WIAC Women's Softball Athletes of the Week

Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Women's Softball
Athletes of the Week

Week of April 21 - 27
Position
Amy Gahl, Junior (Beloit/Parkview), Centerfield of UW-Whitewater
Gahl compiled 17 hits over 33 at bats for a .515 average during the week with two doubles, three home runs, 12 RBIs and 16 runs scored. She also had a slugging percentage of .848 on the week, while helping the Warhawks to a 10-0 record and the seventh conference championship in school history. Gahl hit safely in each game and registered five multi-hit contests. Her best performance of the week came on April 27 in the second game of a doubleheader against UW-Eau Claire when she went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and five RBIs.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Casey Leisgang, Senior, Infield, Seymour
UW-La Crosse, Liz Bradley, Senior, Thirdbase, Platteville
UW-Oshkosh, Dani Olsen, Senior, Catcher, Verona
UW-Platteville, Tera Burr, Junior, Secondbase, Shawano
UW-River Falls, Emily Howlett, Senior, Thirdbase, Eagan, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Chelsea McIlquham, Senior, Secondbase, Sun Prairie
UW-Stout, Nelly Peterson, Junior, Firstbase, Cumberland

Pitcher
Jessica Stang, Freshman (Minnetonka, Minn.), Lefthanded Pitcher of UW-Whitewater
Stang compiled a 3-0 record during the week with wins over UW-River Falls, UW-Platteville and No. 11-ranked UW-Eau Claire. She threw 20 innings, allowing nine hits and three earned runs, while recording 26 strikeouts. Stang held opponents to a .141 batting average and had a 1.05 ERA. Her best performance was a 2-0 shutout against the Blugolds on April 27, when she only allowed one hit and struck out 11 batters as the Warhawks clinched the conference title.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Jenny Ross, Freshman, Lefthanded Pitcher, Mendota Heights, Minn. (Henry Sibley)
UW-La Crosse, Jess Iwanski, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Grafton
UW-Oshkosh, Ronessa Stampfli, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Brodhead
UW-Platteville, Maggie Medlicott, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Neenah
UW-River Falls, Brittany Rathbun, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Rochester, Minn. (Mayo)
UW-Stevens Point, Kayla Kastenmeier, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Ashwaubenon

Week of April 14 - 20
Position
Whitney Tornow, Sophomore (Neenah), Outfield of UW-Oshkosh
Tornow hit .464 (13-28) with three home runs and 14 RBIs as UW-Oshkosh won seven of its eight games, including two victories over No. 10-ranked UW-River Falls and one over No. 14-ranked UW-Eau Claire. Tornow hit safely in seven of the Titans’ eight games. She also compiled five doubles and 10 runs scored while posting a slugging percentage of .964. Tornow had an on-base percentage of .515. Tornow had three multiple-hit games, including a 5-for-5 performance with one home run, three doubles, five RBIs and four runs scored in UW-Oshkosh’s 31-1 victory over UW-Superior on April 16. She also went 2-for-4 at the plate with one double and four RBIs to help the Titans defeat UW-Whitewater, 4-2, on April 17. UW-Oshkosh’s 7-0 win over nationally-ranked UW-Eau Claire on April 15 featured a solo home run by Tornow. In UW-Oshkosh’s doubleheader sweep of nationally-ranked UW-River Falls on April 20, Tornow went 3-for-8 at the plate with one home run, one double, two RBIs and two runs scored. The Titans defeated the Falcons in game scores of 5-2 and 7-0.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Michelle Butkus, Senior, Infield, Medford
UW-La Crosse, Jenna Ahnen, Freshman, Shortstop, Sparta
UW-Platteville, Tera Burr, Junior, Secondbase, Shawano
UW-Stevens Point, Danielle Ashbeck, Senior, Centerfield, Wabeno
UW-Stout, Kaitlin Helgaas, Freshman, Outfield, Fond du Lac
UW-Whitewater, Lauren Cruz, Sophomore, Leftfield, Des Plaines, Ill.

Pitcher
Amy Sullivan, Senior (Oshkosh/West), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-Oshkosh
Appearing in three games, Sullivan allowed just one earned run and seven hits in 22 innings to earn victories over No. 14-ranked UW-Eau Claire, UW-Whitewater and No. 10-ranked UW-River Falls. Sullivan allowed just two extra-base hits while striking out 33 batters and walking three. Opponents hit just .096 against her. In UW-Oshkosh’s 7-0 win over nationally-ranked UW-Eau Claire on April 15, Sullivan allowed just one hit in seven innings. She struck out nine batters and walked one. In the Titans’ 6-1 win over UW-Whitewater on April 17, Sullivan hurled all 10 innings and yielded just four hits while striking out 13 batters. In UW-Oshkosh’s 7-0 victory over nationally-ranked UW-River Falls on April 20, Sullivan pitched the first five innings of the contest and allowed just two hits while striking out 11 batters.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Jenny Ross, Freshman, Lefthanded Pitcher, Mendota Heights, Minn. (Henry Sibley)
UW-La Crosse, Shelly Monahan, Senior, Rochester, Minn. (Mayo)
UW-Platteville, Maggie Medlicott, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Neenah
UW-Stevens Point, Kayla Kastenmeier, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Ashwaubenon
UW-Whitewater, Nikole Schulty, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Woodstock, Ill.

Week of April 7 - 13
Position
Emily Howlett, Senior (Eagan, Minn.), Thirdbase of UW-River Falls
Reaching base safely in all seven of her plate appearances, Howlett helped UW-River Falls to 8-0 and 10-2 victories over UW-Superior on April 9. She was 3-for-3 at the plate with one home run, one double, five RBIs, five runs scored and three walks. In the 8-0 win, she had a double in the first inning, a three-run home run in the third inning earned an intentional walk and scored a pair of runs. In the second game, Howlett went 1-for-1 with two RBIs and three runs scored. She earned walks in her first three at-bats, but in the seventh inning, she hit a two-run single. Howlett currently leads the conference with a .560 batting average, 11 doubles and 37 RBIs.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Jill Janke, Senior, Infield, Black River Falls
UW-La Crosse, Liz Bradley, Senior, Thirdbase, Platteville
UW-Platteville, Bridgette Clark, Freshman, Outfield, Rock Falls, Ill.
UW-Whitewater, Lauren Cruz, Sophomore, Leftfield, Des Plaines, Ill.

Pitcher
Jenny Ross, Freshman (Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley), Lefthanded Pitcher of UW-Eau Claire
Ross started both games for the Blugolds against UW-Stout on April 9, picking up wins in both contests to remain undefeated on the season (10-0). She scattered eight hits, struck out nine batters and allowed only two runs, one of which was unearned, facing 32 batters in nine innings. Her cumulative ERA in the two games was 0.78, lowering her season average to 1.10.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Jess Iwanski, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Grafton
UW-Platteville, Katie Sutter, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Barneveld
UW-River Falls, Ashley Bertrand, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, St. Paul, Minn. (Como Park)
UW-Whitewater, Jessica Stang, Freshman, Lefthanded Pitcher, Minnetonka, Minn.

Week of March 31 - April 6
Position
Becky Swanson, Senior (Neenah), Outfield of UW-Platteville
Swanson hit .500 during three games, including the game-winning, two-run home run against defending WIAC champion, and preseason favorite, UW-Oshkosh. She belted her home run in the sixth inning off three-time WIAC pitcher of the year Ronessa Stampfli, helping the Pioneers, 1-15 last year, beat the Titans by a 2-1 score. Swanson also hit a home run the next day at UW-La Crosse in an 11-4 win. In three games, she was 4-for-8 with five runs scored and four RBIs.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Tamara Zeman, Sophomore, Outfield, Lodi
UW-La Crosse, Liz Bradley, Senior, Thirdbase, Platteville
UW-Oshkosh, Veronica Bolle, Freshman, Infield, Manitowoc (Lincoln)
UW-River Falls, Keri Feller, Junior, Firstbase, Austin, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Danielle Ashbeck, Senior, Centerfield, Wabeno
UW-Stout, Beth Lloyd, Senior, Catcher, Fond du Lac
UW-Whitewater, Amy Gahl, Junior, Centerfield, Beloit

Pitcher
Ashley Bertrand, Senior (St. Paul, Minn./Como Park), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-River Falls
Bertrand tossed her first collegiate no-hitter in the team’s 5-0 win at UW-Stout on April 5. She struck out 12 batters and walked two. After striking out the side in the first inning, she walked the first batter in the second and then retired the next 16 batters. In the seventh, she struck out the first two batters and walked the third, but was able to record the final out on a ground ball to third.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Jenny Ross, Freshman, Lefthanded Pitcher, Mendota Heights, Minn. (Henry Sibley)
UW-La Crosse, Jess Iwanski, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Grafton
UW-Oshkosh, Ronessa Stampfli, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Brodhead
UW-Platteville, Maggie Medlicott, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Neenah
UW-Stevens Point, Hope Krause, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Mishicot
UW-Stout, Katie Fichter, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Baraboo
UW-Whitewater, Jessica Stang, Freshman, Minnetonka

Week of March 24 - 30
Position
Suzanne Gersich, Junior (Wadsworth, Ill.), Rightfield of UW-Whitewater
Gersich batted 11-for-20 (.550 average) with three home runs, 10 RBIs and seven runs scored during the team’s final six games in Fort Myers, Fla. She also added five doubles and a triple to increase her slugging percentage to .974 on the season. Gersich had five multiple-hit contests during the week as the Warhawks went 4-2 with both losses to fifth-ranked DePauw University (Ind.).

Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Amie Heinzelman, Sophomore, Outfield, Monroe
UW-Platteville, Tera Burr, Junior, Secondbase, Shawano
UW-River Falls, Rachel Mathias, Junior, Centerfield, Ripon

Pitcher
Ashley Bertrand, Senior (St. Paul, Minn./Como Park), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-River Falls
Bertrand compiled a 3-0 as the Falcons won all four games at the Augustana College (Ill.) Tournament on March 28-29. She pitched the Falcons to 8-1 and 3-0 wins against the host school and an 8-2 triumph over Millikin University (Ill.). Bertrand allowed just five hits and one earned run in 18 innings pitched (0.39 ERA), while compiling 20 strikeouts and walking four batters. In the 3-0 win, she allowed just two singles and picked up her fourth shutout of the season.

Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Ronessa Stampfli, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Brodhead
UW-Whitewater, Nikole Schulty, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Woodstock, Ill.

Week of March 10 - 23
Position
Katie Sutter, Freshman (Barneveld), Utility of UW-Platteville
Sutter hit home runs in her first five collegiate games and hit .600 in eight games for UW-Platteville during the spring trip in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. She went 15-for-25 with nine runs scored and 11 RBIs to go along with the five home runs. She hit safely in all eight games and had multi-hit performances in six of the eight contests. The Pioneers were 4-1 in the games she hit a home run.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Casey Leisgang, Senior, Infield, Seymour
UW-La Crosse, Rachel Croak, Sophomore, Rightfield, Greendale
UW-River Falls, Emily Howlett, Senior, Thirdbase, Eagan, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Korryn Brooks, Senior, Catcher, Stevens Point (SPASH)
UW-Stout, Savanah Oeltjen, Senior, Shortstop, Spring Valley, Minn. (Kingsland)

Pitcher
Jenny Ross, Freshman (Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley), Lefthanded Pitcher of UW-Eau Claire
Ross compiled a 5-0 record for the Blugolds, as the team went 10-2 on the spring break trip in Tucson, Arizona. She pitched 29.0 innings in six appearances and five starting assignments. Ross accumulated 29 strikeouts, allowing 18 hits and five earned runs, on her way to an ERA of 1.21. She had at least five strikeouts in five games and allowed only one extra-base hit.

Also nominated:
UW-Platteville, Brittani Clauss, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Davenport, Iowa (North)
UW-River Falls, Ashley Bertrand, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, St. Paul, Minn. (Como Park)
UW-Stevens Point, Kayla Kastenmeier, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Ashwaubenon

Week of March 3 - 9
Position
Keri Feller, Junior (Austin, Minn.), Firstbase of UW-River Falls
Feller helped the Falcons to a 4-0 record during the week after going 10-for-14 (.714 average) with four doubles and two three-run home runs. She had a 1.429 slugging percentage, .733 on-base percentage and 14 RBIs. Feller hit a three-run homer in a 14-0 win over Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.) on March 7 and another three-run homer in an 11-2 victory over Augsburg College (Minn.) on March 8. She recorded three hits in three of the four games.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Tamara Zeman, Sophomore, Outfield, Lodi
UW-Stevens Point, Samantha Bizeau, Freshman, Outfield, Gladstone, Mich.
UW-Stout, Nelly Peterson, Junior, Firstbase, Cumberland

Pitcher
Hope Krause, Senior (Mishicot), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-Stevens Point
Krause fired the 11th no-hitter in program history in a 10-0 five-inning victory over Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.) on March 8. She struck out four and walked one in the contest. Krause also earned the victory in a 1-0 triumph over Augsburg College (Minn.) on March 7 after she struck out four and scattered eight hits.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Jenny Ross, Freshman, Pitcher, Mendota Heights, Minn. (Henry Sibley)
UW-River Falls, Ashley Bertrand, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, St. Paul, Minn. (Como Park)
UW-Stout, Katie Fichter, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Baraboo

Week of Feb. 25 - March 2
Position
Rachel Weyer, Freshman (Loyal), Outfield of UW-La Crosse
Weyer hit .647 (11-of-17) with five home runs, two doubles, 10 RBI and nine runs scored in five games at the Finlandia University (Mich.) Dome Tournament on March 1-2. She had home runs in four of five contests, including two in a 5-4 win over Marian College (Wis.) on March 1. Weyer hit the game-winning solo home run in the bottom of the seventh for the victory. She had a 1.588 slugging percentage for the week and .684 on-base percentage as the Eagles went 4-1 in the five games.

Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Whitney Tornow, Sophomore, Outfield, Neenah
UW-River Falls, Rachel Mathias, Junior, Centerfield, Ripon
UW-Stout, Nelly Peterson, Junior, Firstbase, Cumberland
UW-Superior, Becky Crane, Junior, Secondbase, Altoona

Pitcher
Ashley Bertrand, Senior (St. Paul, Minn./Como Park), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-River Falls
Bertrand struck out 16 batters in the team’s 7-0 win over Northland College on Feb. 29 to set a school single-game record. She struck out the side in the first, third and seventh innings and had at least one strikeout in all seven innings. Bertrand faced 25 batters, just four over the limit, after allowing four hits – all singles – and only one runner to reach secondbase.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Heather Schultz, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Annandale, Minn.
UW-Oshkosh, Ronessa Stampfli, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Brodhead
UW-Stout, Rachel Roberts, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Crystal, Minn. (Robbinsdale)
UW-Superior, Nichole Tessier, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Hermantown, Minn.

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