by the light of the moon

Three Saint Croix Falls wrestlers named as Academic All-Americans

BY RON JASPERSON

SPORTS WRITER

You don’t have to be a great student to be a great athlete. You also don’t have to be an excellent athlete to be an excellent student. However being a very good athlete and a very good student oftentimes goes handin-hand. St. Croix Falls just proved this theory once again as three of their top-notch wrestlers were named as academic All-Americans. Luke Thaemert, Tanner Gaffey and Kole Marko received this recognition from the National Wrestling Coaches Association who examines their cumulative GPA, transcripts, and wrestling success in determining this award.

“To my knowledge we’ve never had one wrestler earn this award let alone three,” Saints head wrestling coach Joe Raygor said. “All three students excel in the classroom and on the wrestling mat. Luke Thaemert was a State runner-up this season and Kole and Tanner were State champions.”

“Luke, Tanner, and Kole had a high commit

St. Croix Falls wrestlers Kole Marko, Luke Thaemert and Tanner Gaff ey were named academic All-Americans.

ment to wrestling, and in the classroom,” St. Croix Falls Athletic Director Paul Randolph added. “Not often do you see a balance like this. It’s an honor to be their athletic director.”

It’s no secret that St. Croix Falls has achieved a great deal of success on the wrestling mats over the years. They are certainly one of the fi rst schools mentioned when people talk about wrestling excellence in the state. Their success no doubt comes from hard work in the weight room, at practice, attending wrestling camps, and are guidance by great coaching. But one piece that is often overlooked as they achieve their high level of excellence is academics.

“Every season we set team goals and individual goals for the wrestling season and academic goals are always a part of that process,” Raygor noted. “The SCF wrestling program emphasizes values that extend much further than just the wrestling mat. We want to see kids excel in all facets of life and these three boys exemplify those core values. It’s great to see their hard work and perseverance pay off and get recognized.”

“None of this would be possible without all of the support we get from our teachers and coaches,” Gaffey offered. “The teachers here at SCF truly care about every student and want them to succeed. Our coaches continue to push us on and off the mat during the season and even out of season. This award is really a testament to them.”

Marko put the combination of athletics and academics into perspective. “Academics is a huge point of emphasis in my family,” he said. “Athletics eventually comes to an end for everyone. It is important to gain a quality education to ensure I can contribute

BY RON JASPERSON

SPORTS WRITER

Osceola girls track and fi eld team pushed away by canceled season

The Osceola girls track and fi eld team had a lot of momentum coming into the 2020 season. Osceola was fresh off winning the 2019 Middle Border conference title by 27 point over second place St. Croix Central. The Chieftains had won the Regional meet by 50 points over second place Ashland. OHS was also Sectional champion and completed their 2019 season with a fourth place team fi nish at State. They were on a roll, and then Covid-19 wiped out spring sports in Wisconsin.

Would Osceola be as good as they were the previous season? Actually they were poised to be even better, perhaps the best Chieftain girls team ever. OHS would be replacing the points from last season’s departing seniors Katie Haase, Megan Merricks and Anna Swanson. True, those were some big shoes to fi ll but it looked like Osceola would have been reloaded for another stellar team.

Osceola had a relatively small senior class for this season but would certainly be led by Caroline Gearin who has had success in track and fi eld from the day she went out for the sport as a freshman. Gearin had been a State participant in multiple events each of her fi rst three seasons and will leave Osceola with the school record in the pole vault. Other seniors for Osceola included Mari Valbuena, Sydney Regan, Michaela Schultz and Halee Uzpen.

Joining Gearin as letter winners included a bevy of talent including Arieana Hayton, Mallory Johnson, Chloe Backlund, Tia Foster, Abby Tolzman, Shaylee Feske, Kaili Bradway, Alli Fogelberg, Lauren Ellefson and Sydney Regan.

“I’m disappointed that I was not able to compete with Caroline during her senior season,” Fogelberg said. “We would have all had a ton of fun running with her and are going to miss her a lot.”

Back from a season off after an outstanding freshman year was Allyson Mallin. No doubt the team would have been augmented in the distance events by freshman Rachel Ulrich

in society following my athletic career.”

“Throughout the years sports have always been very important to me, but I never forget that academics always come fi rst,” Thaemert summarized. “In my opinion, it is a good education that will help to push me further in life. However, it is the life lessons that I have learned in sports that help me to succeed in both activities.”