Area grads excelling at college level

SHAWANO — Several former area high school athletes have had strong seasons at the collegiate level this school year.

Here is a look at the accomplishments and achievements for some of those athletes:

Saginaw Valley State

Shawano Community High School graduate Tori DePerry is off to a strong start to her collegiate basketball career with Saginaw Valley State University.

Through Wednesday, DePerry played in all 11 of the team’s games, averaging just under 14 minutes per game. The freshman owns averages of 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. DePerry is shooting an efficient 55.9% from the floor.

DePerry scored 15 points, converting 6-of-10 shots, to lift her team to an 84-75 win over Ursuline on Nov. 16. She followed that up with an eight-point game vs. Walsh on Nov. 17 and a nine-point game against Tiffin on Nov. 23.

“I love it here in Saginaw,” said DePerry. “The team, the coaching staff, the environment — it’s been super fun, and I’m grateful for this opportunity. Playing the sport I love at a higher level has taught me a lot of life lessons and pushes you to extreme levels. Although it is tough, the outcome is definitely worth it, and my time playing college basketball has been one I won’t ever forget.”

St. Norbert

Shawano graduate Nathan Krizan played seven games for the St. Norbert College football team this fall.

Krizan, a freshman, finished with four total tackles, with 1.5 tackles for loss.

Jeffrey Green, another Shawano graduate, is having a strong sophomore season for the men’s swim team.

In a dual win over Lawrence University on Nov. 8, Green was part of the top-finishing 200-yard medley relay team. As an individual, he placed fourth in the 100 freestyle and eighth in the 100 breaststroke.

During the three-day Carthage College Classic from Dec. 5-7, Green competed in several events.

In the finals, Green took seventh in the 100 IM, 12th in the 200 breaststroke, 16th in the 50 freestyle and 18th in the 100 breastroke.

He was also on the fourth-place finishing 200 freestyle relay team and helped the 200 medley team place second. Green was also a part of the 12th-place finishing 400 medley team.

Viterbo

Shawano graduate Julia Klement saw the volleyball court in 23 matches during a season that ended with her Viterbo University team making a run to the NAIA National Championship Semifinals.

In those 23 matches, Klement totaled 32 kills, 11 total blocks and eight digs.

Viterbo ended the season as the third-ranked team in the 2019 NAIA Women’s Volleyball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.

UW-La Crosse

Clintonville graduate Sami Smejkal has earned a big role in her freshman season on the UW-La Crosse women’s swim team.

At the three-day Rochester Invite that was held Dec. 6-9, Smejkal swam the 50, 100 and 200 freestyles and the 100 butterfly. Her top finish came in the 100 butterfly, placing 41st.

In a dual win over UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 2, the freshman took fifth in the 100 butterfly and ninth in the 200 freestyle. She was also on the sixth-place finishing 200 freestyle relay team.

At the Cows, Colleges and Contentment Classic on Oct. 26, Smejkal came in seventh in the 200 butterfly and 16th in the 100 butterfly. She was on the 200 medley relay team that came in seventh.

In UWL’s first event of the season — the Luther Invitational on Oct. 12 — Smejkal placed third in the 100 butterfly and 10th in the 200 IM, while helping form the 200 freestyle relay team that came in fifth.

Utah State Eastern

Gresham graduate Christian Haffner has enjoyed a strong start to his basketball season at Utah State Eastern, which competes in the Scenic West Athletic Conference.

Through Wednesday, Haffner is averaging 13.1 points per game despite playing only 19.8 minutes a game.

Haffner has scored in double digits in seven of 16 games this season. He scored a season-high 29 points in the team’s first game and has tallied over 20 points four times.

Haffner is a 3-point specialist, hitting at a 42.5% clip so far this season.

St. Mary’s

Shawano graduate Griffin Rades has excelled in limited action for the St. Mary’s University men’s swim team this season.

At the Hamline Invite on Oct. 26, Rades placed sixth in the 200 IM and 100 backstroke and eighth in the 100 breaststroke. He was on the fifth-place finishing 200 medley relay team.

In a dual against Iowa Lakes on Oct. 19, Rades came in second in the 50 breaststroke and third in the 200 and 500 freestyles.

UW-Eau Claire

Bonduel graduate Parker Bohm played in four games this fall for the UW-Eau Claire football team.

The freshman made his biggest impact in the team’s final game of the season against UW-Stout on Nov. 16. Bohm completed 6-of-9 pass attempts for 31 yards and rushed nine times for an additional 44 yards.

Bohm ran for a 2-point conversion in the team’s game against UW-Platteville on Nov. 26. The freshman, who is listed as a quarterback, also booted a 43-yard punt in a clash against UW-Oshkosh on Nov. 29.

UW-Madison

Shawano graduate Brandi Gueths competed in a pair of events for the Wisconsin women’s rowing team this fall.

The sophomore was part of the UW lineup that took 12th place at the Head of the Charles competition Oct. 20 in Boston.

Gueths was on a pair of rowing teams at the Milwaukee River Challenge on Sept. 21. Her Wisconsin D team came in third in the open four, while the open eight A team she helped form took second.

UW-Whitewater

Bonduel graduate Jessie LaBerge golfed in a trio of tournaments for the UW-Whitewater women’s golf team this fall.

At the UW-Stevens Point Mad Dawg Invitational that ran Sept. 28-29, LaBerge tied for 16th with a two-day total of 215 shots.

At the two-day UW-Whitewater Fall Invite on Sept. 20-21, LaBerge tied for 79th with a score of 199.

The freshman placed 36th at the Illinois Wesleyan Fall Invitational on Sept. 9-10 with a score of 203.

UW-Superior

Clintonville graduate Tyler Finger wrapped up a solid junior season for the UW-Superior men’s cross-country team in mid-November.

Finger placed 119th at the NCAA Division III Central Region Championship on Nov. 16.

Earlier in the season, Finger made the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference second team after placing 15th at the conference championships.

Wausau

Gresham graduate Drew Haffner and the Wausau Huskies men’s basketball team is off to a 4-2 start to the winter season.

Haffner scored eight points and had five assists in the team’s season-opening win over Marshfield on Nov. 13. Haffner contributed 13 points and four rebounds in the team’s win over Richland on Dec. 4.

The Huskies compete in the Wisconsin Collegiate Conference.

Rockhurst

Shawano graduate Averi Vomastic appeared in 13 matches for the Rockhurst University volleyball team this fall.

Vomastic contributed seven digs during her time on the court.

Rockhurst finished the season with a 33-8 record. The team made it to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II National Championships before being eliminated.