An End to a Season

Madison Albert-Nelson

 On Friday, November 9th, the 2018 Division II State Girls Swimming & Diving Championships took place at the UW-Madison Natatorium. Two of the girls from the Platteville-Lancaster Swim Team punched their ticket last Saturday at the Sectional Meet held at Baraboo. Madison Albert-Nelson (‘20) and Brooklyn VanNatta (‘21) both competed at the Championship Meet. This is Madison Albert-Nelson’s (‘20) third year making it to the State Championship Meet in the 100 yard butterfly. She finished thirteenth out of the sixteen competitors with a time of 1:00.34, almost getting her own school record of 59.91. She also narrowly missed making it to State Championships in the 100 yard backstroke by three spots. Brooklyn VanNatta (‘21), a sprinter from Lancaster, made it to State in the 50 yard freestyle for the first time. She finished fourteenth out of sixteen girls swimming this event with a time of 25.36. Congratulations to these two and the rest of the team on ending the season with such a bang!

The End of a Season

Anica Graney

     The Platteville Hillmen football team had a great run this season with an ending record of six wins and three losses. The three losses were from conference teams: third-ranked Lancaster, first-ranked Prairie Du Chien, and the game that ended their season, second-ranked River Valley. The Hillmen stood at number four in conference play ahead of number five Dodgeville and number six Richland Center. The team is coached by Mr. Ryley Bailey who just completed his second year on the team. The captains include Isaiah Altfillisch (‘19), Jacob Niehaus (‘19), Tyler McClain (‘20), and William Schaefer (‘20).
     On Friday, October 5, the Hillmen faced Dodgeville at Williams Fieldhouse at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville where they swept Dodgeville in a 41-0 victory. In the first couple minutes, Anthony Barner (‘19) scored a rushing touchdown, giving the Hillmen a headstart to the game before lightning struck, delaying the game by over an hour. Once the game continued, the Hillmen demolished the Dodgers and left with a satisfying win for the Homecoming game. Unfortunately, a week later, Platteville faced River Valley ending their season in a disappointing loss of 35-2.
     Senior captain Isaiah Altfillisch (‘19) answers to the team’s strengths, “We are a very dedicated team and give total effort. We have a lot of good chemistry and good leadership.” A thank you goes out to the seniors who gave it their all this season and entertained all of the fans cheering them on in the bleachers.

Soccer Season Recap

The team celebrating mid-game. 

Hypatia Fitzsimons

     The boys’ soccer team has had an incredible season so far. They were undefeated 10-0 in conference. They were lead by their captains: Liam Reinicke, Everett LaBudda, and Ben Trewin. The team works very well together. Their coach, Brandon Pink, says the strength of the team is “their unity and being very coachable. They share a similar expectation and value, and are always interested in getting better.” 

     The boys did have a set back: the rain. Since there was so much, a lot of games had been postponed. “They had to play 3 games in a 24 hour period at the stadium, which was crazy.” However, this is not preventing the team from doing well, “[they] haven’t been scored on since late September.”

      Today, “they play a 12 seed team (Whitewater) which hopefully they do super well with. If they win that, they play a 4 seed team (Belleville) that they have tied with twice this season, so if they win that one as well that would be huge.” Coach Pink also said he has a lot of faith in the boys and their ability to go far. Good luck tonight boys, you have put a lot of hard work and you’ll do very well.

Swimmingly Making Their Way Through

The 200 Medley/Freestyle Relay.

Madison Albert-Nelson

This season, the Platteville-Lancaster Co-Op Swim Team is under new reigns with, PHS Alumni, Elissa Granger. Although the team hasn’t had very many meets so far this season, things have been going well.
      On September 25th, the team got their first win of the season against Delavan-Darien during a triangular meet against them and other conference rivals, Burlington. The final score between Platteville Varsity and Delavan-Darien Varsity was 94-76, while losing to Burlington Varsity 116-54. On the upside, Platteville/Lancaster J.V. won over Delavan-Darien J.V. 66-0, still losing to Burlington’s powerhouse J.V. 121-28. Madison Albert-Nelson (‘20) lead the varsity team to victory over Delavan-Darien, winning both of her individual events. In her best event, the 100 yard butterfly, she touched in at a 1:02.91 and she clocked in at 1:05.69 in the 100 yard backstroke. The 200 yard medley relay of Madison Albert-Nelson (‘20), Allison Brehm (‘19), Erin Walker (‘20), and Brooklyn VanNatta (‘21) had a second place time of 2:03.92. The same relay group got second place in the 200 Freestyle Relay with 1:51.93 as a time. Lancaster’s Brooklyn VanNatta also helped the team to the victory in two events. Placing first in the 50 yard freestyle with a quick 26.82 and another scoring placement in the 100 yard freestyle at a 59.52, earning bronze. Allison Brehm (‘19) got first in her most prized event, the 100 yard breastroke, having an end result of 1:16.18.
     Students and faculty, the Annual Hillmen Invite that will occur on October 20th! The team is also looking for timers for this event. The hours served count for community service hours. Make sure to stop by and show the girls some Hillmen support!

Setting The Pace

Anica Graney

     The Platteville Hillmen volleyball team is soaring to a spectacular season as the games keep rolling in. The team, coached by Danielle Duerst, is dominating the sport with an almost spotless overall record of 14 wins and 7 losses and an even more impressive undefeated conference record so far this season. The team is led by senior captains, libero Kylie Rohrbach (‘19) and setter Kalie Boigenzahn (‘19). On Thursday, September 20th, the Hillmen faced the Lancaster Flying Arrows whom they have already demolished in a 3-0 victory earlier this season. Again, they defeated the Arrows in an unsurprising blowout victory of 3-0. All three sets ended with the Hillmen doubling the Arrows’ score and easily winning the game. Junior Rebecca Hoyer (‘20) led the team with 9 kills. Following her was Mary Jane Stephens (‘20) with 7 kills, Isabel Carroll (‘20) with 4 kills, and Alayna Digman (‘21) with 3 kills. Allison Cooley (‘20) and Alayna Digman (‘21) each had 3 blocks a piece and senior captains Boigenzahn (‘19) and Rohrbach (‘19) led the team in digs with 21 combined. Boigenzahn (‘19) and Rohrbach (‘19) added after the game that the girls work very well and “all mesh together.” Boigenzahn (‘19) went on to say, “Our hitting is [our] biggest strength, but we could use some work on our passing.” The team’s strongest rival is second ranked River Valley whom they have already beaten 3-1 earlier this season. They face River Valley again on October 11 at home.

Winter Sports Come to a Fantastic Finish

By Anna Skubal  

    “The winter sports seasons all exceeded expectations,” says athletic director Mr. Newton. Two sports had individual athletes qualify to go to state and one even qualified as a whole team.

    The boys’ swim team had a slow start to the season, placing last in their conference relays held at the beginning of the season. Things quickly improved, with the boys shaving off eight seconds from their 100 freestyle’s average time by the end of the season. (Eight seconds is a lot of time in the world of swimming.) They also had one swimmer go to the state swim meet. Sam Iselin (‘15) placed 13th for his 100 butterfly. A lot of the team’s best swimmers were seniors this year, but there are plenty of great athletes to take their places for next year.

    The girls’ basketball team had a good season. Having Jim Lawinger as a new coach this year certainly helped the girls gain some new skills. They were 4-6 in their conference. The boys’ basketball team placed 3rd in their conference with a record of 4-6. This year’s team consisted of mostly juniors, so next year they hope to come back even stronger.

    Platteville/Belmont Wrestling had a rather unfortunate season this year. It was looking pretty good at the beginning of the season; the team had a higher number of participants than in past years, including a foreign exchange student. However, a couple decided not to finish the season. For many, including Luke Fugate with a torn ligament in his shoulder, injuries shortened their seasons. The others on the team had to work even harder to try and compensate for the loss of their teammates. Isaac Wiegel, an wrestler from Belmont, qualified for state, ranking 9th in his division and weight class.

    Meanwhile, Platteville/Lancaster/Belmont Gymnastics had a fantastic season. The girls didn’t win the conference meet but went to state as a team, placing 8th overall. Grace Hammermeister (‘17) placed 2nd with her floor routine. There was only one graduating senior this year so the girls hope to come back even stronger in hopes of making it to state again and placing even higher next year.

20 Seasons Strong: Coach Statz Steps Down from Football

by Melanie Schaefer

After fourteen seasons, Mr. Scott Statz is stepping down from his position as the head football coach at Platteville High School. His career includes a 95-52 record, eleven play-off appearances, three conference championships, and one trip to the WIAA State Championship game. The Hillmen finished as state runners-up in division four in 2013. Mr. Statz has also been named Southwest Wisconsin Conference coach of the year twice: in the years 2004 and 2006.

One rumor as to why he is resigning deals with the controversy in other athletic programs at PHS recently. However, this is not true. “This has nothing to do with the recent situation with the volleyball program,” says Mr. Statz. “This is something I’ve been thinking about for a couple of years.” Mr. Statz has been the head football coach at Platteville and Lodi for twenty years combined, and an English teacher for twenty-one of those years. Without the responsibility of both teaching and coaching on his shoulders, he’ll have some time to devote to other engagements. He adds, “There are some other things I would like to do.”

Currently, no replacements have been found to fill the head coach position. But, the returning team continues to be optimistic about next year. Mitch Knockel (‘16) said, “As a team we can’t flinch and will not let this affect our upcoming season.” Coach Statz will be missed on the field.

Fact or Fiction: Controversy Surrounds PHS Volleyball

by Allie Serres

There has been a lot of talk, and a lot of controversy over Coach Yvette Updike getting fired after eight years of being the Platteville High School Volleyball coach. There are two very distinct, opinionated sides, as there are to every story. One side says Coach Updike was a great coach, and it was not fair for her to be fired. The other side claims she was too harsh and too mean.
But to some, the issue runs deeper than Coach Updike’s conduct or success in this season. Mr. Jeff Henderson, former assistant coach and Spanish teacher, says “Parents become too involved in sports.” 
However, superintendent Dr. Connie Valenza says, “It was very important to me to actually talk to and hear from students both present and former. The students that I heard from represented different views about what actions I needed to take. I did that so that I could try to understand what was best for our future students in the program.” She and the school board spent time reviewing the facts and hearing discussion from individuals involved. Dr. Valenza adds, “Parent complaints did not change my opinion. I am confident that any decisions I made related to volleyball are in the best interest of future Hillmen players.”
Many hurtful, unnecessary things have been said, coming from both sides. In the end, Platteville High School will be looking for a new volleyball coach for next fall and moving forward, putting all rumors to rest.

Pinning the Victory: Wrestling

by Anna Skubal

Slap! That's the sound every wrestler hopes to hear, signaling the pin that gives them victory. The co-oped Platteville-Belmont Wrestling team's season has started with a bang. Their first tournament at the Black Hawk Invite earning 4 placing wins. With more kids on the team this season  than in past years, they have a great chance of doing well as a team and as individuals. The current team consists of 11 students from Platteville and 7 students from Belmont.
   Wrestling is a combat sport between two competitors trying to establish superior position, score more points, and ultimately pin their opponent.

    As Coach Crase puts it, "Wrestling is a great sport to teach you the value of individual preparation and dedication because while it's a team sport, it comes down to individual victories. There's no excuses. [You] can't blame officials; it's just you and the other guy deciding who's better.”
The team always appreciates fan support from the students to cheer them on to victory. With home meets on the 9th, 13th and 30th of January, make sure to stop by the old gym in Belmont High School to support the team.

Tumbling Stardom: Gymnastics

by Claire McMannes

The Platteville/Lancaster/Belmont gymnastics team is ready to compete in this new season. Last year the team overcame obstacles, such as losing two all-state gymnasts who graduated. Nonetheless Grace Hammermeister (‘17) qualified for the individual competition in floor. But, this year seems hopeful. Out of last seasons state qualifiers; there was only one senior. 

Quite a few girls are trying the sport for the first time ever this year. With new girls comes talent that has been untapped until now. The potential of this team is growing as the practices continue.

Coach Jessica Hill is entering her 15th year as the head coach. Coach Hill was nominated to be Coach of the Year in Division 2 for the 2010-2011 season. Leading the team are captains Jenna Phillips (‘16) and Marissa Marino (‘16). 

The team competed at their first invitational on December 6th and came out with good showing. “We got 119 as a team score, which is pretty good for our first meet!” says Marino. 

The team has qualified for the state meet the last three years in a row. This year, they’re hoping to make it four. So, come out to support our gymnastics team!

Waves of Triumph: Boys' Swimming

by Melanie Schaefer

Right off the bat the boys’ swim team will be facing a challenge that they have little control over: their small numbers. Only nineteen boys will be participating on the Platteville/Lancaster boys’ swim program this year. Seventeen are returning swimmers while Zach Brunette (‘18) and Ben Gaylord (‘15) are both new to the team.

The struggle will come in trying to fill a lineup. With so few resources, most of the varsity reserve swimmers will be moved up to swim varsity events. With this added pressure, the boys will have to be on their “A game” at every single meet.

The team is coached by Matt Wunderlin, a Platteville native who is entering his second season as the boys’ head coach. Coach Wunderlin has also been the the assistant coach for the girls’ swim team. Last year he coached five boys onto the state championships in five events.

Last year the team finished as the conference runner-up behind Badger, a Division One team. A few of this season’s returning swimmers finished their last season at the State Championship meet. Those Platteville swimmers included Sam Iselin (‘15) in two relays and the 100 butterfly and his brother Dan Iselin (‘17) as an alternate.

Leading the team as captains this year are Sam Iselin and Ben Smith (Lancaster). Smith also qualified for the state meet, which means the captains are both veterans in pursuit of the highest level of competition. In addition, this will be the fourth and final season for four swimmers.

The boys competed at the Conference Relay meet on December 4th in Whitewater. Only eleven were able to compete due to an overlap with the musical performance that night. Although disappointed that they were not able to have the full team, Coach Wunderlin expressed excitement that they would be going into the dual conference meet season as the underdog. The team’s next home meet will be on January 15th against Dubuque Hempstead.

Royalty on the Court

Boys' Basketball

by Allie Serres

    The girls’ basketball season officially tipped off on November 10th. The Lady Hillmen played their first game on November 21st against Boscobel with a win of 60 to 54. The girls’ next game put them at a 2-2 record for both Varsity and JV with a double-header yet to come on the following Monday night.

    This year brings many new changes for the team. Last year, Coach Wayne Jentz stepped down from the head coaching position for the girls’ team, so this year, Coach Jim Lawinger has taken his place as head coach. Coach Mark Ludlum and Coach Mark Hamer are also returning.

    The change in staffing has meant more to the ladies than a new face. They hope to “learn a new system since we have a new Head Coach,” according to Coach Ludlum while also having a good time.

    Captains Ashley Budden (‘15) and Cassie Hamer (‘15) lead the diligent team, which has a fair showing from every grade with 4 seniors, 7 juniors, 6 sophomores, 10 freshmen.

    In the meantime, all the girls are being put to the test with a different strategy from their coaches this season. “We are running a different offense and defense this year,” says Coach Ludlum, adding, “We are pressing and changing defenses. Offensively, we are pushing the ball and attacking the rim.”

    No matter how the season turns out for the Lady Hillmen, it’s up to the students to cheer them on. In the words of their devoted coach, “The girls are working extremely hard and they are a great deal of fun to watch. I love all of them and enjoy coaching these quality young ladies.”

Girls' Basketball

by Will Philipps

    The girls’ basketball season officially tipped off on November 10th. The Lady Hillmen played their first game on November 21st against Boscobel with a win of 60 to 54. The girls’ next game put them at a 2-2 record for both Varsity and JV with a double-header yet to come on the following Monday night.

    This year brings many new changes for the team. Last year, Coach Wayne Jentz stepped down from the head coaching position for the girls’ team, so this year, Coach Jim Lawinger has taken his place as head coach. Coach Mark Ludlum and Coach Mark Hamer are also returning.

    The change in staffing has meant more to the ladies than a new face. They hope to “learn a new system since we have a new Head Coach,” according to Coach Ludlum while also having a good time.

    Captains Ashley Budden (‘15) and Cassie Hamer (‘15) lead the diligent team, which has a fair showing from every grade with 4 seniors, 7 juniors, 6 sophomores, 10 freshmen.

    In the meantime, all the girls are being put to the test with a different strategy from their coaches this season. “We are running a different offense and defense this year,” says Coach Ludlum, adding, “We are pressing and changing defenses. Offensively, we are pushing the ball and attacking the rim.”

    No matter how the season turns out for the Lady Hillmen, it’s up to the students to cheer them on. In the words of their devoted coach, “The girls are working extremely hard and they are a great deal of fun to watch. I love all of them and enjoy coaching these quality young ladies.”

Saafia Masoom contributed to this article.

Boys' Soccer Season Flies to a Finish

by Anna Skubal

Sadly the Platteville/Lancaster Boys’ Soccer season of 2014 has drawn to an end. As you can probably tell from the abundance of green shirts walking the halls, the boys were conference champions with an 11-1-0 (win-tie-loss) record this season. When you add in the out-of-conference games and tournaments, they were 14-2-6. All of their losses came from games against Division 1 schools, while they the Hillmen are in Division 3. This season has been great and next year looks just as promising. 

We will be saying farewell to 11 seniors this year who will be dearly missed by the whole team. They could use some players to replace the 11 that will be gone for next year. "If you're even thinking about it, you should just go out! We need more players and Brandon is the best coach you could ask for!" exclaims Nick Mewhirter (‘17). 

"This year was a great learning experience; everybody was very helpful in my transition from football to soccer, and I can't wait for next year. State 2k15!" As mentioned enthusiastically by Logan Weaver (‘17), the ultimate goal of the team each season is to win the state game. But, before State comes conference, separate tournaments, and multiple games against Mount Horeb, their long standing rival. 

The boys practice all summer for the 90 minutes that they get to show all the hard work that they put in. "A student section would be great. I'd love to look up at the stands and see my classmates cheering," says Mikey Musarra ('18).

Football Season Ends in Second Round of Playoffs

by Will Philipps

An unfortunate end came to the 2014 Hillmen football season this fall. The final game against Lodi was a heartbreaker to many fans who braved the cold to see their favorite high school football team battle in the second round of the WIAA Division 4 Playoffs. The Hillmen started their season off with a bang, with their first game resulting in a win against Darlington with a score of 39 - 19. But the victory was short lived, as next week the team suffered a hard loss to Holmen 27-0. The loss to Black River Falls really seemed to change the Hillmen’s attitude and focus around, enabling a 4 game win streak for the Hillmen against Prairie du Chien, Richland Center, River Valley and Dodgeville. The goal of beating Lancaster remains the same. Unfortunately, the season came to an end  When Lodi knocked out Platteville in the second round of the WIAA Division 4 Playoffs. Despite the early end to the season, the goal for state stays alive for next season.

Girls' Swimming Comes to a Spectacular Finish

by Allie Serres

The ending of the girls swim season was bittersweet. Although the swimmers were sad to have it come to an end, they were very happy with the accomplishments they made throughout the season. 

“The seasons went really well for us. I am really proud of everyone for how hard they have worked,“says Makayla Wodarz (‘15). “Elissa broke the 100 Breaststroke record  with a time of 1:13.22, and Melissa broke the 100 Butterfly record with a time of 1:01.04, so that was really cool to see.”

Some points of the season came as a pleasant surprise for the swimmers. “We had limited numbers, and with injuries popping up throughout the season, we weren’t really sure how the season was going to pan out. But, we ended up being able to accomplish 6th at conference, and that was a really awesome, unexpected feat,” says Melanie Schaefer (‘15).

After Conference, the team then went on to sectionals with only six swimmers and ended up placing 11th. The sectional team consisted of Elissa Bahr (‘15), Melanie Schaefer (‘15) and Melissa Wood (‘16) from Platteville, and Lauren Smith (‘17), Megan Graney (‘16) and Haley Gotto (‘17)  from Lancaster.

Qualifying from the Sectional Meet to the State meet were Schaefer and Wood. Schaefer qualified in the 200 Freestyle and ended up placing 12th with a time of 2:00.76. Wood qualified in two events, the 100 Butterfly and 200 Individual Medley. She finished off her season by placing 15th in the 100 Butterfly with a time of 1:01.99 and 15th in the 200 Individual Medley with a time of 2:20.27.

The time, effort, and dedication that these ladies put in, paid off in the end. And, with the help of Coach Peters and the everyone involved in ladies’ swimming at PHS,  the swim team looks to have a bright future.

Volleyball Stars Take a Trip to State

by Claire McMannes

 

Bump, set, spike! The Platteville Hillmen girls’ volleyball season has come to a close with 40 wins and only 6 losses. Through all the sweat, hard work, dedication, and long practices, the girls’ hard work paid off. Yvette Updike is the coach and also Briette Updike (‘15) and, Brelynn Updike’s (‘17) mom. On Friday, November 7th in Green Bay, our very own Lady Hillmen went to the WIAA Division 2 State Tournament for the first time in almost twenty years. The girls played a hard three games. Losing the matches by only 25-19, 25-23, and 25-19 in the semifinals at the Resch Center. The student section was almost completely filled. Ashley Budden (‘15) says, “It was really great to see everyone come out so far to support the team. Also, seeing everyone participate in the spirit games was always really cool.”

The trip to state was bittersweet, as the the seniors and team captains, Budden and Updike’s very last Hillmen volleyball season has ended. But more is possibly to come in college for the two very talented athletes.

In all the Platteville volleyball girls made the Hillmen proud with their amazing season. Noah Tashner (‘15), and brother of varsity player Claire Tashner , says “It was really cool to see everyone come out for the game; our student section was huge compared to the opponents. It was really exciting to see the girls work so hard and give it their all. Go Hillmen!”

Youth Olympians Take Games Headfirst

by Melanie Schaefer

     The summer youth Olympic games were held in Nanjing, China from the 16th to the 28th of August this year, though this year is only the second time in history the summer version of the event has been held. The unique games are open to anyone aged fourteen to eighteen. Qualifications are also similar to the regular Olympics. Each country hosts selection trials where athletes compete in hopes of qualifying to represent their country.
     This year the games had a cultural exchange program (CEP) giving the participants and opportunity to mingle with one another and learn about other cultures. Team USA participated in over 2500 CEP events. Athletes were also given the chance to meet current or past Olympic athletes.
     For these games the United States had 92 athletes competing in twenty sports. Team USA earned 66 top-ten finishes, including ten gold medals, five silver medals, and seven bronzes. This was the third highest medal count out of all of the countries that were there competing. Overall, athletes won medals in eleven sports. These included basketball, fencing, gymnastics, judo, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, track and field, triathlon, and wrestling. The Winter Youth Olympic Games will be held in Lillehammer, Norway from February 12th to February 21st in 2016. Hopefully the Games will gain more support worldwide and continue to grow in popularity.

Melanie Schaefer Makes Waves at State Meet

by Beth Gardiner

  The girls' swimming season lasted an extra week for one special competitor. Melanie Schaefer had a phenomenal sectional meet, qualifying her for the state competition. Freestyle being her main event, Schaefer placed second in the 100 free and fourth in the 200 free at the sectional meet. “I was really excited this year because I was going to compete at state level as an individual for the first time. This meant a lot to me because my hard work has finally paid off,” shared Schaefer.

  The State meet was held on November 15th at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Natatorium. The day started for Schaefer with a PHS pep rally, so that students could send her off in style. Schaefer and Captain Maddie Kieler headed off with Coach Peters and Coach Wunderlin for a relaxing day in Madison before the big meet.

  The big race on Friday night went very well for Schaefer. With many of her close friends cheering her on, Schaefer’s hard work paid off, as she placed 13th in the 200 and 9th in the 100 freestyle events. Schaefer reflected on the trip by describing the feeling of representing her school at the state level. “Being on the opposite side of the pool and seeing all the fans representing their school by their state shirts was an incredible picture to see.”

Alumni Runners

by Allie Serres

  Platteville Cross Country has always had a legacy for greatness, but some of Platteville High School’s runners go on to be even greater. Laura Donovan (‘13 graduate) and Tricia Serres (‘12 graduate) are now all competing at the college level.

  When Laura Donovan first went to UW-Stout, she wasn’t really sure what to expect. As if trying to make the cross country team as a freshman wasn’t scary enough, Laura was coming off a torn ACL injury. But that didn’t stop her. Not only did Laura make the team, she ran on varsity. On Saturday, November 16th, she competed in the Regional, National Qualifiers meet in Rock Island, Illinois, where she ran 6 kilometers in 23 minutes and 53 seconds.

  Tricia Serres went to Luther, where she is in her second year of collegiate running and loving it. Tricia had an amazing season. She led her team to the Regional, National Qualifiers meet in Northfield, Minnesota, which was also on Saturday, November 16th. Her 6k time was a 21:42, putting her in 3rd overall, which made her an automatic qualifier for the National meet. At Nationals she placed 32nd with a time of 21:57, earning her another All-American title (The top 35 receive All-American honors).

  In order to qualify for Nationals, you must either be a part of one the top two teams from each regional meet or be one of the top five individuals that are not part of the qualifying teams. Luther Girls placed 4th as a team in their regional, but coaches got together and picked several “At-Large” teams (teams that, once compared to other teams that have qualified in other regionals, deserve a spot at Nationals). Luther was one of the teams chosen to make make the trip to Hanover, Indiana on Saturday, November 23rd for the NCAA Division 3 National Cross Country meet. There they placed 27th out 42 teams.

Supporting Your School

by Carla Hoppe

  One word describes Platteville High School’s fall sports season: Wow! There are several reasons why Platteville teams had such great seasons: hard work, dedication, great coaches, and amazing people to be around. There’s a long list of great accomplishments from this fall, including boy’s soccer winning our conference, girl’s swimming having a state qualifier, football going to state, fall play getting to sectionals, girl’s cross country qualifying eighth at sectionals, and boy’s cross country placing sixth overall at state. These are all AMAZING accomplishments, and we should be proud of all of these groups.

  But what if there weren’t any fans at these events, or any support for these participants? Would they have gotten as far as they did? As Psychology Today puts it, on an article related to school pride and its effects on a school, “School spirit appears to be a surprisingly powerful phenomenon.”

  Let’s pose another question: What if the crowds that came to the football games toward the end of the season came to every event at our school? Now, as football is the American pastime, the crowd of supporters that came to the state game would realistically not show up at all of the events in our school, but the encouragement could be just as strong.  

  All of the send-offs, encouragements, announcements, signs, and support from Platteville community and schools contribute to the success of our activities. Every single one of the events previously listed made it to their goals because of a member of our school or community supporting them.

  Be an athlete, a competitor, or a supporter. There are so many activities to choose from! At the very least, let’s gain more respect for all school events and more knowledge of each event. Platteville is an amazing community with countless opportunities and records of success, so  become a part of that success.