No. 1: Monroe boys basketball sets records, grab silver ball at state
The Monroe boys basketball team returned to the state tournament for the third-straight year. The Cheesemakers finished as the state runner-up, losing the WIAA Division 2 state championship game to Wisconsin Lutheran, 79-67.
It was an improbable state tournament for Mitch Tordoff, who broke five individual state tournament records and tied two others.
Tordoff broke Clinton-ville's Mike Jirschele's 32-year-old record by scoring 61 points in two tournament games. He also set Division 2 state records for 3-pointers made and attempted, going 8-for-17 behind the arc in the game, Saturday, March 21. Tordoff scored a game-high 33 points, which tied Monroe alum Brett Stangel's single-game Division 2 state record from 2007.
With his record-setting performance in the state championship game, Tordoff eclipsed the Division 2 tournament record for 3-pointers made (9). He broke the record for free throws made in a game (15) and tied the record for free throw attempts.
As a team, Monroe set two records, 3-pointers attempted and 3s made. In all the Cheesemakers added their name in nine slots in the record books.
No. 2: Lady Cheesemakers get back to state
The Monroe girls basketball team advanced to state for the second-straight year in March. The Cheesemakers lost 53-45 to Grafton in the WIAA Division 2 state semifinals, finishing the season with a 23-3 record.
Monroe also tied Madison Edgewood for the Badger South Conference title.
It was a historic run for Emily Rufenacht, who became the first basketball player in school history to play in three state tournaments.
No. 3: Monroe softball takes second
The Monroe softball team defied the odds in a postseason run and brought home the silver trophy for the second-straight year.
Behind solid pitching from Meghan Roberts and timely hitting, the Cheesemakers made it back to the WIAA Division 2 state tournament. After toppling Port Washington in the semifinals, Monroe fell to Luxemburg-Casco, 4-1, in the state championship game in June.
No. 4: Warriors make first appearance at state
The Black Hawk girls basketball team's storybook season included the school's first trip to the WIAA Division 4 state tournament in March. In the state semifinal game the Warriors played Six Rivers Conference rival Potosi for the third time of the 2008-09 season and lost, 49-42. Black Hawk also finished the regular season in a tie for the Six Rivers East title with Barneveld.
No. 5: Bartholf, Mortimer retire from coaching
Two legendary coaches announced their retirement from the games they love - Jim Bartholf as Monroe's boys tennis coach and Jerry Mortimer, who served as the Black Hawk boys basketball coach.
Bartholf was instrumental in building Monroe's tennis program by starting youth tournaments in the summer. Bartholf holds the third-best record in Wisconsin as a coach at 365-110. He reached the pinnacle of coaching when he was inducted into the Wisconsin High School Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame in November.
Bartholf's successes in 44 years as Monroe's boys tennis coach and 17 years as girls tennis coach included winning 28 combined Badger Conference titles, winning the WIAA boys Division 2 state championship in 1996 and having two girls state runners-up teams.
Mortimer coached boys basketball at Black Hawk for 26 years and he compiled a record of 377-196. Mortimer had the respect of every team in the Six Rivers East Conference as schools took turns lining up to honor Mortimer in his final season.
No. 6: Weeden rocks the world
Monroe senior Jessica Weeden won two bronze medals and set six U.S. records at the Deaflympics in late summer. Weeden took bronze medals in the 50-meter breaststroke and 800-meter freestyle relay, setting records for both events at the Deaflympics in Taipei, Taiwan. She finished sixth in the 200 breaststroke and fifth in the 400 medley relay, which also set new U.S. records.
Weeden, as part of the 400 freestyle relay, just missed a medal and finished fourth, but in record breaking time. She added a fifth-place finish in the 400 individual medley and sixth in both the 200 butterfly and 100 breaststroke, which was her sixth record.
Back with the Monroe girls swimming team, Weeden continued to star. She broke the 200-meter freestyle and 400-meter freestyle records this season. She swam the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly at state in October. Weeden also teamed with senior Randi Robertson, junior Leanna Schwartzlow, freshman Rachel Root in the 200 medley relay to finish 14th with a personal-record time. Root finished 10th in the 100 backstroke at state and broke Alanna Bader's school record in the backstroke at the Baraboo sectional.
No. 7: DeNure, Monroe track run to history
Monroe's Brett DeNure captured a silver medal in the 800-meter run to close out a standout prep career at the WIAA Division 2 state track meet at Veterans Memorial Stadium at UW-La Crosse in June.
In the first race on the new track at Veterans Memorial Stadium, the Cheesemakers' 3,200 relay team of Cullen Sampson, Skyler Stingly, Joe Pecora and Brett DeNure finished second with at time of 8 minutes, 0.6 seconds. Bryan Tordoff, Tad Christen, Sampson and DeNure finished third with a personal record time of 3:24.83 in the 1,600 relay.
Monroe's Jeff Hill took a vault into the record books, clearing 14-0 at the Boscobel Sectional to set a new Monroe sophomore record. He finished fifth at state. As one of three seniors on the 1,600 relay team, Sampson had a historic run at Monroe.
After relocating from Poynette, Sampson competed in six-straight state tournaments and meets in every sports he played at Monroe.
The Cheesemakers took seventh at state as a team with 26 points.
No. 8: Juda goes from worst to first
The Juda softball team went from last place in 2008 to Six Rivers East Conference champions in 2009.
The Panthers rode Amber Ramos' arm on the mound and snapped Barneveld's five-year run as conference champions.
No. 9: Stangel leaves a legacy at Y
Reid Stangel announced his retirement, which is effective at the end of the year, as the executive director of the Green County YMCA.
Stangel has been a fixture in Monroe for 23 years after spending nine years at the YMCA in Stevens Point. Stangel has directed many programs the YMCA has offered to the area youth, including football, soccer, basketball, gymnastics and swimming. He has also been around for multiple expansions of the fitness center, and an addition that brought in a second gymnasium, which is now used for gymnastics.
During Stangel's tenure, the YMCA raised over $3 million to fund capital projects and building maintenance.
No. 10: Patchen carries Albany
Albany's Nick Patchen (36-8) carried the weight of a school on his shoulders as the only wrestler from Albany. Patchen, at 189 pounds, took fifth at the WIAA Division 2 state wrestling tournament.
The Monroe boys basketball team returned to the state tournament for the third-straight year. The Cheesemakers finished as the state runner-up, losing the WIAA Division 2 state championship game to Wisconsin Lutheran, 79-67.
It was an improbable state tournament for Mitch Tordoff, who broke five individual state tournament records and tied two others.
Tordoff broke Clinton-ville's Mike Jirschele's 32-year-old record by scoring 61 points in two tournament games. He also set Division 2 state records for 3-pointers made and attempted, going 8-for-17 behind the arc in the game, Saturday, March 21. Tordoff scored a game-high 33 points, which tied Monroe alum Brett Stangel's single-game Division 2 state record from 2007.
With his record-setting performance in the state championship game, Tordoff eclipsed the Division 2 tournament record for 3-pointers made (9). He broke the record for free throws made in a game (15) and tied the record for free throw attempts.
As a team, Monroe set two records, 3-pointers attempted and 3s made. In all the Cheesemakers added their name in nine slots in the record books.
No. 2: Lady Cheesemakers get back to state
The Monroe girls basketball team advanced to state for the second-straight year in March. The Cheesemakers lost 53-45 to Grafton in the WIAA Division 2 state semifinals, finishing the season with a 23-3 record.
Monroe also tied Madison Edgewood for the Badger South Conference title.
It was a historic run for Emily Rufenacht, who became the first basketball player in school history to play in three state tournaments.
No. 3: Monroe softball takes second
The Monroe softball team defied the odds in a postseason run and brought home the silver trophy for the second-straight year.
Behind solid pitching from Meghan Roberts and timely hitting, the Cheesemakers made it back to the WIAA Division 2 state tournament. After toppling Port Washington in the semifinals, Monroe fell to Luxemburg-Casco, 4-1, in the state championship game in June.
No. 4: Warriors make first appearance at state
The Black Hawk girls basketball team's storybook season included the school's first trip to the WIAA Division 4 state tournament in March. In the state semifinal game the Warriors played Six Rivers Conference rival Potosi for the third time of the 2008-09 season and lost, 49-42. Black Hawk also finished the regular season in a tie for the Six Rivers East title with Barneveld.
No. 5: Bartholf, Mortimer retire from coaching
Two legendary coaches announced their retirement from the games they love - Jim Bartholf as Monroe's boys tennis coach and Jerry Mortimer, who served as the Black Hawk boys basketball coach.
Bartholf was instrumental in building Monroe's tennis program by starting youth tournaments in the summer. Bartholf holds the third-best record in Wisconsin as a coach at 365-110. He reached the pinnacle of coaching when he was inducted into the Wisconsin High School Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame in November.
Bartholf's successes in 44 years as Monroe's boys tennis coach and 17 years as girls tennis coach included winning 28 combined Badger Conference titles, winning the WIAA boys Division 2 state championship in 1996 and having two girls state runners-up teams.
Mortimer coached boys basketball at Black Hawk for 26 years and he compiled a record of 377-196. Mortimer had the respect of every team in the Six Rivers East Conference as schools took turns lining up to honor Mortimer in his final season.
No. 6: Weeden rocks the world
Monroe senior Jessica Weeden won two bronze medals and set six U.S. records at the Deaflympics in late summer. Weeden took bronze medals in the 50-meter breaststroke and 800-meter freestyle relay, setting records for both events at the Deaflympics in Taipei, Taiwan. She finished sixth in the 200 breaststroke and fifth in the 400 medley relay, which also set new U.S. records.
Weeden, as part of the 400 freestyle relay, just missed a medal and finished fourth, but in record breaking time. She added a fifth-place finish in the 400 individual medley and sixth in both the 200 butterfly and 100 breaststroke, which was her sixth record.
Back with the Monroe girls swimming team, Weeden continued to star. She broke the 200-meter freestyle and 400-meter freestyle records this season. She swam the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly at state in October. Weeden also teamed with senior Randi Robertson, junior Leanna Schwartzlow, freshman Rachel Root in the 200 medley relay to finish 14th with a personal-record time. Root finished 10th in the 100 backstroke at state and broke Alanna Bader's school record in the backstroke at the Baraboo sectional.
No. 7: DeNure, Monroe track run to history
Monroe's Brett DeNure captured a silver medal in the 800-meter run to close out a standout prep career at the WIAA Division 2 state track meet at Veterans Memorial Stadium at UW-La Crosse in June.
In the first race on the new track at Veterans Memorial Stadium, the Cheesemakers' 3,200 relay team of Cullen Sampson, Skyler Stingly, Joe Pecora and Brett DeNure finished second with at time of 8 minutes, 0.6 seconds. Bryan Tordoff, Tad Christen, Sampson and DeNure finished third with a personal record time of 3:24.83 in the 1,600 relay.
Monroe's Jeff Hill took a vault into the record books, clearing 14-0 at the Boscobel Sectional to set a new Monroe sophomore record. He finished fifth at state. As one of three seniors on the 1,600 relay team, Sampson had a historic run at Monroe.
After relocating from Poynette, Sampson competed in six-straight state tournaments and meets in every sports he played at Monroe.
The Cheesemakers took seventh at state as a team with 26 points.
No. 8: Juda goes from worst to first
The Juda softball team went from last place in 2008 to Six Rivers East Conference champions in 2009.
The Panthers rode Amber Ramos' arm on the mound and snapped Barneveld's five-year run as conference champions.
No. 9: Stangel leaves a legacy at Y
Reid Stangel announced his retirement, which is effective at the end of the year, as the executive director of the Green County YMCA.
Stangel has been a fixture in Monroe for 23 years after spending nine years at the YMCA in Stevens Point. Stangel has directed many programs the YMCA has offered to the area youth, including football, soccer, basketball, gymnastics and swimming. He has also been around for multiple expansions of the fitness center, and an addition that brought in a second gymnasium, which is now used for gymnastics.
During Stangel's tenure, the YMCA raised over $3 million to fund capital projects and building maintenance.
No. 10: Patchen carries Albany
Albany's Nick Patchen (36-8) carried the weight of a school on his shoulders as the only wrestler from Albany. Patchen, at 189 pounds, took fifth at the WIAA Division 2 state wrestling tournament.
