June 23, 2011 at 1:54 p.m.
Taking it to the next level
2011 RHS graduates turn in their Hodag green for a different color
Taking it to the next level
By Jonathan Bailey-
But for a select few, walking across the stage represented merely an intermission in their athletic careers. Among the recent RHS graduates intending to compete in their respective sports at the collegiate level are Dan Kellen, Dylan Smith, Troy White, Sam McKay and Adam Holquist.
Kellen, a two-sport athlete during his time at Rhinelander, was sought by many baseball programs in Wisconsin and Minnesota. When all was said and done, the 2011 Great Northern Conference Player of the Year in baseball committed to play for perennial Division III power house University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis.
The Tommies of St. Thomas are consistently the best in their conference and are frequent participants in the Division III tournament, winning the national title in 2009. RHS baseball head coach Joe Waksmonski believes that Kellen's greatest strength is his versatility and that he will represent Rhinelander well at the next level.
"Dan obviously brings all kinds of tools," Waksmonski said. "Not only is he a pitcher but he's an outfielder and he can catch as well. One thing that's overlooked with Dan is his ability to catch. It just so happened that we had Joe (Zuiker) to catch and it made our team better to have Dan in center field. Consequently now, Dan is really good at three positions and can play college baseball at all three."
Kellen, who also enjoyed success on the football field during his time at Rhinelander, will use his versatility to try to compete for a starting position immediately at St. Thomas.
From the baseball diamond to the hardwood, Dylan Smith is intending to play basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Marathon next year, according to a newsletter sent out earlier this year by RHS boys' basketball coach Derek Lemmens. Smith, a 2010-11 second-team all-conference selection, led the Hodags in points per game (9.3) and rebounds per game (5) last season.
"Dylan's commitment to basketball has led him to an opportunity at the next level to play with the UW-Marathon Huskies," Lemmens said in the newsletter. "I am extremely excited to see a Hodag with this opportunity and wish him the best of luck. His work ethic and coachability will make him a great asset to Coach (Bill) Gibbs and the Husky program."
UW-Marathon is a two-year school that is a part of the Wisconsin Collegiate Conference (WCC). Its basketball program has won a number of conference titles, including back-to-back championships in 2006 and 2007. It fell short of another title last season, losing 65-60 in the WCC championship game to the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha.
Smith's teammate in the post, Troy White, also hopes to play collegiately next season. A two-sport star who played three sports at one point, White plans on trying out for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team according to Waksmonski. Lemmens does not believe that White has intentions of trying out for basketball at UW-Platteville.
"Troy has a very good shot of playing at Platteville," Waksmonski said. "Troy's just a very good athlete. Whether it is as a pitcher or outfielder, I think he has a pretty good shot of making it there."
Platteville's baseball program, according to Waksmonski, underwent a coaching change four to five years ago when he was still at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and it has been growing stronger for the most part ever since. The team did have a rough going this past spring, finishing last in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a record of 6-18, 11-19 overall.
A couple other 2011 RHS graduates who plan or hope to continue their athletic careers are Sam McKay and Adam Holquist. McKay, who qualified for the WIAA State Track and Field Meet in a pair of events this past season, will be attending Michigan Tech, where head coach Jim Moore says he plans to run.
Holquist, Rhinelander's No. 1 singles player in boys' tennis over the past several seasons, plans to attend UW-Marathon for a year or two before going to UW-Platteville, according to RHS tennis head coach Bob Heideman. While Marathon does not have a tennis team, Holquist mentioned to Heideman that he may go out for tennis once he gets to Platteville.
Several other student-athletes from the Class of 2011 may have had the talent to continue their playing careers at the collegiate level, but elected instead to focus on academics and chose an institution that best fits their future plans.
The girls' tennis duo of Priyanka Sikka and Alleigh Fralick are perfect examples of that. The two, who combined for 216 wins and seven state appearances during their time as Hodags, are attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison next fall, where making the tennis team would be extremely difficult.
But for those like Sikka and Fralick, playing their sports at a club level in college is an alternative to get their fix. Alex Henkel, a three-sport star, said in an interview with The Northwoods River News earlier this year that he too was planning to attend UW-Madison and that he hoped to play both club hockey and baseball.
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