A periodic looks at former Gazette-area high school athletes and where they are now.
Iowa colleges — Amanda Ollinger of Cedar Rapids (Linn-Mar) earned academic all-Big Ten honors as a member of the Iowa women’s basketball team.
Kyle Gritsch of Brooklyn (BGM) earned the Richard J. Mentink Award for outstanding leadership and sportsmanship on the field and in the classroom as a member of the Central football team. Nate Boland of Iowa City (West) received the Borgman Award for a senior with the highest GPA. Boland and Kohle Helle of Guttenberg (Clayton Ridge) earned their third varsity letters, Drew Kithcart of Atkins (Benton Community), Taylor Newhouse of Marion (Linn-Mar) and Nathan Fitzgerald of Elkader (Central) earned their second, and Blade Durbala of Blairstown (Benton Community), Derrick Gray of Mechanicsville (North Cedar) and Hunter Robinson of Lisbon their first.
Earning all-Iowa Conference academic honors in women’s basketball were Coe’s Jenna Lehman of Iowa City (Regina), Jordan Holmes of Cedar Rapids (Kennedy), Shelby Lehmann of Wadena (North Fayette Valley) and Taylor Huber of Albrnett, Dubuque’s Abbe Meyer of Bernard (Cascade), Madison Boer and Morgan Boer of Walker (North Linn) and Rylee Andresen of Oxford Junction (Midland), Loras’ Miranda Chapman of Mount Vernon, and Wartburg’s Katie Somer of Marion (Linn-Mar).
Tereysa Lehnertz and Jacintha Thomas of Iowa City (West) earned all-Big Ten academic honors as members of the Iowa women’s swimming and diving team.
Coe’s Jake Voss of Ryan (West Delaware) and Marcus England and Taylor Mehmen of Cedar Rapids (Prairie) earned Iowa Conference all-academic honors in wrestling, along with Wartburg’s Lance Evans of Solon.
Kaiden Fiebelkorn of Brooklyn (BGM), Mitch Nierling of Cedar Rapids (Prairie), Corey Broxson of Guttenberg (Clayton Ridge), Dallyn Putz and Kyle Wright of Manchester (West Delaware) and Cameron Fitzpatrick of Solon are members of the Central baseball team
Phillip Laux of Brighton (I.C. West) earned academic all-Big Ten honors as a member of the Iowa wrestling team.
Buena Vista’s Brady Dicks of Washington. Iowa, earned Iowa Conference all-academic honors in men’s basketball, along with Central’s Jacob Hay of Stanwood (North Cedar), Coe’s Tommy Hook of Mount Vernon, Simpson’s Mark Becker of Tipton, and Wartburg’s Colten Connelly of Guttenberg (Clayton Ridge) and Nate Woeste of Atkins (Benton Community).