Sports Digest

Hodags Kurtz, Heck earn WFCA All-Academic honors

    Kurtz
  

Rhinelander seniors Owen Kurtz and James Heck were two of 722 seniors across to state to earn Academic All-State honors from the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association last week. 

“The WFCA, in a continuing effort to recognize the great players within the state of Wisconsin, is very pleased to provide a 2023 Academic All-State Award to the outstanding individuals and teams that attain a high level of success in the classroom,” the WFCA stated in a press release announcing the award. 

    Heck
  

Academic all-state honors are awarded to high school seniors who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher and were varsity letterwinners on their high school teams this season. 

In addition to being letterwinners, both Kurtz and Heck earned All-Great Northern Conference recognition earlier last week. Kurtz was named as a second-team defensive lineman while Heck received honorable mention at both running back and outside linebacker. 

Seven of the eight schools in the GNC had academic all-state honorees, led by Hayward with five. 

WIAA board approves spring sport rule changes

      

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control approved coaches advisory committee rule change recommendations in baseball and track and field at its October meeting on Thursday.

Beginning in June 2024, the higher-seeded team at the state baseball tournament will be declared the home team for each game in all divisions. For regionals and for the sectional semifinal level, the higher-seeded team will be the home team in all divisions. For the sectional finals, the higher seed will be declared the home team in Division 1, and a coin flip will determine the home team in Divisions 2, 3 and 4.

The board approved two recommendations advanced by the track & field coaches, effective in the spring of 2024, both pertain to the tournament series schedule. The first establishes the same order of field events for all divisions at the sectional meets and the state meet to mirror the existing Division 1 order. The prescribed order will be girls’ high jump, girls’ long jump, girls’ shot put, boys’ pole vault, boys’ triple jump followed by boys’ discus, and then, flip the gender in the same order of events.

The second change impacts the Division 2 and 3 regionals and sectionals in 2024. The 200-meter dash preliminary heats will be eliminated to again mirror the existing Division 1 schedule. In addition, the schedule will be adjusted to conduct the boys’ 110 hurdles preliminaries followed by the girls’ 100 hurdles preliminaries. After a 15-minute break, the girls’ will run the finals of the 100 hurdles with the boys’ 110 hurdles final to follow.

On another action item, the board approved the 2024-25 and 2025-26 fall season co-ops, which includes two new co-ops. Marion/Tigerton as well as St. Ambrose/Abundant Life Christian will operate as co-op cross country programs for boys and girls.

Among the discussions with the board were a review of the 2023 area meetings, including feedback on the Menti polls and the coaching contact and membership expectation breakout discussions, as well as the ongoing efforts to recruit and retain licensed sport officials.

The board was introduced to several possible Constitutional amendments that will be reviewed by the committee process to determine if they advance to the membership for a vote at the annual meeting. The amendments under consideration address competition and practice restrictions; requiring the WIAA to be in compliance with all NFHS rules and regulations; Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities; and use of video replay to review all player ejections.

Dr. Timothy McGuine from the UW-Madison Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitations Department presented an update on research studies focused on concussions, protective equipment, and risk minimization, as well as the availability of athletic trainer personnel in member high schools.

The board also received liaison reports from Paul Manriquez of the Department of Public Instruction, Dan Rossmiller of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards and Eric Plitzuweit of the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association.