From the Sports Desk – 1-1-2014
By Marlys Kruger
For those of you who like to keep track of local athletes now playing at the college level, you can spend plenty of time doing it by checking on their school’s websites. Here is an update so far on several of those athletes.
Colfax graduate Lewis Mau, a junior on the UW-Eau Claire basketball team is having quite a season so far. Mau started all 10 of the Blugold games and is second on the team in scoring with a 14 point average. He knocked down the game winner at the buzzer on a layup against Ashford University a couple of weeks ago, a team ranked 23rd in the NAIA. He was named UW-EC Athlete of the Week for his efforts.
Mau’s teammate, Colfax graduate Jared Miller is a freshman on the team and surprised a lot of fans when they heard he was playing for the team. Miller intended to use his big left arm and do some pitching for the Stout baseball team after his high school days ended, but after an injury, decided to take some time off from school. Mau invited him to some open gyms and another player from UW-EC convinced him to try out for the basketball team. Miller spent the past summer getting into basketball shape and has been averaging 13 minutes a game for the Blugolds and leads the team in blocks with 16. The Blugolds are 5-5 overall but are winless in the WIAC.
2013 Colfax graduate Cody Zivcic continued to show off his shooting skills with a 26 point performance against UW-Marathon last month while playing for UW-Barron County. The Chargers are 7-4 for the season but further stats were not available at the time of this writing.
Lane Olson, a freshman for the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs has found himself on the court for an average of 14.8 minutes a game and has played in nine of their ten games so far. He is fourth on the team in rebounds and second in blocked shots.
On the girls’ side, Jenni Gust, a junior for Lenoir Rhyne in North Carolina, has started eight of ten games this season and is second on the team in scoring with a 14.5 average. Gust had a personal best 23 points in a win over Baxter which included 9 for 10 free throw shooting to help her team post a 7-3 record.
Sammy Doucette is a junior on the St. Scholastica womens’ basketball team and averages over 17 minutes a game and started three of their eight games this year. She is tied for first on the team in steals with nine and averages 2.4 points a game. Some of you may have had the opportunity to see her play against UW-Stout during the Thanksgiving break and saw her team beat Stout as she scored 10 points in the game.
Samantha Yolitz is a sophomore guard for Carroll University and is averaging 5.7 minutes a game for the 5-3 Pioneers and has scored three points.
Three Elk Mound girls also took their talents to the collegiate level. Junior Emily Harrison, who is still the tallest player in Michigan Tech’s history of women’s basketball at 6’4, averages 4.4 minutes of playing time a game with a one point average per game.
Josie Hayes was the leading scorer in the D-SC Conference the past couple of years, and is now a member of the UW-River Falls basketball team and has played in eight of the Falcons nine games, averaging 9.4 minutes with 26 points for a 3.3 average with 16 rebounds. Mounder teammate Kaysi Meindel, also plays for the Falcons and has scored four points while playing in four games.
Starting in January there will be plenty of local athletes hitting the indoor track season as well including Sarah McMahon at Bradley University, Amanda Rothbauer and Emma Hayes for UW-River Falls and Lachlan Hinwood for Macalester. If I have missed anyone involved in a sport this winter at the collegiate level or otherwise, please let me know when you see me at a game or call the office at 715-962-3535.