March 1, 2017 at 1:22 p.m.
Rhinelander garners 33 all-GNC awards
White, Kostrova unanimous choices in basketball
Rhinelander garners 33 all-GNC awards
Voting for the all-conference teams in boys' basketball, girls' basketball, boys' hockey and girls' hockey was conducted Feb. 22 in Tomahawk while the all-conference squads in wrestling, gymnastics and boys' swimming were determined by the results of each sport's conference meet.
Boys' basketball
White was the reigning GNC co-player of the year, and led the conference in both scoring and rebounds this year, but did not walk home with the honor of the conference's top player. That award went to Medford's Osy Ekwueme, who helped lead Medford from fifth place to first in the Great Northern Conference in a matter of one season.
White and Ekwueme were two of the four unanimous first-team selections in the GNC this year - Antigo's Matt Arndt and Tomahawk's Justin Jarvensivu were the others - a testament to the talent in the GNC, according to Hodag coach Derek Lemmens.
"I think, when it comes to individual talent, it's the best top players we've had in my seven years coaching," he said.
White averaged 22.2 points and 11.5 rebounds in 11 Great Northern Conference games. He also blocked a league-high 27 shots and shot 81.2 percent from the foul line. The Hodag junior finished behind Jarvensivu and Arndt in total scoring, after missing the first five games of the regular season, including the Hodags' conference opener against Northland Pines, with a knee injury.
"His ability to start immediately making an impact was the reason that was so well deserved," Lemmens said of White's first-team selection.
Two Hodag seniors received honorable mention - point guard Reeve Craig and forward Matt Reinthaler. Craig averaged almost as many assists (4.5) as points (4.8) per game in the GNC while Reinthaler averaged 9.7 points per game in league play.
"Reeve, stats, nothing that he does really jumps out. Nothing that he does really stands out in the scorebook, but his value to the team can't really be measured by those numbers because what he does, day in and day out, is protect the basketball and allow us to run our offense, allow us to beat pressure and just handle the basketball. I think he does it better than any guard that I've had in terms of just being a ball-handler," Lemmens said. "(Reinthaler) came on late, otherwise I think he (like Reeve) could have been jockeying for a second-team conference pick. His best games were, a lot of times, non-conference games. But when he plays confident and he's aggressive, he's an outstanding player and just an excellent 1-2 punch with Owen. The games where he's done well, teams have had trouble guarding us."
Ekwueme averaged 15.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.8 steals per game in league play to take home player of the year honors. Medford's Ryan Brown was voted the conference's coach of the year.
Girls' basketball
The two top scorers in the Great Northern Conference was also the only two unanimous girls' basketball first-team members. Kostrova shared that honor with Northland Pines' Lexi Smith, who was voted player of the year for the second time.
Kostrova averaged 18.9 points per game in league play and was 78.4 percent from the foul line, trailing only Smith in both categories. Kostrova's 23 made 3-pointers were second best in the GNC, one behind Mosinee's Ellie Bruess.
Kostrova was named the all-conference first team for the first time. She received honorable mention last year despite missing nearly half the season due to a collarbone injury.
"I think unanimous selection is a neat honor for her as well, which means every coach in the conference voted her as a first-teamer," Hodag coach Ryan Clark said. "Kaly has the ability to score in such a variety of ways. Kaly can hit the 3, she can hit the 3 off the dribble and off the catch. She's skilled enough she can take it to the basket and score. She can score posting up and she can score kind of that mid-range game too. She's pretty good at pulling up and hitting a jump shot. Her strength is just her overall skill as a player."
Like their boys' counterparts, the Hodag girls had two players receive honorable mention - Ally Seefeldt and Ali Schickert.
Seefeldt, a 5-4 junior nicknamed "Little Ally," eighth in the GNC this year, averaging 11.1 points per game. She was also fourth in the conference in steals (4.3 spg).
"I pushed hard for her for second team because Kaly was our scorer and we needed a second scorer to step up," Clark said. "Little Ally had 24 against Antigo. She had 22 against Mosinee and she finished with 11.1 points in the conference. I think last year she was probably around 2 or 3 points a game."
At 6-feet, Schickert - the "Big Ali" in the Ally-Ali tandem - averaged 5.2 points and 5.9 rebounds a game.
"Her presence on the court is something that other teams have to be aware of," Clark said. "This year, I thought she improved her game as far as being more than just an interior player. She helped us on the perimeter against the press and then, as the year went on, she became even more effective out on the perimeter, whether it was hitting a mid-range jump shot or just making some good passes."
Smith, who averaged on 26.8 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, was the runaway winner for conference player of the year while Melissa Ouimette, who guided Lakeland to an undefeated conference season, earned GNC coach of the year honors.
Girls' hockey
Despite a 2-6 record in league play and a 4-15 mark overall, the Rhinelander/Antigo girls' hockey team, finished with four players on the all-conference team out of the maximum six it could nominate.
Senior goalie Shea Petersen was named to the second team while forwards Kourtney Carrico, Payton Bunnell and Alicia Turunen all received honorable mention.
Petersen led the GNC with 246 saves in eight conference games. Waupaca's Anna Ryder was second on that list with 168. Overall Petersen finished with a 4.56 goals against average and a .890 save precentage in her final season. Northern Edge coach Kevin Sandstrom credited Petersen for keeping his team in a number of contests, including all three games against Lakeland/Tomahawk and the first meeting of the season against Waupaca.
"A lot of that relied on Shea Petersen having the year that she did," he said. "I expected her to get second team, was pleased that she did."
Though the Edge struggled to produce offense much of the season, three front-liners received honorable mention. Carrico (12), Turunen (11) and Bunnell (9) were the Northern Edge's leaders in points this season.
"I was pleasantly surprised to see that regardless of points, regardless of our overall record the other coaches in the conference noticed how talented and what kind of quality players Kourtney, Payton and Alicia all were to us this year," he said. "It didn't matter that our highest score only had 12 points or that, if you take away Medford, we only scored one goal against the other three teams."
Sandstrom noted he nominated defenders Ellen Padgett and Abby Oettenger for all-conference as well, though neither received a vote from the other four conference coaches.
"When you looked at how stacked the conference was, defensively, it was going to be real tough for Abby or Ellen to crack that area, but I still thought it was appropriate to nominate them and let them know what they meant to our team," he said.
Lakeland/Tomahawk goalie Erin Sparks was named the conference's player of the year. First-year Waupaca head man Dan Bauer received coach of the year honors.
Boys' hockey
Senior Dylan Roeser, who played both defense and forward at times for the Hodags this season, was the only Rhinelander boys' hockey player to make the all-GNC team. He received honorable mention.
Roeser finished with seven goals and five assists in Great Northern Conference play. He led the Hodags with 12 goals and 12 assists overall.
"I thought that several of our players deserved some conference recognition, and in Roeser's case I clearly think he was at least second-team caliber, but the coaches vote and that's the way it goes," Hodag coach M.J. Laggis said. "I am proud of Dylan, he is a hard worker in all aspects and is truly deserving of the conference recognition. He plays very well on both sides of the puck."
Antigo captured five of the six spots on the conference first-team, including player of the year Tyler Husnick. Northland Pines' David Cox was voted GNC coach of the year.
Wrestling, gymnastics and boys' swimming
The all-conference teams in wrestling, boys' swimming and gymnastics were determined by the results of each sport's conference meet, with first-place finishers earning first-team honors, second-place finishes earning second-team honors and third-place members receiving honorable mention.
Twelve Hodag wrestlers made it onto the all-conference team, led by first-teamers Jacob DeMeyer, Alec Kurtz and Colton Krueger. Alec Bess earned second-team honors while Reuben Guzik, Anthony Kowalski, Tyler Olson, Alec Modrow, Eric Grulke, Kyle Kuester, Scott Fox and Trevor Knapp received honorable mention.
Raven Sturtevant was a second-team all-conference gymnast in the individual all-around, on floor exercise and on uneven bars by virtue of her performances at the GNC meet on Feb. 18. She received honorable mention on balance beam, as did fellow Hodag sophomore Harlie Zimmermann on uneven bars.
In boys' swimming, Nolan Francis made the all-conference first team in three events and received honorable mention as part of the team's 200 medley relay team. Russell Benoy, Devon Gaber and Martin Hoger earned first team honors, along with Francis, in the 200 freestyle relay. Benoy received second-team honors in the 100 freestyle. Thaddeus Heck (100 breaststroke) and David King (200 individual medley) received honorable mention in individual events, while Hoger, Heck, Benoy and Francis received honorable mention for their roles in the 200 medley relay.
Rhinelander coach Lindsay Byrka was voted the conference's coach of the year.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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