Top Sports Stories of 2011
• No. 6: Monticello's Reid Zanoya, Brodhead's Heather Clankie win state track championships
• No. 7: The Brodhead-Juda football team returns to the WIAA Division 3 state semifinals
• No. 8: Monticello's Marissa Berg sets 16th fastest time in the history of USA Swimming in 13-14 year-old butterfly
• No. 9: Several coaches, former Monroe girls track star get inducted into Hall of Fame
• No. 10: Monroe boys basketball team mainatins Badger South supremacy
By Times staff
MONROE - Reviewing the area sports scene during 2011 bears witness to the depth of talent and dedication possessed by the young athletes - and their coaches - who make up area sports squads.
While there were dozens of stories deserving note, we whittled the field down to just the Top 10 sports stories that best showcased our area teams during 2011.
Below is a look at the first half of the Top 10. The remainder of the Top 10 will be published in Saturday's edition.
No. 10: Monroe boys take fifth
hoops title
The Monroe boys basketball team won an unprecedented fifth straight Badger South Conference championship in 2011. Monroe defeated Fort Atkinson Feb. 18 to clinch the title. Monroe's Michael Barrett, who is now playing basketball at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, scored a game-high 31 points to beat the Blackhawks.
No. 9: Coaches get call to the Hall
Several local coaches received big honors across the state. Former Monroe girls basketball coach Kevin Keen was inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. Monroe pole vaulting coach Richard Glendenning, along with Brodhead's Gary Larsen and Monroe alumnus Kelly Lillge (formerly Miller), were inducted into the Wisconsin Track Coaches Hall of Fame.
Keen compiled a record of 394-127 and led the Cheesemakers to eight state appearances and three state titles in his 22 years of coaching.
Lillge is the first female athlete from Monroe to be inducted into the WTCA Hall of Fame. She won two state titles in the 110-yard hurdles and one in the 220-yard low hurdles, including state records in the 110- and 220-yard hurdles that still stand today since the event was switched to meters.
Glendenning has coached track in Monroe for 46 years and 49 years total. He remains an integral part of the program working with pole vaulters.
Larsen coached track in Brodhead for 34 years. He guided the Cardinal boys to Division 2 state championships in 1994, 1995 and 2003. The school named the track and football facility Larsen Field in his honor in 2009. He also was inducted into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 2002.
No. 8: Monticello's Marissa Berg
joins elite company in USA swimming
Monticello's Marissa Berg had an amazing USA swimming state meet March 4-6 at the Schroeder Aquatic Center in Brown Deer for the Green County Golden Gators. She won a state championship in the 50-yard freestyle, breaking a 22-year-old record in the 13-14-year-old division. Her time of 23.15 seconds tied for the 16th fastest in the country in the 13-14 age group in the history of USA swimming.
No. 7: Brodhead-Juda football returns to state semifinals
The Brodhead-Juda football team made a run to the state semifinals where the Cardinals lost to Wrightstown 42-21.
The Brodhead-Juda senior class was the winningest one in the playoffs in the history of the program. Brodhead-Juda's senior class amassed a 37-12 record in their four years, as well as a 9-3 mark in the playoffs. The Cardinals had a prolific offense that averaged 36.1 points per game. Senior running back Jesse DeLorme rushed for more than 1,400 yards and scored 25 touchdowns.
No. 6: Area track athletes bring home gold
Two area track athletes made history and brought home two state championships. Monticello senior Reid Zanoya won a WIAA Division 3 state track championship in the 400-meter dash with a time of 50.38 seconds.
Zanoya became the answer to a trivia question as the first boys athlete at Monticello to become a state champion.
Brodhead-Juda's Heather Clankie won a WIAA Division 2 state title in the discus with a throw of 129 feet, 3 inches. She credited her coach, Amber Curtis, who set the Division 2 discus record in 2002 (153-11), for sharing her knowledge of the fundamentals of the discus.
MONROE - Reviewing the area sports scene during 2011 bears witness to the depth of talent and dedication possessed by the young athletes - and their coaches - who make up area sports squads.
While there were dozens of stories deserving note, we whittled the field down to just the Top 10 sports stories that best showcased our area teams during 2011.
Below is a look at the first half of the Top 10. The remainder of the Top 10 will be published in Saturday's edition.
No. 10: Monroe boys take fifth
hoops title
The Monroe boys basketball team won an unprecedented fifth straight Badger South Conference championship in 2011. Monroe defeated Fort Atkinson Feb. 18 to clinch the title. Monroe's Michael Barrett, who is now playing basketball at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, scored a game-high 31 points to beat the Blackhawks.
No. 9: Coaches get call to the Hall
Several local coaches received big honors across the state. Former Monroe girls basketball coach Kevin Keen was inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. Monroe pole vaulting coach Richard Glendenning, along with Brodhead's Gary Larsen and Monroe alumnus Kelly Lillge (formerly Miller), were inducted into the Wisconsin Track Coaches Hall of Fame.
Keen compiled a record of 394-127 and led the Cheesemakers to eight state appearances and three state titles in his 22 years of coaching.
Lillge is the first female athlete from Monroe to be inducted into the WTCA Hall of Fame. She won two state titles in the 110-yard hurdles and one in the 220-yard low hurdles, including state records in the 110- and 220-yard hurdles that still stand today since the event was switched to meters.
Glendenning has coached track in Monroe for 46 years and 49 years total. He remains an integral part of the program working with pole vaulters.
Larsen coached track in Brodhead for 34 years. He guided the Cardinal boys to Division 2 state championships in 1994, 1995 and 2003. The school named the track and football facility Larsen Field in his honor in 2009. He also was inducted into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 2002.
No. 8: Monticello's Marissa Berg
joins elite company in USA swimming
Monticello's Marissa Berg had an amazing USA swimming state meet March 4-6 at the Schroeder Aquatic Center in Brown Deer for the Green County Golden Gators. She won a state championship in the 50-yard freestyle, breaking a 22-year-old record in the 13-14-year-old division. Her time of 23.15 seconds tied for the 16th fastest in the country in the 13-14 age group in the history of USA swimming.
No. 7: Brodhead-Juda football returns to state semifinals
The Brodhead-Juda football team made a run to the state semifinals where the Cardinals lost to Wrightstown 42-21.
The Brodhead-Juda senior class was the winningest one in the playoffs in the history of the program. Brodhead-Juda's senior class amassed a 37-12 record in their four years, as well as a 9-3 mark in the playoffs. The Cardinals had a prolific offense that averaged 36.1 points per game. Senior running back Jesse DeLorme rushed for more than 1,400 yards and scored 25 touchdowns.
No. 6: Area track athletes bring home gold
Two area track athletes made history and brought home two state championships. Monticello senior Reid Zanoya won a WIAA Division 3 state track championship in the 400-meter dash with a time of 50.38 seconds.
Zanoya became the answer to a trivia question as the first boys athlete at Monticello to become a state champion.
Brodhead-Juda's Heather Clankie won a WIAA Division 2 state title in the discus with a throw of 129 feet, 3 inches. She credited her coach, Amber Curtis, who set the Division 2 discus record in 2002 (153-11), for sharing her knowledge of the fundamentals of the discus.
