with a time of 44.56 seconds. Hogan, Leffler and Gunderson returned to the track Saturday afternoon and teamed sophomore Graydon Richter to finish second in their six-team heat and eighth overall in the finals of D3 boys 4x400 relay at 3:30.07.
Lexie Olmstead, Fr., jumps, Lancaster girls track and field
Olmstead, last week's SWNews4U Athlete of the Week, followed up he stellar sectional performance by winning the Division 2 girls high jump state title by matching her school record 5'8" last Friday at the WIAA Track and Field State Championships at UW–La Crosse. Olmstead also finished third in the D2 girls triple jump (37'5") Saturday, ninth in the long jump (17'1.25") and teamed with senior sister Kylie Olmstead, junior Sosie Hoffman and sophomore Maddy Driscoll to place seventh in the D2 girls 4x200 relay (1:44.33).
Emilee Reuter, Jr., 3B, Belmont softball
Reuter went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and three RBI in Belmont's upset of No. 1 seed and Six Rivers Conference champion Barneveld in last Tuesday's WIAA Division 5 sectional semifinal. Reuter then went 2-for-4 with a run scored in a 7–0 sectional final victory over No. 1 seed Ithaca/Weston two days later at River Ridge High School. Reuter then went 4-for-4 with an RBI double, a stolen base and a run scored in a 10–2 victory over No. 4 seed Athens in Thursday's WIAA D5 state semifinal. Reuter and the No. 1 seed Braves (23–6) will face either No. 2 Almond–Bancroft (26–1) or No. 3 Blair–Taylor (21–7) in the D5 state championship game Saturday morning at 8 a.m. at UW–Madison's Goodman Sports Complex.
