Huskies Top Athletes Honored
The Owatonna High School athletic department announced the athletic award winners for the school year on Wednesday. The top senior and junior male and female athletes were named. The O-Club grew by five members. The 110% award recipients were announced.
Sydney Kretlow and Jason Williamson were named the Oldenburg Senior Athletes of the Year. Kretlow has earned 14 letters between track, gymnastics and soccer. She's competed at state on four OHS gymnastics teams, plus qualified twice individually. She's gone to the state track meet twice and holds the school record in the 800. Kretlow has committed to run track at the University of Minnesota.
Williamson is already at the U after an early graduation from Owatonna High School in order to begin his college football career. He is currently recovering from a knee injury suffered during spring ball. Last fall Williamson helped the Huskies to their second state football championship, smashing records and amassing enormous rushing totals. He was named Mr. Football, the AP Player of the Year and the Gatorade MN Player of the Year among other honors.
The other finalists were Maylynn Prokopec (hockey, where she was named the offensive player of the year this past season and lacrosse), Allison An (a three-time state diver and member of the section champion gymnastics squad), Jake Miller (football and baseball) and Cade King (state wrestling runner-up).
Zach Wiese and Sara Anderson won the Junior Athlete of the Year Awards. Wiese was all conference in football and hockey. He was a Final 54 player as one of the top goalies in the state following his sophomore year. Wiese is one of the top offensive players on the baseball squad.
Anderson was a member of the state-placing 4-by-200 relay team the last two years. She won more than 70 matches during her tennis career and was a two-year letter winner in basketball.
The other finalists among the juniors were Kennan Young (a three-time winner at last week's Big Nine Conference track meet), Ethan Walter (football and baseball), Kaia Elstad (soccer and track) and Asia Buryska (soccer and hockey, where she earned four letters).
Minnesota State High School League AAA Award recipients Emily Rahrick and Zach Barrett were recognized. The AAA Award honors ssniors for their athletic, academic and participation in fine arts. Rahrick was a top eight finalist at the state-level of competition.
Samantha Fredin and Carson DeKam are Owatonna's ExCEL Award winners. The honor goes to juniors involved in sports, fine arts, hold a leadership position in the school and volunteer in the community. Both Fredin and DeKam advanced to the state-level of competition.
O-Club designation is awarded to student-athletes who letter three times in the senior year and five times in the career. The five new members are Molly Hawkins (soccer, basketball and lacrosse), Sydney Kretlow (soccer, gymnastics, track), Joe Edel (football, clay target, lacrosse), Mason Oland (football, hockey, lacrosse) and Nick Staska (football, wrestling, clay target).
The 110% Awards went to Hawkins (soccer, basketball, lacrosse) and Andrew Munns (soccer, hockey, golf). Each contributed to their teams through leadership and setting a good example according to comments by their coaches.