Shea Noerenberg
Sports Editor
Track and Field
New uniforms aren’t the only things the track and field team has to look forward to this season. Along with their new uniforms they received new hurdles and Bobby Crofutt, as a new coach. Their other coaches are head coach Justin McCoy, assistants Mike Jerde, Brian McCollar, Tasha Reitenour, and Nathan Voronyak. The 2010 Section 4AA Men’s True Team Championship belongs to Orono and coming off a successful season last year, they hope that this year will be no different. Seniors Chase Myhran, Sam Persian, Taylor Seibold, Becca Levitt, and junior Sophia Sodhi will be the team’s captains for the 2011 season. As well as achieving good competition results they also hope to come together as a team. “I want the team to bond like we did last year. It becomes somewhat of a family and I want everyone to get to experience that,” expressed Seibold. The team will also be hosting the Conference meet and the True Team Section meet. The team will host Dassel-Cokato on Apr. 12 at 4:30 p.m. at Pesonen Stadium.
Softball
The softball team will head into their season relying on many key returning players. Included in those key players are senior captains Maddi Hinton, Erin Lucas, and Kailey Morgan. “Our pitchers, Lucas and Amanda Peterson are great players with a ton of talent. Our infield and outfield are also incredible. Morgan and Freshman Becky Smith are amazing infielders that will really carry us through the season. They are quick on their feet and make smart plays,” explained Hinton. The team won state a few years ago and they hope to make it back again. “I think we have a really good chance of making it to at least the section finals. Hopefully we will qualify for state,” stated Lucas. The team will be coached by Christine Gagnon and Neil Schlagle. The team also hopes to become closer together as one this season. “I hope to improve the relationships among the team. Last year we had bad attitude problems and jealousy happening a lot. This year I hope to eliminate all of that, and teach the team that every person plays there part,” expressed Morgan. While the team prepares for the season, they will focus their goals on making it far in the section and state tournament. The girls will take it one game at a time! Their next game will be Apr. 14 at Annandale. They will then play at home against Waconia on Apr. 15 at 4:30 p.m.
Baseball
The boy’s baseball will be lead by numerous seniors this year. Erik Peterson, Matt Helling, Mitchell Wolff, Dylan Limesand, Kyle Mileusnic, Kyle Ignatius, Willie Baurle, and Phil Anderson will all finish off their high school career this spring. Captaining the team will be Peterson, Helling, Wolff, Limesand, and Mileusnic. The seniors also hope to make a return to the state tournament this year. “Our biggest rival this year will be Delano. They came out of our section and went to state. I think we can definitely qualify and make it deep into the state tournament,” explained Helling. Younger players will also be a big part of the team especially in the pitching staff area. The team will work hard during practice and games as they prepare to hopefully end their season on a high note with the seniors leading the way. “I think that all of the senior players will make the biggest impact this season because we want to go out on a high note.” stated Peterson. The team is scheduled to take on Mound Westonka on Tue. Apr. 12 at 4:30 p.m.
Boys Golf
The past three seasons have been memorable for the boys golf team and they hope this year is the same. The team will be led by coaches Doug Erickson and Dave Herring and by senior captains Dakota Clark, Patrick Johnston, Miles Knutsen, and Brian Urness. The team has taken first place at the Minnesota State High School League State Tournament the past three seasons and they hope to finish strong again this year. “I believe that we are going to state again this year,” stated captain Dakota Clark. “We may have some new competition because teams can improve a lot over a year but I think our team can pull through. Nobody had heard of Orono Golf three years ago. Look at us now.” Three of the team’s captains have committed to play golf at Division I schools next year. Johnston will be heading to the University of Minnesota, Knutsen will play for the United States Air Force Academy, and Clark will attend the University of South Dakota. The team will rely heavily on these players on and off the course as they hope to return to the state tournament and take the title for the fourth year in a row.
Girls Golf
The girls golf team will be headed out to Baker National Golf Course as soon as the snow had melted from the ground. The team will be led by senior captains Natalie Dittrich and Annie Norlander. They will be coached by Gary Severtson and Penny Pease. The girls are confident that this will be a strong year for them and they hope to achieve many different goals. “We have a lot of returning players this year so we are looking to improve scores and place higher in the conference,”explained captain Dittrich. “Last year’s team consisted of many new players and this year they look to come closer together as one team. “Amanda Donahoe, Stephanie Urness, and Chandler Gill showed a lot of improvement from the beginning to the end of last season; I see a lot of promise in these girls,” stated captain Norlander. “I know they will make a big impact this season. Their scores continue to impress but their attitude towards the game creates team unity.” The team will work on coming together as one this season and defeating their rivals Mound and Delano.
Boys Tennis
The boy’s tennis team has high expectations for this season after returning three of their top four singles players and a pair of senior, doubles players. Captaining the team will be seniors Tor Breon, Ben Knudsen, and Gavin Kulick and they will be coached by Kristy Abbott and Tara Huinker. Although the team has many seniors returning to play for their final season, the team will also rely on junior Will Fraser and sophomore Danny Fryer. “Will is always one of our most consistent players and he has a lot of experience. Danny will also help us a lot. He is coming back after a very impressive freshman season,” explained Knudsen. The team also hopes to work on their consistency over the course of the season so they will be able to compete in sections at the end of the year. “Our section has Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, and Wayzata in it so it is hard to get past them but I think we can make a solid run,” stated Breon. The team will head to Buffalo on Apr. 12 for a four p.m match and then head to Litchfield on Apr. 14.
Girls Lacrosse
A brand new coaching staff is just one new addition to the girl’s lacrosse program this season. Nathan Thompson, a middle school geography teacher, is the new head coach of the team. Assisting him is Gopher women’s lacrosse player, Allie Sisk. “I think that having these two as our coaches will be great for our program. They are very knowledgeable and will help us a lot,” stated senior Madeline Wiltgen. The team had a rough season last year; winning only two games. This year, the team hopes to build upon those two wins and bring a winning tradition back. “I think we have drastically improved from last year. This year we have a lot of new girls but they all have a lot of talent,” explained senior Rachel Bash. The team will need to work together as one because the roster will only have four seniors leaving multiple spots for underclassman. “If we practice hard and communicate with each other I believe that we will have a very successful year,” expressed senior Mackenzie Skatter. The team will open up their season on Tue. Apr. 12 playing at Totino-Grace. They will then take on rival, Mound Westonka at home on Apr. 15 at 6:30 p.m.
Boys Lacrosse
The boy’s lacrosse team will face many challenges this year but they plan on achieving all of them. Their team will be filled with youngsters this year as there are not many upperclassmen on the roster but the team has faith that they will step up. Orono seniors Derek Alford and Weslee Kavanagh and Mound senior Joe Graphenteen will captain the team. Though they have a young roster, playing in the state championship isn’t out of the picture. “Our team goal is to play in the state championship game again this year. We have played in it the past two seasons and to get back there senior year would be a great way to finish.” explained Alford. The team wants to improve on some of the smaller things like ground balls, passing, and defense. The team will also work to become closer together as friends as the season goes on. “All great teams are extremely good friends. It helps them to play with more chemistry.” expressed Alford. Josh Scott and Noah Bodner coach the team. The boys lacrosse team opened up their season with a win over St. Paul on Apr. 6. They will next take on Hudson on Apr. 17 at seven p.m. in Pesonen Stadium.
