Stars of the century

The task was daunting. The Star News recently asked a 12-person panel to vote for the top 10 male and top 10 female athletes to pass through Sauk Prairie High School in the 21st century. Any athlete who competed in the 21st century was eligible to be nominated and their exploits across their entire career were considered, even if a portion of their playing days was in the 1990s. The panel consisted of past and present coaches, administrators and community members, that have seen as many Eagles events as anyone. I also contributed a ballot, having covered many of Sauk Prairie’s elite athletes during my career. There were no set criteria outlined. Beauty was in the eye of each beholder.  If one voter thought a multi-sport athlete with solid production across the board rated ahead of a one-sport athlete who excelled at their craft, that was their prerogative. If another voter prioritized team success, that was fine, too. More than 60 boys and 50 girls were nominated for consideration, and after the votes were tabulated, each field was eventually trimmed to a top-20. There were 45 male and 32 female athletes who received at least one vote by the panel. The Star News ran the girls list of Nos. 11-20 last week and presents the top 10 this week. The top 20 boys will appear over the next two weeks. We hope you enjoy looking back at many of the athletes that have helped make Sauk Prairie athletics shine this century.   1. Amber Fiene, 2008 Volleyball, basketball, soccer A near unanimous selection by the panel, Amber Fiene was a 12-season athlete who earned 11 varsity letters, including four each in basketball and soccer. Competing as a hitter in volleyball, Fiene was a three-year starter and earned honorable mention all-Badger North Conference honors as a junior as a hitter. “She was the epitome of a team player. You could count on her giving everything she had,” former head volleyball coach Eleanor Engleby said. “If you asked her to do something, you knew she was going to try to do everything she could to do that for the team.  “You could count on her to work hard and to lift her teammates up and have a positive attitude the whole time.” Fiene’s best sport, arguably, was basketball where she was the program’s first four-time all-Badger North Conference first-team selection as a four-year starter at point guard. As a senior, she averaged 15.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game and earned Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association all-state honorable mention, All-Area first team and Badger North Conference unanimous first-team honors. “She was our floor general,” said Bob Marquardt, who was Fiene’s prep basketball coach. “She took over the point guard role as a freshman and was a kid who had a high basketball IQ and had a passion for the game.” Fiene led the conference in scoring as a sophomore and junior and was second as a senior. She finished with 1,176 points in 81 games (15.5 ppg) and ranks second on the school’s all-time scoring list. Her game was about more than putting the ball in hoop, though. She also finished with 365 assists (4.5 apg). “Each year, she added elements to her game. She was never satisfied with where she was at,” Marquardt said. “She always wanted to add something new to her game. She was a catalyst for when we had some really great years and had a turnaround in our program.” Fiene capped her prep career as a three-time letter winner in soccer, earning second-team all-conference honors as a junior and honorable mention recognition as a senior. She committed to Edgewood College to play basketball, where a severe knee injury her freshman season ended her career.   2. Ella Schad, 2020 Cross country, basketball, soccer Ella Schad burst on the scene as a freshman, finishing 10th at the Badger North Conference cross country meet to earn second-team all-league honors. She also shared the team’s Rookie of the Year award. But her desire to play soccer at the collegiate level — which she attained when she signed a National Letter of Intent to compete at Coastal Carolina — forced her to give up running competitively after her sophomore year. “She had some injury issues that kept her from improving her times, but she was a solid number one runner for us,” cross country coach Andy Sherman said. “ Schad competed in basketball all four years and was a mainstay on the soccer team for three seasons before the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of spring sports her final year. A force on defense for Sauk Prairie, she capped her basketball career as an All-Badger North Conference honorable mention selection her senior year. “Ella is an incredible athlete with a work ethic and competitive drive unlike any other,” basketball coach Amber Fiene said. “I loved her ‘all in’ mentality and her ‘no-excuse’ attitude. She plays with heart and passion and leaves it all on the court and field every time that she plays.  “Her willingness to work hard to improve her game is something that sets her apart from other athletes. Not only is she extremely athletic, but she is a true leader and sets a great example for others to follow.” Former girls soccer coach Mike Rauls summed up Schad’s prep career when he said “soccer is her passion.”  “She does not get outworked in anything she does,” Rauls said. “She’s the one really giving a 100 percent effort out there. That’s what you can really appreciate about her, her heart and soul is in everything she does.” A two-year starting midfielder, Schad he was named to the All-Badger North Conference first-team for the first time as a sophomore. She was second on the team in goals (10) and assists (five), and third in points (25). When Sauk Prairie needed to find a playmaker on defense her junior season, Schad made the switch to defender and excelled in her new role. She finished with six goals and seven assists and repeated as an all-conference first-team selection. Along with fellow co-captain Kelsey Selden, Schad helped lead Sauk Prairie to a 20-2-2 overall record, a WIAA Division 2 regional championship and a sectional runner-up finish. Schad also anchored a defense that recorded 16 shutouts and allowed just 13 goals. “She’s a team player, who wants team success,” Rauls said. “Ella had no qualms about going back to the depths of our defense and making an impact there.”   3. Kelsey Budd, 2010 Basketball, soccer Budd finished as the Eagles’ all-time leader in scoring (1,273 points) and assists (351). Budd was a four-year starter and a four-time All-Badger North Conference first-team pick. She was the team’s Most Valuable Player three of her four years. “Kelsey was an awesome talent. Basketball-wise, she had the unique ability to make her teammates better,” coach Bob Marquardt said of Budd. “She was able to get them involved or if need be she could take over a game.” Budd was a WBCA All-State first-team and Associated Press third-team selection as a senior after averaging 19.9 points and 5.1 assists per game. She led the Eagles to back-to-back Badger North Conference championships as a junior and senior. “Offensively, she was an elite basketball player with her ability to score inside and out,” Marquardt said. “She was an elite passer with great court vision. We ran a really high-paced offense and were successful with her ability to pass the ball and attack the rim. Her last two years, she also became a great leader.” Budd averaged 17.2 points, 4.6 assists and 2.7 steals per game as a junior and was accorded AP All-State honorable mention, All-Area and all-conference first-team recognition. She earned a scholarship to play basketball at Bradley University, where she became the third player in school history with 900 points, 325 assists, 300 rebounds and 150 steals in a career. Budd also lettered in soccer as a freshman when she earned all-conference honorable mention honors. “Kelsey had an incredible vertical (leap). Her athleticism was off the charts,” long-time Sauk Prairie coach Chuck Fiene said. “She was an athlete her freshman and sophomore years. “But by the time she became a senior, she had put her time in and she had worked with personal coaches on improving her game of basketball. By the time she was done, her athleticism and her skill were on even ground.”     4. Leah Schroeder, 2006 Cross country, volleyball, basketball, softball, track and field It took some time for Leah Schroeder to find her competitive niche. But once she did, Schroeder emerged as one of the best distance runners in school history. “She didn’t come out until she was a junior,” retired cross country and track and field coach Dan Winzenried said. “She played volleyball and was getting frustrated that she was playing on JV. She came out (as a junior) and almost instantly was a very good runner.” A two-time Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association All-State first-team selection and team Most Valuable Performer, Schroeder finished second at the Badger North Conference meet and at sectionals before placing 10th at the WIAA Division 1 state meet as a junior. She won the conference title and repeated as runner-up at sectionals as a senior before holding off sectional champion Nicole Burr of Onalaska to take second at state. “Basically she beat the best runner in the state at state,” Winzenried said of Schroeder. “But an unknown runner, a sophomore (Kelly Bogard) from Kimberly ended up winning that year. “Leah was in third-place behind Burr, but Burr was beginning to struggle. Leah pulled way out to the side of Burr, I mean way out, like 10 to 15 yards, and Burr never saw her coming. (Schroeder) nipped Burr at the (finish) line. I thought that was brilliant, not to let (Burr) hear her coming.” Schroeder made an impressive debut at the Division 1 state track and field meet, as well, her junior year. After winning regional and sectional titles in the 3,200-meter run, she placed second at state. She also was second at regionals and third at sectionals before taking fifth at state in the 1,600. The Eagles’ two-time Most Valuable Performer, Schroeder capped her brief track career with a second-place finish at sectionals and fourth-place finish at state in the 3,200. Schroeder then went on to compete at Oklahoma State. “She was a smart runner, very disciplined,” Winzenried said. “Anybody who takes second at state in two different sports, you’re pretty darn good.”   5. Chantel McConville, 2009 Swimming, cross country, gymnastics, track and field Chantel McConville was able to use her skills as a gymnast to soar to the top of the school’s pole vault and high jump rankings. A two-time team Most Valuable Performer in gymnastics, McConville was a WIAA Division 2 state qualifier as a sophomore, tying for 18th place in the uneven bars (8.183) at the state meet. When she opted to try out for the track and field team, McConville found her niche in the field events. “One of the toughest and most naturally skilled athletes I have been able to work with, she was fast, strong and fearless, which made for a perfect pole vaulter,” track and field coach Andy Sherman said.  McConville is the Eagles’ record-holder in both the pole vault at 11 feet, 9 inches and the high jump at 5-5. During her four-year varsity career as a track and field athlete, she was undefeated in both events in conference competition. “Chantel was also a three-time state qualifier in both events, which is unheard of for most athletes,” Sherman said.  “I remember being with her for those events at state, and it never failed that they were both at the same time. My job was to manage getting her to both in time to do the one, then move back to do the other.” McConville’s highest finishes at state were a tie for fifth in the pole vault her junior season and a tie for 10th in the high jump as a sophomore. She also won back-to-back conference titles in the 300-meter low hurdles, and her senior year she added a title in the 100 high hurdles along with placing first in both the high jump and pole vault. “She was an incredibly gifted athlete, and I learned a great deal coaching her,” Sherman said of McConville, who went on to have a very successful career at UW-Milwaukee.   6. Georgia Breunig, 2014 Tennis, basketball, soccer Georgia Breunig was a well-rounded athlete, earning all-conference honors four times in basketball, three times in soccer and playing No. 1 doubles in tennis her senior year. She had never hit a tennis ball until her junior year, but quickly picked up the sport and played No. 3 singles her first season, earning Most Improved honors. Former tennis coach Casey Haselwander said Breunig’s athleticism and ability to cover the court was a pleasant surprise. “She was a great athlete, who you were glad came out but wish she had picked it up even a few years earlier,” he said. “You can take an athlete and depending on the team’s depth, have them make an impact. “Georgia was one of the most athletic kids I’ve coached. She was very coachable and was mentally tough. She never folded on the court.”   However, basketball remained her passion. Breunig finished as a four-year starting guard, earned back-to-back All-Badger North Conference first-team honors as a junior and senior before heading off to Northern Illinois University to play basketball. She narrowly missed joining the 1,000-point club, finishing with 978 points and averaging 11.1 points in 88 games. “Georgia was a great shooter,” former basketball coach Bob Marquardt said. “She could get on some hot streaks, but was also a strong passer, who had good court vision as well.  “She was another kid who loved the game and had a high basketball IQ. She lived in the gym in her off times and grew her game every year.” Breunig capped her soccer career, earning all-conference first-team honors as a senior after securing second-team honors as a sophomore and junior. “Georgia was a quiet leader on the soccer field,” coach Mike Rauls said. “She was an athlete and a real team player.”    7. Lauren Breunig, 2003 Swimming, basketball, soccer The Eagles’ most decorated female swimmer of the 21st century, Lauren Breunig won seven individual event championships — including the 200-yard individual medley all three years she competed at state in the event — and was also a member of three state championship relays. Breunig was also a two-time all-conference soccer player and earned all-league honors in basketball. It was in the pool where Breunig made the biggest splash, though. “She literally could do it all,” swimming coach Todd Wuerger said. “There wasn’t an event she couldn’t do. We finally settled on the 100 freestyle and 200 individual medley. But at one point, she had every single record on the swimming board.”  Breunig made an immediate impact as a freshman in the opening swimming event of the WIAA Division 2 state meet as a member of the Eagles’ fourth-place 200-yard medley relay. Two events later, Breunig won her first individual title, taking medalist honors in the 200 individual medley (2:08.99). Breunig wrapped up a successful state meet debut with a runner-up finish in the 100 freestyle to help Sauk Prairie finish in fifth place in the team standings. “She was a unique athlete who succeeded at a very high level,” Wuerger said. “At one point, she had four state records before she went on to compete at Iowa State, where she had a successful career.” As a sophomore, Breunig made it onto the podium in three of her four events to help Sauk Prairie finish fourth in the Division 2 team standings. After swimming on the Eagles’ seventh-place 200 medley relay, Breunig won the 200 freestyle (1:54.45) and the 100 freestyle (:52.85). Breunig then anchored Sauk Prairie’s runner-up 200 freestyle relay. Breunig saved her best for her final two seasons, winning the 200 individual medley and 100 freestyle. She also swam on the championship 200 freestyle relay both seasons and secured her first title on the 200 medley relay as a senior. Following a third-place finish in the team standings her junior year, Breunig did everything she could to help Sauk Prairie take home the gold trophy her final season. She swam the lead-off leg on the first-place 200 medley relay team before she set a state record in winning her third state title in the 200 individual medley (2:03.89). Breunig followed up her third consecutive title in the 100 freestyle by anchoring the winning 200 freestyle relay in her final high school race.  Overall, she placed in the top four in 13 of the 14 races she competed in at state. “She was such a high achiever that she was a perfectionist,” Wuerger said. “You could give her any set, and nothing was too difficult for her. She always wanted more. It was difficult to find a workout to wear her down.”   8. Lianna Mack, 2014 Cross country, track and field A four-time letter winner in both cross country and track and field, Lianna Mack ranks among the best distance runners in school history. “Lianna was a distance coach’s perfect competitor,” track and field and cross country coach Andy Sherman said. “She understood how to race, especially in the biggest of competitions.” In cross country, Mack was a three-time state qualifier, four-time All-Badger North Conference first-team selection and a four-time team Most Valuable Performer. She capped her career by winning the Badger North Conference individual title in 20013, finishing fourth at the sectional meet and in eighth-place at the WIAA Division 1 state meet. She narrowly missed a spot on the podium, finishing 5 seconds out of sixth place. As a junior Mack, was the Badger North Conference runner-up, placed 10th at the sectional meet and was 12th at the Division 2 state meet. Her sophomore season, she finished third in the Badger North, eighth at sectionals and 26th at the Division 1 state meet. Mack was nearly a four-time state qualifier in cross country, finishing 13th at the Division 2 sectional meet as a freshman, 14 seconds shy of a state berth. Mack had a successful career at the University of Wisconsin in both cross country and track and field. “Lianna was a special runner, who improved every season,” retired cross country and track and field coach Dan Winzenried said. “She was good enough that she was able to go on and compete at a Big Ten school.” On the track, Mack holds the Badger North Conference record for the 1,600-meter run and was the conference and sectional champion in both the 1,600 and 3,200 her senior year. A three-time state qualifier in track and field, she was 15th in the 3,200 as a junior and fifth in the 3,200 and 15th in the 1,600 as a senior. Sherman said what also made Mack special was the impact she had on her teammates in and out of competition.  “Where Lianna really excelled was her leadership,” Sherman said. “She had an impact on our younger runners that carried over for quite a while after she graduated.”   9. Alison Meng, 2011 Swimming A five-time state champion, Alison Meng also set a record in the 100-yard butterfly to help cap a stellar prep career. She then had a successful collegiate career swimming at the University of Illinois. Overall, she earned 15 trips to the podium, including placing in the top four in 12 of the 16 races she competed in at state. “We knew all about her before she stepped into the pool her freshman year,” swimming coach Todd Wuerger said. “For all four years, she was a difference-maker.” As a senior, Meng set a then-state-record time of :55.94 to win the 100 butterfly before adding a title in the 100 backstroke (:55.91).  Meng also swam on the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays that each placed third. The Eagles finished fifth in Division 2 in her final state meet. She ended her prep swimming career as a member of the Academic All-State team, as well. “She wasn’t happy with her performance as sectionals but one week later, she was on fire and was a state champ,” Wuerger said. Meng earned a pair of state titles as a junior, winning the 100 backstroke (:57.19) and 100 butterfly (:57.06). “She could pretty much do it all, but her fly and backstroke were her signature events,” Wuerger said. “They were nearly identical in terms of their times.” As a sophomore, Meng was a member of the state championship 400 freestyle relay (3:34.15), which included Megan Cahill, Kelsey Kohlbeck and Abby Diehl. Meng led the Eagles to a fourth-place finish in the team competition that season. During her high school career, Meng garnered All-America honors in the 400 freestyle relay, 200 medley relay, 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly. Meng also earned a varsity letter competing in soccer. She later served as an assistant coach for the Sauk Prairie Aquatic Club and for the Eagles. “Alison was a treat to coach, she was very coachable,” Wuerger said. “She was very competitive but was quiet and reserved. You would put the team on her back, and she’d always rise to the occasion.  “The bigger the race, the more competitive she would be.”   10. Stephanie Barnes, 2002 Gymnastics, track and field Stephanie Barnes remains the school’s only individual state champion in gymnastics, winning the 1999 WIAA Division 2  uneven bars title as a freshman with a score of 9.20. She also finished ninth in the all-around (32.20). A sectional champion in the uneven bars, she placed fifth in the floor exercise and balance beam and was second in the all-around competition. Barnes didn’t compete for the Eagles in gymnastics as a sophomore and junior and injuries prevented her from duplicating her debut performance when she competed as a senior. However, Barnes competed in track and field in the pole vault for the Eagles beginning her sophomore year and became a two-time state qualifier in that event, reaching the awards podium her senior year. “Stephanie was our first in a long line of successful girl pole vaulters,” track and field coach Andy Sherman said. “She started working with the pole vault in 2000, the year before it was sanctioned by the WIAA. She was a real trailblazer and an amazing athlete. “As she continued to work, with her gymnastics abilities, she was able to excel at a very high level.”  Barnes was undefeated in conference events and was the first pole vault champion of the Badger North, setting a school and conference record of 10-6 that stood for many years. At the WIAA state meet, she placed eighth as a junior and sixth as a senior, the first two years the event was held.  “After a lot of injury set-backs from gymnastics, we were never sure if she would be able to compete in the pole vault,” Sherman said. “But Stephanie is the toughest competitor I have ever coached. “She never let those injuries stop her, and she found ways to fight through the pain. Her abilities increased as she went on to college at UW-Eau Claire where she was a two-time national champion.”